Enhancement of PUR/PIR foam thermal stability after addition of Zostera marina biomass component investigated via thermal analysis and isoconversional kinetics

In the present work, a thorough thermogravimetric (TG) analysis of bio-based polyurethane–polyisocyanurate (PUR–PIR) foams in both nitrogen and oxygen atmosphere is performed. A sustainable element of the foam is a biopolyol obtained via acid-catalyzed liquefaction of Zostera marina and Enteromorpha Algae biomass. Based on isoconversional analysis and apparent activation energies, several conclusions are obtained. In contradiction to the common understanding, biopolyol based foams exhibit enhanced stability in both oxidative atmosphere and in nitrogen compared to purely petrochemical foams. Relationships between thermal stability and structure of the foams are established. Enhanced stability of bio-based foams in oxygen is attributed to two factors. First is an increased cross-linking density due to higher hydroxyl number of biopolyol compared to petrochemical one. Possibly the presence of more amount of aromatic compounds in the structure of polyols that come from lignin or aromatic ketones contribute to further enhancement of thermal stability. Those results suggest that the studied biobased foams are prospective alternatives to standard petrochemical PUR foams.