Development of rigid biocomposite polyurethane foam for load bearing application

Polyurethane (PU) foams are widely used today in automotive and as insulation system. Due to environmental issues, efforts have been made to replace petrochemical polyol with natural-based polyol in PU foam production, without sacrificing any properties. This study aims as to produce palm oil-based polyurethane composite foam for load bearing purposes. Palm oil-based polyol (POP) was reacted with polymeric 4,4-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (p-MDI) with water as blowing agent and silicone surfactant to produce rigid PU foams. The foams obtained were varied by NCO:OH ratios and water content and characterized for their morphology and compressive strength. Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) indicated the cells within the obtained foams are closed cells. Compressive strength of obtained foams shows considerable improvement but only up to NCO:OH ratio of 1:1.3