UPGRADED STABILIZED POLYOL COMPOSITION
The present invention relates to a method for reducing the acid value in a provided polyol to obtain an upgraded stabilized polyol composition, said method comprising following process steps: Solubilizing ammonia in a distillable alcohol having a boiling point lower than 200° C. with formation of an ammoniated distillable alcohol; Providing a polyol having a predefined acid value; Chemically reacting the ammoniated distillable alcohol with the provided polyol; Removing the distillable alcohol by distillation at a temperature comprised between 120 and 220° C.; and Obtaining an upgraded stabilized polyol composition having an acid value lower than the predefined acid value of said provided polyol.
1 . A method for reducing a predefined acid value in a provided polyol to obtain an upgraded stabilized polyol composition, said method comprising:
solubilizing ammonia in a distillable alcohol having a boiling point lower than 200° C. to form an ammoniated distillable alcohol;
chemically reacting the ammoniated distillable alcohol with the provided polyol;
removing the ammoniated distillable alcohol by distillation at a temperature between 120° C. and 220° C.; and
obtaining the upgraded stabilized polyol composition having an acid value lower than the predefined acid value of said provided polyol.
2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein said ammoniated distillable alcohol is added to the provided polyol at an equivalent weight ratio between 0.25 and 3.
3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the provided polyol is a waste polyol.
4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the upgraded stabilized polyol composition has a moisture content lower than the moisture content of the provided polyol.
5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of removing the distillable alcohol by distillation is performed at a temperature between 140° C. and 200° C. in order to remove water and said distillable alcohol.
6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the chemical reaction between the ammoniated distillable alcohol with said provided polyol is carried out at a temperature from 70° C. to 140° C.
7 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein said reaction is carried out at a first temperature between 70° C. to 95° C., and is followed by an increase of temperature between 95° C. and 140° C.
8 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the ammoniated distillable alcohol comprises between 5% and 25% by weight of ammonia or derivative thereof, based on the total weight of said ammoniated distillable alcohol.
9 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein said distillable alcohol is selected from the group of ethylene glycol, methanol, phenol, ethanol, 1,2 propylene glycol, 1,3 butanediol, and 1,4 butanediol.
10 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the provided polyol is a waste polyol originating from recycling of used polyurethane/polyisocyanurate based products.
11 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein the waste polyol is a polyether-based polyol.
12 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein said upgraded stabilized polyol composition is further mixed with another compound selected from the group of a surfactant, a catalyst, an additive and a mixture thereof and wherein the acid value after mixing said compound remains equal or close to the acid value of said upgraded stabilized polyol composition before mixing said compound.
13 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein said upgraded stabilized polyol composition has an acid value lower than 0.45 mg KOH/g.
14 . An upgraded stabilized polyol composition produced according to the method of claim 1 .
15 . (canceled)
16 . The upgraded stabilized polyol composition of claim 14 , wherein the provided polyol is a waste polyol.
17 . The upgraded stabilized polyol composition of claim 16 , wherein the upgraded stabilized composition has an acid value lower than 0.45 mg KOH/g.