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Biomass residues are a potential renewable source for the sustainable production of chemicals, materials, fuels, and energy embodying the so-called biorefinery concept. In this context, agro-forestry and agro-food industry by-products have attracted considerable interest of researchers in academia and industry as a renewable source of polymeric materials. The research developed to date on the valorization of biomass residues by converting them into polyols through oxypropylation is the subject of this review. These bio-based polyols exhibit properties similar to their petrochemical counterparts and, as such, can be used with economical advantage in the production of polyurethanes. The operating conditions of the oxypropylation reaction depend on the biomass and on the desired polyol properties. The discussion of their influence and the economic viability of the process are also presented.

Cellulose/silica hybrid (CSH) composites were prepared from bleached Eucalyptus globulus kraft pulp or primary treatment sludge cellulose fibers by a sol–gel method, using solely tetraethoxysilane or with the addition of trimethoxyoctylsilane as the silica precursors and heteropoly acid (H3PW12O40) as the catalyst. Silica aging was accomplished during the hot pressing of preformed CSHs plates, and the properties of the resulting materials have been evaluated. The incorporation of a silica network in cellulosic materials increased their dimensional stability significantly during soaking in water, hydrophobicity, thermal stability, and bending strength. The thermal conductivity of these hybrid materials is comparable to commercially available insulation foams. POLYM. COMPOS., 2009. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers

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