Ann Arbor, Michigan — Mayasil claims to have developed a new potentially inherently flame retardant polyol based on tetraglycoxysilane derived from ash.
Stuart Nelson, CEO, talking to UTECH-polyurethane.com on the side-lines of Foam Expo in Novi, Michigan said that the firm has made samples of the material based on "biogenic silica including rice hull ash."
This ash, he explained is a by-product of burning unwanted rice hulls in combined heat and power plants associated with rice milling facilities. The ash, he added is high in silica which is used to produce his firm’s MayaGS polyols.
Mayasil claims that at full production volumes it's polyols will be “significantly less expensive than conventional polyols with fire-retardant additives.” The material has a transparent yellow colour and is a low viscosity liquid, it has a hydroxyl number of 1070 mg KOH/g and an acid value of 0.73 mg KOH/g, the company claims.
Mayasil added that preliminary tests show that the polyol can be successfully used to prepare rigid polyethylene foam at concentrations ranging from 10 to 15% of the overall polyol component.
The polyol "appears to be a good cross-linker for polyurethane foams and a good reactive processing additive to reduce the viscosity of formulations," the firm added.
