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Effect of Brown-Rotted Spruce as Lignin-Enriched Filler on the Properties of Reinforced Polyurethane Foam

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Abstract

The study investigated the effect of lignocellulosic biomass filler decayed by brown-rot fungi on the preparation and properties of polyurethane (PU) foam. The properties of brown-rotted spruce were characterized by microstructure, chemical composition, and hydroxyl value to examine the possibility of preparing polyurethane foam using brown-rotted spruce as filler. Brown-rotted spruce was a homogeneous material, mainly composed of lignin (80.36%) with a high content (284.5 mg KOH/g) of hydroxyl groups in structure that could participate in a chain reaction with isocyanate groups on the foaming process. In the study, PU foams were prepared successfully with the addition of brown-rotted spruce as filler in different concentrations (1–10 wt%). The results showed that the addition of brown-rotted spruce improved the physical properties (low density, low thermal conductivity, high water absorption) of PU foam. These properties showed a significant dependence on filler amount. The density decreased from 89.64 kg m−3 to 60.22 kg m−3 as the filler amount increased. Scanning electron microscope showed the cellular structure of PU foam was affected by the filler amount. PU foam with low addition amount (5 wt%) had homogeneous shapes and smaller cell shapes, resulting in the highest compressive strength (0.42 Mpa). Utilizing brown-rotted wood as a lignin-enriched filler is a simple and feasible way to improve the properties of PU foam.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31400496) and Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (No. BK20180774). The experiments in this research were mainly carried out at the advanced analysis and testing center of Nanjing Forestry University.

Funding

Funding was provided by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Number 31400496) and Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (Grant Number BK20180774).

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Author notes

  1. Yuna Kan and Shengcheng Zhai have contributed to the work equally and should be regarded as co-first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China

    Yuna Kan, Shengcheng Zhai, Bingwei Chen, Mingzhu Pan, Xiaodong Fan & Weiqi Leng

  2. Collaborative Innovation Center for Efficient Utilization of Forestry Resources of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing, 210037, China

    Shengcheng Zhai, Mingzhu Pan & Weiqi Leng

Authors
  1. Yuna Kan
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  2. Shengcheng Zhai
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Correspondence to Shengcheng Zhai or Mingzhu Pan.

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Kan, Y., Zhai, S., Chen, B. et al. Effect of Brown-Rotted Spruce as Lignin-Enriched Filler on the Properties of Reinforced Polyurethane Foam. J Polym Environ 30, 2355–2365 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-021-02347-4

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