BIO-BASED POLYURETHANE FOAM FORMULATION AND METHOD THEREOF

1 . A bio-based polyurethane foam formulation, comprising:

a polyol component comprising 50-90% by weight of one or more bio-based polyols derived from renewable resources;

an isocyanate component comprising 40-70% by weight of one or more isocyanates;

one or more additives, optionally present, selected from nucleating agents, surfactants, pore-opening stabilizers, chain extenders, crosslinking agents, and bio-fillers;

a catalyst system comprising a gelling catalyst and/or a blowing catalyst; and

a blowing agent system comprising a chemical blowing agent and/or a physical blowing agent;

wherein all weight percentages are based on the total formulation,

wherein the bio-based polyurethane foam has a predetermined thermal decomposition temperature, a predetermined tensile strength, and a predetermined elongation at break.

2 . The bio-based polyurethane foam formulation of claim 1 , wherein the bio-based polyols are selected from polyester polyols, polyether polyols, or combinations thereof.

3 . The bio-based polyurethane foam formulation of claim 1 , wherein the bio-based polyol has a functionality of 2 to 6.

4 . The bio-based polyurethane foam formulation of claim 1 , wherein the bio-based polyol has a hydroxyl number of 20-100 mg KOH/g.

5 . The bio-based polyurethane foam formulation of claim 1 , wherein the bio-based polyol has a molecular weight of 400 to 12,000 Da and a viscosity of 20 to 2,000 cps.

6 . The bio-based polyurethane foam formulation of claim 1 , wherein the isocyanate component has an NCO content of 15-60% and a viscosity of 20 to 2,000 cps.

7 . The bio-based polyurethane foam formulation of claim 1 , wherein the one or more additives comprise nanosized nucleating agents as a bio-filler.

8 . The bio-based polyurethane foam formulation of claim 7 , wherein the nanosized nucleating agents are present in an amount of up to 3 wt % and have an average particle size of 5-50 nm.

9 . The bio-based polyurethane foam formulation of claim 1 , wherein the catalyst system comprises a gelling catalyst in an amount of up to 2 wt % and/or a blowing catalyst in an amount of up to 0.4 wt %.

10 . The bio-based polyurethane foam formulation of claim 1 , wherein the chemical blowing agent comprises water in an amount of up to 5 wt %.

11 . The bio-based polyurethane foam formulation of claim 1 , wherein the physical blowing agents are incorporated in an amount of up to 20 wt %.

12 . The bio-based polyurethane foam formulation of claim 1 , wherein the one or more additives comprise one or more nucleating agents present in an amount of up to 2 wt %.

13 . The bio-based polyurethane foam formulation of claim 1 , wherein the one or more additives comprise one or more surfactants present in an amount of up to 2 wt %.

14 . The bio-based polyurethane foam formulation of claim 1 , wherein the one or more additives comprise one or more pore-opening stabilizers present in an amount of up to 5 wt %.

15 . The bio-based polyurethane foam formulation of claim 1 , wherein the one or more additives comprise one or more chain extenders present in an amount of up to 10 wt %.

16 . The bio-based polyurethane foam formulation of claim 1 , wherein the one or more additives comprise one or more cross-linking agents present in an amount of up to 10 wt %.

17 . The bio-based polyurethane foam formulation of claim 1 , wherein the bio-based polyurethane foam exhibits:

(a) a compressive strength of at least 25 kPa,

(b) a density of less than 150 kg/m 3 , and

(c) an open-pore structure of at least 80%.

18 . The bio-based polyurethane foam formulation of claim 1 , wherein the bio-based polyurethane foam has a predetermined thermal decomposition temperature of at least 260° C., a predetermined tensile strength of at least 1,000 kPa, and a predetermined elongation at break of at least 450%.

19 . The bio-based polyurethane foam formulation of claim 1 , wherein the foam has a bio-based content greater than 80%.

20 . A method for producing a bio-based polyurethane foam, comprising the steps of:

forming a polyol-based mixture by combining

(i) 50-90% by weight of one or more bio-based polyols derived from renewable resources,

(ii) optionally one or more additives,

(iii) a catalyst system comprising a gelling catalyst and/or a blowing catalyst, and

(iv) optionally a chemical blowing agent,

wherein all weight percentages are based on the total formulation.

21 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the method further comprising the steps of forming an isocyanate-based mixture (Part B) by combining (i) 40-70% by weight of one or more isocyanates, and (ii) optionally a physical blowing agent; combining the polyol-based mixture (Part A) and the isocyanate-based mixture (Part B) to initiate a foaming reaction; and allowing the reaction mixture to foam and cure in a mold to form the bio-based polyurethane foam.

22 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the method further comprising the steps of adding a flexible foam polyol in the bio-based polyol to form Part A2; dehydrating polyol-based chemicals in Part A2; combining the polyols in Part A2 with an isocyanate (Part A1) to initiate a reaction forming a prepolymer solution (Part A); forming a secondary polyol-based mixture (Part B); combining Part A and Part B to initiate a foaming reaction; and allowing the reaction mixture to foam and cure in a mold to form the bio-based polyurethane foam.

23 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the bio-based polyols are selected from polyester polyols, polyether polyols, or combinations thereof.

24 . The method of claim 20 , wherein forming the polyol-based mixture comprises mixing in a mixing head or high-shear mixing head at a speed of 1,000-10,000 rpm for 1-10 minutes.

25 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the mold temperature is maintained at 40-90° C. for 5-60 minutes.

26 . The method of claim 20 , further comprising demolding the foam and subjecting the foam to post-curing.