Fayetteville, Arkansas - The BioBased group is scheduled to move in October into a new 30 000-sq.ft (2787 sq.m) corporate headquarters, designed to meet the US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.
According to BioBAsed, the LEED third-party certification programme is a nationally accepted benchmark for design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. It is a whole-building approach to sustainability, covering five key areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
The new HQ will consolidate the product, process and application development laboratories and administrative offices for BioBased Technologies. BioBased Systems and BioBased Insulation from three locations into one in Fayetteville, said a 19 Aug company announcement.
"As a family of companies committed to developing sustainable solutions, it's important for us to understand LEED standards and how our products fit into those standards," said Tom Muccio (pictured), chief executive officer of BioBased. "Our headquarters will be a showplace for our companies' and our customers' products. We also want it to become a place where the next generation learns about the development of sustainable materials."
Two of BioBased Insulation's insulation products have been used to seal the building and make it more energy-efficient, and the offices also have carpeting with the BioCell carpet-backing system and AstroTurf, both manufactured by Universal Textile Technologies using BioBased's Agrol polyol.
BioBased pointed out that the headquarters is "strategically located close to the main campus of the University of Arkansas and to the university's Innovation Center to facilitate information sharing and to enable research and internship opportunities at the new facility."
Meanwhile, the company has also launched Agrol Diamond, a new polyol for use in rigid polyurethane applications. Agrol Diamond is a tri-functional polyol derived from natural oil with 86 percent bio-based content. Its hydroxyl number ranges from 320 to 350 mg KOH/g and includes both secondary and primary hydroxyl groups. "Addition of the primary hydroxyl groups dramatically increases the polyol's reactivity and ability to form rigid polyurethane foam networks," points out BioBased.
As well as being compatible with conventional and other natural oil polyols, the product is also completely miscible with hydrocarbon blowing agents, the company added.
"This product allows us to reach previously untapped markets in rigid polyurethane foams," said Muccio, adding that, "We are working diligently with our customers in order to incorporate Agrol Diamond into numerous commercial applications."
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