A Study on the Mechanical Properties, Physical Properties and Biodegradation of Rigid Polyurethane Foam Synthesized from Castor and Palm Oils Based Polyol

This research aimed to synthesize the rigid polyurethane foam for using as an insulator from castor oil and palm oil.  Castor oil and palm oil were modified to have the higher hydroxyl values before they were later polymerized with polymeric diphenylmethane diisocyanate (PMDI).  In this research, the weight ratios between castor oil and palm oil were varied and their effects on the mechanical and physical properties of the synthesized foam were studied. These included microstructure, apparent density, compressive strength, thermal conductivity, and foam biodegradability from the hydrolysis.  It was found that the structure of the synthesized foam cell was quite spherical with closed cells.  When the ratio of palm oil-based polyol was increased, the bulk density, compressive strength would be increased. Nevertheless, there was no statistical difference in the thermal conductivity of the synthesized foam. In addition, the foam biodegradability from the hydrolysis in the phosphate buffer solution was found to be decreased with the increasing ratio of palm oil polyol.