Rigid Polyurethane Foams' Development and Optimization from Polyols Based on Depolymerized Suberin and Tall Oil Fatty...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Sustainable Chemistry
• Polymer Science

Background:

• Polyurethane (PUR) foams are widely used for insulation.
• There is a growing need for sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based materials.
• Renewable polyols offer a pathway to enhance the circular bioeconomy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop rigid PUR foams using second-generation renewable polyols from suberinic acids and tall oil fatty acids.
• To optimize bio-based foam formulations using response surface modeling.
• To compare the performance of bio-based PUR foams with petroleum-based counterparts.

Main Methods:

• Utilized depolymerized birch bark suberin (suberinic acids) and tall oil fatty acids for polyol synthesis.
• Achieved up to 74% renewable material content in polyols, with 37% suberinic acid content.
• Employed response surface modeling to optimize bio-polyol, blowing agent, and catalyst content.

Main Results:

• Developed bio-based rigid PUR foams with up to 29% renewable materials.
• Achieved competitive properties: apparent density (~40-44 kg/m³), closed cell content (~95%), compression strength (>0.2 MPa), and thermal conductivity (~0.019 W/(m·K)).
• Demonstrated comparable performance of suberinic acid-based PUR foam to petroleum-based polyols.

Conclusions:

• Suberinic acid-tall oil polyols are effective for developing rigid PUR foams.
• Bio-based PUR foams offer promising sustainable solutions for insulation.
• This research supports the advancement of a circular bioeconomy through renewable materials.