News Information

From bio-based raw materials to green process technologies and the recycling of materials, the sustainable development of the polyurethane industry has become a key innovation area that enterprises are competing to lay out. Recently, at the 22nd Annual Conference of the China Polyurethane Industry Association and the 2024 China Polyurethane Industry Development Forum held in Shanghai, many polyurethane enterprises shared their innovative practices focusing on sustainable development, which reflected the high-quality development path of the industry in the future. 

The sustainable development path covers the entire life cycle

Li Jianbo, deputy secretary-general of the China Polyurethane Industry Association, said that the environmental impact of polyurethane production and use is mainly reflected in greenhouse gas emissions and waste disposal, etc. With increasingly strict environmental protection regulations worldwide and consumers and customers paying more and more attention to the environmental friendliness and sustainable development of products, polyurethane enterprises need to vigorously promote sustainable development to respond to market demands and achieve high-quality development.

In recent years, the polyurethane industry has been striving to achieve low-carbon transformation in production and operation. It has accumulated some experience in the development and utilization of alternative raw materials, the application of sustainable products, and the publicity and education for downstream consumers and brand owners. It has initially formed a sustainable development path covering the entire product life cycle. This includes applying green energy, using alternative raw materials, implementing advanced technologies and processes, promoting responsible care and building a green supply chain, expanding the application of energy-saving and low-carbon products, and achieving material recycling and reuse, etc." Li Jianbo said.

At the meeting, the Sustainable Development Working Group of the Polyurethane Association released the path for sustainable development in the polyurethane industry. For instance, Dow has developed the new SPECFLEXC series of polyurethane products, which are produced using the mass balance method. The raw materials are sourced from the recycling of waste products in the transportation sector, enabling a wide range of soft foam material combinations. These products can be applied in consumer comfort and acoustic solutions, as well as in internal, external and power systems of transportation applications.

Bio-based raw material products are emerging in an endless stream

Bio-based raw materials not only reduce the use of fossil energy but also help the industry achieve the "dual carbon" goals, making them an innovative focus for the polyurethane industry to promote green transformation and sustainable development.

Zhang Yuedong, the person in charge of innovation business at Jiangsu Meiside Chemical Co., LTD., introduced the innovative progress the company has made in the development of new non-grain bio-based organosilicon surfactants. The company has developed a series of bio-based organosilicon surfactants using non-grain biomass cashew phenol as raw material, with the highest bio-carbon content reaching up to 55%. These new bio-based organosilicon surfactants have performance comparable to that of traditional organosilicon surfactants in polyurethane rigid foam applications, and even exhibit lower thermal conductivity, finer foam cell structure, better cyclopentane compatibility, etc. They have great potential for commercial development.

In terms of bio-based polyurethane chain extenders, Suzhou Xiangyuan New Materials Co., Ltd. launched two bio-based polyurethane chain extenders, XYlink1604 and XYlink740M, in September 2024. These products have excellent performance and can be applied to special functional new materials in fields such as military, aerospace, navigation, and new energy power generation. Zhou Jian, the chairman of Xiangyuan New Materials, stated that the company will conduct in-depth research on high-end, high-quality and forward-looking bio-based chain extenders to further meet market demands.

Zhan Xiaotong, the deputy general manager of Sinochem Dongda (Zibo) Co., LTD., introduced that the company's developed bio-based polyether made from natural castor oil, which is highly biodegradable and environmentally friendly, is an ideal choice to replace nonylphenol polyoxyethylene ether and fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether, and can be used in high resilience sponge, ordinary soft foam, slow resilience sponge, adhesives and other fields.

Wang Qian, director of the General Office of Jiangsu Aosijia Materials Technology Co., LTD., said that the company has developed bio-based polyurethane with dual repair functions of light and heat. By introducing small-molecule alcohols or amines containing disulfide bonds and cycloaddition monomer coumarin into the polyurethane system and using the two as bio-based chain extenders or end-capping agents, the self-repair performance and mechanical properties of the polyurethane are improved.

Hao Yatun, a senior engineer at Shanxi Chemical Research Institute (Co., LTD.), believes that the development of bio-based polyurethane still faces many challenges. In the future, the focus of research and development of bio-based polyurethane will be to balance its cost and performance advantages.

Promote overall carbon reduction and emission reduction throughout the industrial chain

In terms of promoting carbon reduction and emission reduction in the industrial chain, the polyurethane industry is also in its infancy. Sustainable polyurethane raw materials and products show broad market prospects.

Han Baole, deputy secretary-general of the Polyurethane Association, said that the frames of photovoltaic panels used in solar power generation have high requirements for load-bearing capacity and corrosion resistance. The composite material frame mainly made of polyurethane resin has better strength and toughness than aluminum alloy, and also has good insulation and an expansion coefficient close to that of glass panels. It is one of the development directions of photovoltaic frames. If the annual growth rate is 20%, it is expected that the frame market will reach hundreds of billions by 2028. If all glass fiber reinforced polyurethane frames are used, 1 million tons of polyurethane will be required per year.

Shu Xingwen, the general manager of Xiamen Kaiping Chemical Co., LTD., introduced that polyurethane foam materials for furniture and automobiles produced by reaction injection molding require the application of polyurethane release agents. Solvent-based mold release agents with high volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions are being replaced by environmentally friendly water-based mold release agents. With the increasing performance requirements for water-based mold release agents, the company has focused on improving demolding efficiency, enhancing compatibility with polyurethane materials, and reducing the impact of residues on subsequent processes. By introducing new functional additives, optimizing formula design, and improving production processes, it has significantly enhanced the performance of water-based mold release agents, meeting the polyurethane industry's demand for high-quality mold release agents.

Wanhua Chemical is also committed to building a green logistics system. Through measures such as thinning steel drums, adding inner bags to steel drums, applying recycled plastic shared pallets and ISO-tank containers, it aims to reduce packaging volume and promote carbon reduction in the supply chain.