A methodological
framework implementing laboratory activities and
life cycle assessment is presented and applied to determine which
parameters should be considered to develop biobased rigid polyurethane
foams for thermal insulation with improved environmental performances when compared to their
fossil counterparts. The framework was applied to six partially biobased
(produced from bio-based polyols obtained from azelaic acid and/or
lignin) and one fossil-based formulations. A comprehensive set of
impact assessment categories was investigated including uncertainty
and sensitivity analysis. Results proved that physical characteristics
such as thermal conductivity and density are the most important variable
to be optimized to guarantee better environmental performances of
biobased polyurethane rigid foams for thermal insulation. Care should
be taken with reference to ozone depletion potential, marine eutrophication,
and abiotic depletion potential because of the uncertainty related
to their results. The methylene diphenyl diisocyanate and foam production
process were identified as the major sources of impacts. Overall environmental
superiority of biobased polyurethanes cannot always be claimed with
respect to their fossil counterpart.
In this research, the results of the life cycle assessment of polyurethane (PUR) foams with different recycled polyol contents are presented. A methodological framework implementing laboratory activities directly into the life cycle assessment has been developed. Laboratory activities made the primary data related to the recycled polyol production available through the glycolysis of polyurethane scraps and the subsequent production and characterization of the foams. Five different formulations were analyzed with glycolyzed polyol content ranging from 0 to 100%. A comprehensive set of impact categories was considered. To ensure the robustness of the results, the influence of two different end-of-life allocation approaches was investigated, and the model was subjected to sensitivity and uncertainty analyses. Formulations with recycled content of 50 and 75% scored better environmental impacts compared to others. The main contributions to the overall impact resulted to be related to the production of isocyanate and virgin polyol. Physical characteristics such as density and thermal conductivity emerged as the main variables to be considered to minimize the overall environmental impacts of PUR foams.
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