Natural Foams Technology to produce, safer and more environmentally acceptable, flexible PU foams

摘要

Reporting in the US media has created a surge in consumer concerns over the use and composition of foams used in household products. There are concerns over the odour of new furniture and mattresses as well as the use of flame retardant chemicals in gym mats, play mats, cot mattresses, and all residential furniture and mattresses into which children may come into contact. There is proposed legislation to restrict the sale of children's products containing halogenated flame retardants in the states of California, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Vermont, and Washington. In addition, the state of California is now considering a law to label all PU foam based products as "Contains added FRs" or "No added FRs". The proposed label includes a rider that warns consumers that FRs can migrate into the air and dust where people can become exposed to them. This paper sets out to fully address the issue of migrating materials and build on the unique chemistry developed by Natural Foams Technology (under the Green Urethanes license), using polyols derived from natural oils. Advancements in the chemistry have produced a series of foams that contain 50 wt% bio-renewable materials whose inherent chemistry also results in class-leading low emissions and a new low level of smoke generation.