Journal of Material Sciences & Engineering

Thermomechanical Tests Applied To The Characterization Of Green Polyurethane Foams

Abstract

Dolly Granados

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for products of renewable origin with the aim of providing solutions to environmental problems. Biobased polymers are a innovative technology to replace traditional materials with ecofriendly substances. The new polymers are expected to exhibit similar performance to those of petrochemical origin. In this work, thermo-rigid polyurethane foams derived from olive oil industry sub-products, were evaluated by thermomechanical tests, to complement previous studies of chemical characterization. Biopolymers were synthesized by reacting 4,4'-diphenylmethyldiisocyanate with polyols derived from three low-quality oil fractions not suitable for human consumption: olive-pomace oil, lamp oil, and clear oil lees. Polyols were obtained from these oil fractions through a modification process that involves steps of epoxidation, hydrolysis and transesterification. In addition, samples of polyurethane foams using a commercial polyol of non-renewable origin, Jeffol G30-650, were made for comparative purposes. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) tests were performed. The glass transition temperature values found for each sample were estimated at the beginning of the transition. The glass transition temperature values obtained by both thermal characterization methods and the analysis of the storage modulus profiles as a function of temperature, together with the results obtained in previous characterizations, allow to affirm that the synthesized polyurethanes have thermo- mechanical and chemical characteristics that make them suitable for low to moderate demand applications.