Synthesis and characterization of polyurethane flexible foams provided from PET derivatives, fly ash, and glass wastes

Adriana Cornelia Mârșolea Cristea; Alexandra Mocanu; Paul Octavian Stănescu; Oana Brincoveanu; Cristina Orbeci; Roberta Irodia; Cristian Pîrvu; Adrian Dinescu; Constantin Bobirica; Edina Rusen

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23097

Synthesis and characterization of polyurethane flexible foams provided from PET derivatives, fly ash, and glass wastes

Heliyon. 2023 Dec 1;9(12):e23097. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23097. eCollection 2023 Dec.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ University Politehnica of Bucharest, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies, 1- 7 Gh. Polizu Street, 011061 Bucharest, Romania.
² National Institute for Research and Development in Microtechnologies - IMT Bucharest, 126A Erou Iancu Nicolae Street, 077190 Bucharest, Romania.
³ Advanced Polymer Materials Group, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 1-7 Gh. Polizu Street, 011061 Bucharest, Romania.
⁴ Research Institute of the University of Bucharest, ICUB Bucharest, Soseaua Panduri, nr. 90, Sector 5, 050663, Bucureşti, Romania.

Abstract

The aim of this study involved the synthesis and characterization of polyurethane (PUR) foams obtained from poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) depolymerization products and two types of filling agents, namely fly ash and glass waste. The depolymerized PET-based products were obtained by zinc acetate-catalyzed glycolysis process in diethylene glycol (DEG) as a co-reactant. The resulting glycolysis products were contacted with methylene diphenyl diisocyanate, castor oil, and reinforcing agents. The resulting PUR specimens were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), EDX mapping, mechanical tests, and thermal analysis. The analysis confirmed that the best mechanical performances were registered by the specimens with the lowest concentration of filling agent, while the highest thermal resistance was achieved by the PUR foams with the highest concentration of reinforcing agent.

Keywords: Depolymerization; Glass waste; PET waste; Polyurethanes; fly ash.