Ganesan Kavya, Guin Bethany, Wilbanks Elijah, Sternberg James
Department of Food, Nutrition, and Packaging Science, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA.
Materials (Basel). 2025 Apr 29;18(9):2006. doi: 10.3390/ma18092006.
Flexible polyurethane foams are a diverse class of materials encompassing furniture, packaging, automotive, and many other industrial and domestic applications. Polyurethane foams are synthesized by the addition of polyols and isocyanates; however, the petroleum origin and toxic nature of isocyanates have driven many to look for more sustainable routes to production. Renewable fillers have emerged as a biobased resource to decrease the carbon footprint of this widely used polymeric material. In this study, soy hulls, as mass-produced, industrial by-products of soybean production, were used to create a biochar beneficial in the synthesis of flexible polyurethane foam composites. The addition of soy hull biochar was found to maintain the compression properties of foams at a decreasing isocyanate index, reducing the amount of isocyanates needed for production. In addition, the addition of biochar decreased the flammability of foams, important for many applications where consumer safety is important. The results point to the ability to create safer, more sustainable, and even more cost-effective polyurethane foams through the reduction in isocyanate use while maintaining the properties of this important class of polymers.
软质聚氨酯泡沫是一类多样的材料，涵盖家具、包装、汽车以及许多其他工业和家用应用领域。聚氨酯泡沫是通过添加多元醇和异氰酸酯合成的；然而，异氰酸酯的石油来源和毒性促使许多人寻求更可持续的生产途径。可再生填料已作为一种生物基资源出现，以降低这种广泛使用的聚合材料的碳足迹。在本研究中，大豆皮作为大豆生产的大量工业副产品，被用于制备对软质聚氨酯泡沫复合材料合成有益的生物炭。研究发现，添加大豆皮生物炭可在降低异氰酸酯指数的情况下保持泡沫的压缩性能，减少生产所需的异氰酸酯用量。此外，生物炭的添加降低了泡沫的可燃性，这对于许多重视消费者安全的应用来说很重要。结果表明，通过减少异氰酸酯的使用，同时保持这类重要聚合物的性能，能够制造出更安全、更可持续甚至更具成本效益的聚氨酯泡沫。
