Effect of Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis) Oil Cake on the Properties of Polyurethane/Polyisocyanurate Bio-Composites.

Joanna Paciorek-Sadowska,Marcin Borowicz,Marek Isbrandt

doi:10.3390/ijms22168950

Joanna Paciorek-Sadowska, Marcin Borowicz + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22168950

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Abstract

Rigid polyurethane/polyisocyanurate (RPU/PIR) foam formulations were modified by evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) oil cake as a bio-filler in the amount of 5 to 50 wt.%. The obtained foams were tested in terms of processing parameters, cellular structure (SEM analysis), physico-mechanical properties (apparent density, compressive strength, brittleness, accelerated aging tests), thermal insulation properties (thermal conductivity coefficient, closed cells content, absorbability and water absorption), flammability, smoke emission, and thermal properties. The obtained results showed that the amount of bio-filler had a significant influence on the morphology of the modified foams. Thorough mixing of the polyurethane premix allowed better homogenization of the bio-filler in the polyurethane matrix, resulting in a regular cellular structure. This resulted in an improvement in the physico-mechanical and thermal insulation properties as well as a reduction in the flammability of the obtained materials. This research provided important information on the management of the waste product from the edible oil industry and the production process of fire-safe RPU/PIR foams with improved performance properties. Due to these beneficial effects, it was found that the use of evening primrose oil cake as a bio-filler for RPU/PIR foams opens a new way of waste management to obtain new “green” materials.

Highlights

Evening primrose is a common plant belonging to the Onagraceae family [1]
The catalytic system used in the rigid polyurethane/polyisocyanurate (RPU/PIR) foams synthesis consisted of anhydrous potassium acetate (Chempur, Piekary Slaskie, Poland) used in a 33% solution in diethylene glycol (Chempur, Piekary Slaskie, Poland) and DABCO (1,4-diazabicyclo[2,2,2]octane, Alfa Aesar, Ward Hill, MA, USA) was used in a 33% solution in diethylene glycol (Chempur, Piekary Slaskie, Poland)
The results obtained in this study indicated that the addition of evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) oil cake to the formulation of rigid polyurethane/polyisocyanurate foams in any amount significantly influenced the morphology and functional properties of the modified foams

Summary

Introduction

Evening primrose is a common plant belonging to the Onagraceae family [1]. It is mainly found in the temperate climate zone of North America, but can be found in tropical climates. This plant is in the form of annual, biennial, or perennial herbs with alternating and mostly narrow leaves. Several of its species are currently cultivated in Europe, North America, and New Zealand. The main purpose of cultivating this plant is primarily to obtain oil from its seeds [3,4]

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