Bio-based Polyurethane Foam Made from Compatible Blends of Vegetable-Oil-based Polyol and Petroleum-based Polyol

The Hansen solubility parameters of a soy-castor oil-based polyol and a petroleum-based polyol are investigated to evaluate their miscibility for polyurethane blends. The two polyols were found to be miscible at different ratios over a temperature range from 25 to 90 °C. Blends with different ratios of these two polyols were used to prepare polyurethane foams. With increasing levels of bio-based polyol content, the density of the open cell foams increased. The thermal stability of the polyurethane foams improved, and their thermal conductivity increased, with increasing bio-content, while the foam's compression strength decreased. This study provides a method to evaluate polyol blends for the preparation of polymeric materials that balances economic and environmental considerations.