Fire retardancy, thermal, and physico-mechanical properties of semi-rigid water-blown polyurethane foam from palm oil-based polyol

• Main Authors: Dzulkifli, Mohd. Haziq, Yahya, Mohd. Yazid, A. Majid, Rohah
• Format: Article
• Published: SAGE Publications Ltd 2022
• Subjects: TP Chemical technology
• Online Access: http://eprints.utm.my/id/eprint/101346/; http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/02624893211061633
• Institution: Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

This paper presents the experimental work undertaken to assess rigid palm oil-based polyurethane (PU) foam. The bio-composite foam was characterized to determine its foaming kinetics and morphology, as well as fire retardancy, thermal, and mechanical responses, which was later compared with its petrochemical-based counterpart. The palm oil-based foam displayed poor fire-retardancy performance based on Limiting Oxygen Index (LOI) and UL-94 Vertical Combustion Test. Although less char residue was produced, the palm oil-based PU foam exhibited higher onset degradation temperatures, indicating improved thermal stability. The Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) revealed finer cell sizes for the bio-based foam and a higher fraction of open cell structures, which affected its density and compressive properties. As a conclusion, the palm oil-based PU foam is a viable alternative to be utilized in low load-bearing and thermal environment applications.