Polyurethane foam

1. A method of making polyurethane foam comprising a lipid-based polyol, the method including (a) making a prepolymer and then (b) making polyurethane foam using the prepolymer, the method comprising:

(a) first making a prepolymer by a method comprising the steps of:

providing at least one lipid-based polyol, a first amount of multifunctional isocyanate, a first amount of at least one gelation catalyst, and optionally a petrochemical polyol; and

combining the lipid-based polyol, the first amount of isocyanate, the first amount of at least one gelation catalyst, and also said petrochemical polyol when present, together to form a polyol/isocyanate blend;

reacting the polyol/isocyanate blend substantially without the use of added heat;

thereby creating a prepolymer, the prepolymer being substantially unfoamed, and having available unreacted OH functional groups; and

(b) providing the prepolymer previously created in step (a); and

combining the prepolymer with a second amount of multifunctional isocyanate, with a foaming agent, optionally with a second amount of gelation catalyst, and optionally with a petrochemical polyol; and

reacting the prepolymer, the second amount of isocyanate, the foaming agent, and said petrochemical polyol when present, in the presence of said second amount of gelation catalyst when present;

thereby creating a polyurethane foam;

wherein the first amount of at least one gelation catalyst is from 0.001 to 0.1 millimoles per each 100 grams of all polyols in the polyol/isocyanate blend;

wherein the first amount of multifunctional isocyanate is in the range of from 0.01% to 33% of the stoichiometric amount of the multifunctional isocyanate(s) that would be required to react with all the available hydroxyl groups of the polyol(s) in the polyol/isocyanate blend;

wherein the first amount of isocyanate comprises at least one of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) and toluene diisocyanate (TDI); and

wherein the polyol/isocyanate blend comprises sufficient lipid-based polyol so that the total lipid-based polyol content of the polyurethane foam is not less than 50% relative to the total polyol content of the foam by weight.

2. The method of making polyurethane foam of claim 1 , wherein the at least one lipid-based polyol provided and combined in the prepolymer step (a), and which is present in the final polyurethane foam, comprises soybean based polyol, palm oil based polyol, or a blend thereof.

3. The method of making polyurethane foam of claim 1 ,

wherein the prepolymer created in step (a) has a viscosity at 25 degrees Celsius of not more than 8,000 mPa·s.

4. The method of making polyurethane foam of claim 1 ,

wherein the prepolymer created in step (a) has a viscosity at 25 degrees Celsius of not more than 3,000 mPa·s.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing ricinoleic acid and adding the ricinoleic acid to the polyol/isocyanate blend.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of (a) making a prepolymer further comprises:

providing a first amount of at least one petrochemical polyol in addition to said at least one lipid-based polyol;

combining the petrochemical polyol with the at least one lipid-based polyol, the first amount of multifunctional isocyanate, and the first amount of at least one gelation catalyst, to form the polyol/isocyanate blend; and

reacting the polyol/isocyanate blend to create a prepolymer;

wherein the prepolymer comprises substantially all of the polyol that is in the resulting polyurethane foam.

7. The method of making polyurethane foam of claim 6 :

wherein the at least one lipid-based polyol provided and combined in the prepolymer step (a), and which is present in the final polyurethane foam, comprises of soybean based polyol, palm oil based polyol, or a blend thereof.

8. The method of making polyurethane foam of claim 1 , wherein the first amount of multifunctional isocyanate is in the range of from 0.1% to 20% of the stoichiometric amount of the multifunctional isocyanate(s) that would be required to react with all the available hydroxyl groups of the polyol(s) in the polyol/isocyanate blend.

9. The method of making polyurethane foam of claim 1 , wherein the combining portion of step (b) making a polyurethane foam comprises combining the prepolymer with a second amount of multifunctional isocyanate, with a foaming agent, and also with a second amount of gelation catalyst; and

wherein the reacting portion of step (b) comprises reacting the prepolymer, the isocyanate, and the foaming agent in the presence of the second amount of gelation catalyst;

thereby creating a polyurethane foam.

10. The method of making polyurethane foam of claim 1 , wherein the polyol/isocyanate blend comprises sufficient lipid-based polyol so that the total lipid-based polyol content of the polyurethane foam is from 50% to 75% relative to the total polyol content of the foam by weight.

11. The method of making polyurethane foam of claim 1 :

wherein the polyol/isocyanate blend comprises sufficient lipid-based polyol so that the total lipid-based polyol content of the polyurethane foam is from 50% to 75% relative to the total polyol content of the foam by weight; and

wherein the at least one lipid-based polyol in the prepolymer and in the polyurethane foam consists of soybean based polyol, palm oil based polyol, or a blend thereof.

12. The method of making polyurethane foam of claim 1 :

wherein the polyol/isocyanate blend comprises sufficient lipid-based polyol so that the total lipid-based polyol content of the polyurethane foam is from 50% to 75% relative to the total polyol content of the foam by weight; and

wherein the at least one gelation catalyst provided and combined in the prepolymer step (a) is selected from dibutyltindilaurate (DBTL), stannous octoate, and tin ricinoleate.

13. The method of making polyurethane foam of claim 1 :

wherein the polyol/isocyanate blend comprises sufficient lipid-based polyol so that the total lipid-based polyol content of the polyurethane foam is from 50% to 75% relative to the total polyol content of the foam by weight; and

wherein the hardness of the resulting polyurethane foam is from 2.87 kPa to 5.74 kPa, as measured by the 40% compression load deflection (CLD 40%) method.

14. The method of making polyurethane foam of claim 1 :

wherein the polyol/isocyanate blend comprises sufficient lipid-based polyol so that the total lipid-based polyol content of the polyurethane foam is from 50% to 75% relative to the total polyol content of the foam by weight; and

wherein the hardness of the resulting polyurethane foam is from 3.77 kPa to 5.74 kPa, as measured by the 40% compression load deflection (CLD 40%) method.

15. The method of making polyurethane foam of claim 1 :

wherein the polyol/isocyanate blend comprises sufficient lipid-based polyol so that the total lipid-based polyol content of the polyurethane foam is from 50% to 75% relative to the total polyol content of the foam by weight; and

wherein the elongation of the resulting polyurethane foam, measured as a distance that the sample is stretched to prior to breaking as a percentage of its original length, is 71 to 182%.

16. The method of making polyurethane foam of claim 1 :

wherein the polyol/isocyanate blend comprises sufficient lipid-based polyol so that the total lipid-based polyol content of the polyurethane foam is from 50% to 75% relative to the total polyol content of the foam by weight; and

wherein the first amount of multifunctional isocyanate is in the range of from 4% to 28% of the stoichiometric amount of the multifunctional isocyanate(s) that would be required to react with all the available hydroxyl groups of the polyol(s) in the polyol/isocyanate blend.

17. The method of making polyurethane foam of claim 1 :

wherein the hardness of the resulting polyurethane foam is from 3.77 kPa to 5.74 kPa, as measured by the 40% compression load deflection (CLD 40%) method.

18. A method of making polyurethane foam comprising a lipid-based polyol, the method including (a) making a prepolymer and then (b) making polyurethane foam using the prepolymer, the method comprising:

(a) first making a prepolymer by a method comprising the steps of:

providing at least one lipid-based polyol, a first amount of multifunctional isocyanate, a first amount of at least one gelation catalyst, and optionally a petrochemical polyol; and

combining the at least one lipid-based polyol, the first amount of isocyanate, the first amount of at least one gelation catalyst, and also said petrochemical polyol when present, together to form a polyol/isocyanate blend;

reacting the polyol/isocyanate blend substantially without the use of added heat;

thereby creating a prepolymer, the prepolymer being substantially unfoamed, and having available unreacted OH functional groups; and

(b) providing the prepolymer previously created in step (a); and

combining the prepolymer with a second amount of multifunctional isocyanate, with a foaming agent, optionally with a second amount of gelation catalyst, and optionally with a petrochemical polyol; and

reacting the prepolymer, the second amount of isocyanate, the foaming agent, and said petrochemical polyol when present, in the presence of said second amount of gelation catalyst when present;

thereby creating a polyurethane foam;

wherein the first amount of at least one gelation catalyst is from 0.001 to 0.1 millimoles per each 100 grams of all polyols in the polyol/isocyanate blend;

wherein the first amount of multifunctional isocyanate is in the range of from 0.01% to 33% of the stoichiometric amount of the multifunctional isocyanate(s) that would be required to react with all the available hydroxyl groups of the polyol(s) in the polyol/isocyanate blend;

wherein the first amount of isocyanate comprises at least one of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) and toluene diisocyanate (TDI); and

wherein the polyol/isocyanate blend comprises sufficient lipid-based polyol so that the total lipid-based polyol content of the polyurethane foam is not less than 30% relative to the total polyol content of the foam by weight.

19. The method of making polyurethane foam of claim 18 :

wherein the combining portion of step (b) making a polyurethane foam comprises combining the prepolymer with a second amount of multifunctional isocyanate, with a foaming agent, and also with a second amount of gelation catalyst; and

wherein the reacting portion of step (b) comprises reacting the prepolymer, the isocyanate, and the foaming agent in the presence of the second amount of gelation catalyst;

thereby creating a polyurethane foam.

20. The method of making polyurethane foam of claim 18 :

wherein the at least one lipid-based polyol provided and combined in the prepolymer step (a), and which is present in the final polyurethane foam, comprises of soybean based polyol, palm oil based polyol, or a blend thereof.