PRODUCTION OF BIO-DEGRADABLE POLYURETHANE FOAM FROM SUGARCANE BAGASSE AND BIODIESEL-DERIVED CRUDE GLYCERINE

摘要

As the threat of the depletion of fossil based fuels becomes more of a reality, there is a need to findrnalternative carbon sources for the production of a wide range of chemicals, polymers and plastics. One plastic that isrnused in almost every aspect of everyday life is polyurethane foam. Currently it is produced through polyols andrndiisocyanates that are all obtained from fossil based resources such as crude oil and coal. Lignin is a by-product fromrnthe second generation bioethanol process and crude glycerol is a by-product of biodiesel production throughrntransesterification. These two by-products can be combined to produce polyurethane foam of high quality. In thisrnstudy, the influence of reaction parameters such as temperature, pH of the crude glycerol, and reaction time on thernhydroxyl numbers and the properties of the produced foam was investigated. Foam properties such as density, cellrnsize and compression strength was studied. Results showed that the hydroxyl numbers and thus the properties of thernlignin and crude glycerin used as reagents have a significant influence on the foam density and rigidity. The foamsrnwere tested for biodegradability using a standard ASTM method and it was shown that the produced foams degradedrnfaster than commercial rigid polyurethane foam. Polyurethane foams were also applied as ssDNA immobilizationrnscaffolds by the DST/NWU Preclinical Drug Development Platform, on campus, to determine the potential to be usedrnas part of a diagnostic system. Results showed that polyurethane foam is a viable starting material for immobilizationrnscaffolds in the development of an affordable and practical point-of-care tuberculosis diagnostic system.