Abstract
In this work, the synthesis of biopolyols derived from castor oil and different glycerols was performed by chemical glycerolysis with sodium hydroxide as catalyst at 225 °C. The biopolyol obtained from high purity glycerol led to predominantly MAG formation, whereas the biopolyol produced using crude glycerol, byproduct from biodiesel industry, resulted in higher DAG, TAG and FFA content due to the higher amount of water. Both biopolyols were employed for the synthesis of polyurethane (PU) foams by bulk polymerization using methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) at different NCO:OH ratios. The foams were evaluated by apparent density, insoluble fraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope and thermogravimetric analysis. The results showed that crude glycerol provided PU foams as much as commercial glycerol, however the characteristics may be different, mainly due to the presence of water in the reaction medium.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
