OLIVPOL - Polyurethane foams and thermoplastic composites from oxypropylated olive-stones

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Publications

Olive stone as a renewable source of biopolyols

Publication . Matos, M.C.; Barreiro, M.F.; Gandini, Alessandro

The purpose of this work was to establish the feasibility of converting the olive stone residue by means of both total and partial oxypropylation. In the first case, the oxypropylation reaction conditions are chosen in order to promote extensive grafting, thus assuring a complete “liquefaction” of the material and, in the second case, partial oxypropylation would limit the reaction to the outer shell in view of the preparation of all-“olive stone” composites. This approach involves a straightforward transformation of the olive stone particles outer layer, giving rise to a thermoplastic matrix around its unreacted reinforcing inner structure, as already applied to cellulose and starch. To the best of our knowledge, oxypropylation was never applied to olive-stone.

2009Conference object

Open access

Olive stone as a renewable source of biopolyols

Publication . Matos, M.C.; Barreiro, M.F.; Gandini, Alessandro

The development of polyols from abundant and renewable biomass resources constitute an attractive choice for polyurethanes and other industrial sectors, where green chemistry and sustainable processes are in focus. The purpose of this study was to establish the feasibility of converting olive stone (OS) residues by means of both total and partial oxypropylation. In the first case, the oxypropylation reaction conditions were chosen in order to promote extensive grafting leading to a viscous product, whereas in the second the reaction was limited to the outer shell of the OS grains in order to prepare single-source composites. The results obtained demonstrated the viability of using this reaction to generate OS-based polyols, thus opening new perspectives for the exploitation of this by-product of the olive oil industry.

2010Journal article

Restricted access

The oxypropylation of olive stone and the use of the ensuing polyols for the synthesis of novel polyesters and polyurethanes based on renewable resources

Publication . Matos, M.C.; Barreiro, M.F.; Gandini, Alessandro

The development of polyols by the oxypropylation of abundant and renewable vegetable and animal resources constitutes an original approach to the exploitation of the biomass. Cellulose, starch, chitosan, chitin, different types of lignins, cork and more complex structures like sugar beet pulp, are among the documented examples. All these systems displayed a similar pattern in terms of the grafting of short poly(propylene oxide) (POP) chains from the OH groups of the substrate, albeit of course each situation required a specific set of optimized experimental conditions to transform the natural solid into a viscous polyol. The transformation of these polyols into polyurethanes is the only operation which has been studied to date as a form of their exploitation into polymer materials. In this work, the more promissing were selected for chemical modifications involving first ester and urethane formations with aliphatic and aromatic monofunctional reagents.

2011Conference object

Open access

Fungal degradation of lignin-based rigid polyurethane foams

Publication . Sepúlveda, Manuel Martinho Vilas Boas; Fernandes, Isabel P.; Amaral, Joana S.; Barreiro, M.F.

The environmental impacts arising from the use of polymeric materials is a serious problem since they can present long periods of degradation and hence being accumulated in the environment. Polyurethanes (PU) are considered as one of the most versatile polymeric materials offering a wide range of products with applications in diverse sectors. Rigid polyurethane (RPU) foams, due to its excellent insulation and mechanical properties, are widely used in construction, automotive, freeze industry and nautical applications. In this context, the use of green polyols with value-added properties, such as biodegradability, will contribute to reduce environmental impacts. In this work the ability of Aspergillus niger to degrade lignin-based RPU foams in comparison with a control (RPU foam based on a commercial polyol), was tested according to various procedures.

2011Conference object

Open access

The oxypropylation of olive stone and the use of the ensuing polyols for the synthesis of novel polyesters and polyurethanes based on renewable resources

Publication . Matos, M.C.; Barreiro, M.F.; Gandini, Alessandro

The development of polyols by the oxypropylation of abundant and renewable vegetable and animal resources constitutes an original approach to the exploitation of the biomass. Cellulose, starch, chitosan, chitin, different types of lignins, cork and more complex structures like sugar beet pulp, are among the documented examples. All these systems displayed a similar pattern in terms of the grafting of short poly(propylene oxide) (POP) chains from the OH groups of the substrate, albeit of course each situation required a specific set of optimized experimental conditions to transform the natural solid into a viscous polyol. The transformation of these polyols into polyurethanes is the only operation which has been studied to date as a form of their exploitation into polymer materials. In this work, the more promissing promising polyols were selected for chemical modifications involving first ester and urethane formations with aliphatic and aromatic monofunctional reagents.

2011Conference object

Open access