Date of Award
Spring 4-19-2021
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Chemistry
First Advisor
Dr. Ram K. Gupta
Second Advisor
Dr. Khamis Siam
Third Advisor
Dr. Charles Neef
Fourth Advisor
Dr. John Franklin
Keywords
Rigid polyurethane foam, flame retardants, bio-based polyurethane, melamine and its derivates, nitrogen-based flame retardants, increase thermal stability
Abstract
MELAMINE DERIVATIVES AS HIGHLY FLAME RETARDANT ADDITIVES FOR BIO-BASED RIGID POLYURETHANE FOAMS
Rigid foams, which are mainly used in construction, refrigerators, automotive industries are one of the important types of polyurethanes with great potential in insulation and energy efficiency. Unfortunately, rigid polyurethane foams are highly flammable and catch fire in a short amount of time as well as spread the flame quickly. Hence, rigid foams are considered hazardous materials due to life-threatening situations and environmental issues.
To counter that, nitrogen-based compounds as non-halogenated flame retardants are an effective, low-cost, and eco-friendly option. It has been shown that melamine derivates as nitrogen-based flame retardants are the proper choice to be incorporated with rigid polyurethane foams. Melamine and its derivates improve the thermal stability of the rigid foam, as well as providing effective performance in avoiding fire propagation.
The objective of this thesis is to implement greener materials into the synthesis of bio-polyol used for the preparation of rigid polyurethane foams. Myrcene is a natural alkene found in bay leaves and hops, that is functionalized with hydroxyl groups through thiol-ene reaction to obtain a bio-polyol. The physicomechanical and thermal properties of bio-based rigid polyurethane foam containing different amounts of melamine (ME), melamine cyanurate (MC), and melamine phosphate (MP) were studied. In the burning test, the neat foam was burnt for 75 seconds with 40% weight loss. In comparison to neat foam, time of self-extinguishment and weight loss decreased by increasing flame retardants. Also, MC and MP-based foams showed better thermal stability than ME-based foams. The addition of MC and MP showed burning times decreased to 21 and 11 seconds, respectively, while the values of weight loss also reduced to 4% and 3%, respectively. The presence of melamine-based flame retardants showed a short burning time as well as a low amount of smoke. This research indicates that a bio-based polyurethane foam could be synthesized successfully with satisfactory melamine-based flame retardant properties. As a result, using eco-friendly materials such as myrcene and nitrogen-based flame retardants offered an effective option to enhance the physicomechanical and thermal stability of rigid polyurethane foams.
Recommended Citation
Arastehnejad, Niloofar, "MELAMINE DERIVATIVES AS HIGHLY FLAME RETARDANT ADDITIVES FOR BIO-BASED RIGID POLYURETHANE FOAMS" (2021). Electronic Theses & Dissertations. 362.
https://digitalcommons.pittstate.edu/etd/362
