Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Middle East Foam & Polyurethane
  • UTECH Asia/PU China
  • UTECH Europe
  • UTECH Las Americas
Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Ukraine
  • News
    • Asia
    • Americas
    • Europe
    • M & A
    • Financial results
    • Automotive
  • Data
  • Information
    • Country Overview
    • Market Sector overviews
    • Technical articles
    • Company profiles and strategies
  • Events
    • Exhibitions
    • Conferences
    • Webinars / Livestreams
    • Become a Speaker
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Issues
  • Subscribe
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
January 24, 2023 11:11 AM

Coconut oil used to make rigid PU foam

Sarah Houlton
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    coconuts 800

    Iligan City, Philippines – Scientists at the Iligan Institute of Technology’s Centre for Sustainable Polymers have developed a way to make a hydroxyl-rich biopolyol from coconut oil. They believe it should have applications in insulation.

    Vegetable oils require chemical modification to insert the necessary hydroxyl groups, typically by double bond epoxidation followed by ring opening reactions. While saturated oils can be modified by transesterification and amidation, the resulting polyols still have low hydroxyl numbers, meaning fossil-based polyol replacement is still necessary if effective rigid PU foams are to be made.

    Coconut oil is widely used as a renewable source of raw materials for polyols as it is cheap and abundant, but it is unsaturated. The scientists overcame this by taking triglycerides from coconut oil, and subjecting them to a glycerolysis reaction followed by a catalytic amidation. The result was an amine-based polyol, p-CDEA, with a higher hydroxyl value of 361mg KOH/g than earlier polyols from coconut oil, which ranged from 270–333.

    The polyol was then used to make a poly(urethane-urea) hybrid foam with MDI. With a compressive strength of 226kPa and a thermal conductivity of 23.2m–1K–1, according to ASTM standards it can be classified as Type 1 for rigid structural sandwich panel cores, and Type 2 for rigid thermal insulation foam applications.

    The team believe this is the first time a coconut oil-based polyol has been created that could be used in insulation applications in place of PU derived from petrochemical sources. A patent application has been filed.

    The work has been published in the journal RSC Advances.

    Recommended for You
    fypon mantel 800
    Fypon adds new PU mantels and shutters to its building products range
    Dry cleaning solvents recycled into urethanes
    Dry cleaning solvents recycled into urethanes
    grupo antolin headliner 800
    Grupo Antolin launches eco-friendly automotive headliner
    Latest Issue
    December 2022/January 2023
    Get the latest edition here
    View All Archives
    Get our newsletters

    Breaking news and in-depth coverage of essential topics delivered straight to your inbox.

    Subscribe today

    Register to access our archive of leading information on the polyurethanes industry.

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Youtube

    Follow us on social media for the latest polyurethanes industry news and event updates.

    Logo
    Contact Us

    Crain Communications
    11, Ironmonger Lane
    London
    EC2V 8EY
    United Kingdom

    Editorial
    Phone +44 (0) 20 3287 5935
    Email click to send

    Customer Service
    Phone +1 313 446 0450
    Email click to send

    Resources
    • Advertise with Us
    • Media Kit
    • Staff
    • Careers
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • Ukraine
    • News
      • Asia
      • Americas
      • Europe
      • M & A
      • Financial results
      • Automotive
    • Data
    • Information
      • Country Overview
      • Market Sector overviews
      • Technical articles
      • Company profiles and strategies
    • Events
      • Exhibitions
      • Conferences
      • Webinars / Livestreams
      • Become a Speaker
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Issues
    • Subscribe