Soy-Based Oligomeric Polyols with Reduce Isocyanate Loadings

The soy-based polyols (urethanes) industry is one of the fastest growing of the renewable chemical industries in the U.S. In particular, urethane rigid foams are valued as construction and insulation materials. Soy-based polyols directly replace petroleum-based oligomers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide.

The primary applications of polyols are as B-side monomers in combination with A-side diisocyanates to produce rigid, flexible, and elastomer urethanes. Many of the formulations for these renewable materials require more of the A-side diisocyanates in the final formulation (not good) and none reduce the diisocyanate loading of the formulation. This project is on the engineering of polyol molecules and urethane polymers to use reduced diisocyanate loadings.