Table of Content

Open Access iconOpen Access

ARTICLE

Mechanical and Thermal Properties of High-Density Rigid Polyurethane Foams from Renewable Resources

M. Kirpluks1*, U. Cabulis1, A. Ivdre1, M. Kuranska2, M. Zieleniewska3, M. Auguscik3

Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, 27 Dzerbenes, LV-1006, Riga, Latvia
Cracow University of Technology, Department of Chemistry and Technology of Polymers, 24 Warszawska, 31-155, Cracow, Poland
Warsaw University of Technology, Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, 141 Woloska, 02-507, Warsaw, Poland

*Corresponding author: email

Journal of Renewable Materials 2016, 4(1), 86-100. https://doi.org/10.7569/JRM.2015.634132

Abstract

The most common sustainable solution for polyurethane (PU) materials is their production using renewable resources. Polyols derived from biomass and recycled polymers are the most promising way to do that. This study compares five different sustainable polyols as a possible raw material for production of highdensity rigid PU foams for automotive application. The goal of our study was to show that biobased polyols are a suitable replacement for polyols derived from petrochemical products. The influence of the chemical structure of polyols on the PU polymer matrix and foam properties was investigated. Two sources of PU raw material feedstock were studied: the plant biomass and the side stream of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) production. Three different polyols from renewable resources were investigated as well as two aromatic polyester polyols. High-density rigid polyurethane foams were developed from these raw materials. This was done to choose a material, which could be used as the core of structural elements for lightweight vehicles. The focus was put on the sustainability and competitive properties of the developed materials. The obtained results led to the conclusion that recycled PET polyols show a higher mechanical strength. Nevertheless, renewable resources are closely matched.

Keywords


Cite This Article

Kirpluks, M., Cabulis, U., Ivdre, A., Kuranska, M., Zieleniewska, M. et al. (2016). Mechanical and Thermal Properties of High-Density Rigid Polyurethane Foams from Renewable Resources. Journal of Renewable Materials, 4(1), 86–100.



cc This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
  • 2860

    View

  • 3181

    Download

  • 0

    Like

Share Link