Life Cycle Assessment of Polyurethane Foams from Polyols Obtained through Chemical Recycling

Abstract

In this research, the results of the life cycle assessment of polyurethane (PUR) foams with different recycled polyol contents are presented. A methodological framework implementing laboratory activities directly into the life cycle assessment has been developed. Laboratory activities made the primary data related to the recycled polyol production available through the glycolysis of polyurethane scraps and the subsequent production and characterization of the foams. Five different formulations were analyzed with glycolyzed polyol content ranging from 0 to 100%. A comprehensive set of impact categories was considered. To ensure the robustness of the results, the influence of two different end-of-life allocation approaches was investigated, and the model was subjected to sensitivity and uncertainty analyses. Formulations with recycled content of 50 and 75% scored better environmental impacts compared to others. The main contributions to the overall impact resulted to be related to the production of isocyanate and virgin polyol. Physical characteristics such as density and thermal conductivity emerged as the main variables to be considered to minimize the overall environmental impacts of PUR foams.

Mechanically Strong Polyurethane Composites Reinforced with Montmorillonite-Modified Sage Filler (Salvia officinalis L.)

“…It turned out that the use of natural waste could therefore be a good solution for waste management [14]. In recent years, there was a growing interest in the application of natural additives in the form of bio-polyol and bio-fillers, especially cellulosic and lignocellulosic raw materials such as nutshells, fruit seeds, coconut fibers, extracts, and others [6,12,[15][16][17][18][19][20][21].…”

Polyurethane Composites Reinforced with Walnut Shell Filler Treated with Perlite, Montmorillonite and Halloysite

“…Fillers of natural and plant origin may also positively affect the mechanical properties of the obtained composites. The literature commonly describes the use of natural additives in polymeric materials [ 8 , 9 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ].…”

Current Prospects for Plastic Waste Treatment

“…A critical analysis of nine chemical recycling LCA papers found that there are two approaches to modeling: a comparison of chemical recycling methods to other plastic waste management techniques, for example, mechanical recycling or the modeling of chemical recycling methods in combination with other plastic waste management methods, to treat mixed plastic waste [ 15 ]. Marson et al presented a life cycle assessment of PUs foams with different recycled polyol contents [ 195 ].…”