Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Different Production Processes for Waterborne Polyurethane Dispersions

Abstract

Waterborne polyurethane dispersions (PUDs) have gained significant importance in the coating industry due to their diverse chemical and physical properties. However, a comprehensive analysis of their environmental impacts is lacking. Therefore, this study provides a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of four different PUD production processes from cradle-to-gate. The environmental performances of the NMP process, the acetone process, the melt process, and a conceptualized continuous flow process were evaluated and compared following the CML 2001 methodology. The LCA revealed that the conceptualized flow process exhibits the lowest environmental impact in all investigated impact categories. Depending on the impact category, the melt process or the acetone process rank second. The NMP process was observed to have the highest impact in all categories. Consequently, the flow process has the lowest carbon footprint (1.13 kg CO 2eq), according to the global warming potential (100 years), followed by the melt (1.45 kg CO 2 -eq), the acetone (1.95 kg CO 2 -eq), and the NMP process (3.11 kg CO 2 -eq).

Development of Leather Fiber/Polyurethane Composite with Antibacterial, Wet Management, and Temperature-Adaptive Flexibility for Foot Care

“…The performance enhancement caused by the presence of PPU was also reflected in the wear resistance. Figure c demonstrates that, even after 2500 friction cycles, the mass loss of LF/PPU-5 is lower than that of leathers, indicating the higher durability of the LF/PPU composites . Generally, the use of foot care materials often involves changes in the external environment (e.g., temperature) and actions of the feet.…”

“…Figure 5c demonstrates that, even after 2500 friction cycles, the mass loss of LF/PPU-5 is lower than that of leathers, indicating the higher durability of the LF/PPU composites. 34 Generally, the use of foot care materials often involves changes in the external environment (e.g., temperature) and actions of the feet. Therefore, materials that can respond to external conditions may have great advantages for foot care.…”

Continuous Flow Synthesis of a Blocked Polyisocyanate: Process Intensification, Reaction Monitoring Via In-Line FTIR Analysis, and Comparative Life Cycle Assessment

“…In this context, reports focusing on the life cycle impacts associated with alternative polyol binders as well as biobased polyurethane formulations have been published. A comparative LCA of different production processes (including a continuous approach) for waterborne polyurethane dispersions has been recently described …”

“…A comparative LCA of different production processes (including a continuous approach) for waterborne polyurethane dispersions has been recently described. 31 Herein, we present a laboratory scale continuous flow procedure for the preparation of blocked polyisocyanate B-HDIT. The continuous flow reactor consisted of two reaction streams containing the polyisocyanate trimer HDIT and neat MEKO, which were pumped separately and mixed in flow using a Kenics static mixer, before entering a residence time unit.…”

Green Coalescent Synthesis Based on the Design for Environment (DfE) Principles: Brazilian Experience

“…Moreover, LCA quantifies the environmental impacts generated throughout a product's life cycle, i.e., from the extraction of material and energy resources to their final disposal in the biosphere in the form of goods that can no longer fulfill their original functions. However, studies in which LCA was related to paints and their components only verified the effects of alternative formulation materials [17][18][19][20][21][22] or measured the degree of return from innovative construction concepts [23][24][25][26]. In these situations, the coating figured only in supporting roles.…”