Screening Life Cycle Assessment of Tall Oil-Based Polyols Suitable for Rigid Polyurethane Foams
Anda Fridrihsone, Arnis Āboliņš, Miķelis Kirpļuks
Abstract
A screening Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of tall oil-based bio-polyols suitable for rigid polyurethane (PU) foams has been carried out. The goal was to identify the hot-spots and data gaps. The system under investigation is three different tall oil fatty acids (TOFA)-based bio-polyol synthesis with a cradle-to-gate approach, from the production of raw materials to the synthesis of TOFA based bio-polyols at a pilot-scale reactor. The synthesis steps that give the most significant environmental footprint hot-spots were identified. The results showed the bio-based feedstock was the main environmental hot-spot in the bio-polyol production process. Future research directions have been highlighted.
Topics & Concepts
PolyurethaneRaw materialPolyolLife-cycle assessmentMaterials scienceOil productionEnvironmental scienceProduction (economics)Pulp and paper industryProcess engineeringWaste managementChemistryEngineeringOrganic chemistryComposite materialPetroleum engineeringEconomicsMacroeconomicsPolymer composites and self-healingLignin and Wood Chemistrybiodegradable polymer synthesis and properties