I-Corps: Leveraging Low-Polluting Foundry Core Binders toward Commercialization

这项I-Corps活动将进一步开发用于铸造的低排放芯粘合剂系统。传统的岩心采用石油基酚醛聚氨酯，会排放大量的挥发性有机化合物（VOC）污染，而这些新型粘合剂释放的VOC减少了约70-80%。工作将解决如何快速处理这些核心的实际应用。该团队将使这些粘合剂系统适应铸造厂的制芯机器。在用低挥发性有机化合物粘合剂制备原型芯时，团队将评估铸造人员控制的不同参数（如粘合剂比例、湿度、吹风压力、固化温度、固化气体（空气、蒸汽、二氧化碳）和循环时间）的影响。这些实际参数的变化将与NSF先前工作中得出的基本原理有关：在什么温度下羧基和氨基酸的官能团会失去它们的结合强度；什么样的吹风压力克服了潮湿沙粒的粘性；什么样的制芯机配置最适合这些低voc粘合剂。I-Corp团队将为社会带来变革性的有益影响，因为这项工作将这些低污染的粘合剂转变为商业接受。这有可能为辛勤工作的铸造人员创造一个更健康、更愉快的工作环境。随着这些粘合剂的广泛使用，它们可能有能力减少室外污染，并增加对第一代生物材料的可持续利用，否则这些材料将被丢弃。

This I-Corps activity will further develop low-emitting core binder systems toward foundry use. Conventional cores employ petroleum-based phenolic urethanes, which emit considerable volatile organic compound (VOC) pollution, whereas these novel binders release approximately 70-80% fewer VOCs. Work will address practical applications of how to quickly process these cores. The team will adapt these binder systems to the foundry's core-making machines. While preparing prototype cores with low-VOC binders, the team will appraise what are the effects when varying parameters that foundry personnel control - such as binder proportions, moisture, blow pressure, curing temperature, curing gas (air, steam, CO2), and cycle time. The variations of these practical parameters will be linked to fundamentals derived in prior NSF work: at what temperature do the functionalities of carboxyls and amino acids lose their binding strength; what blow pressures overcome the stickiness of moist sand grains; what core-making machine configurations are best-suited for these low-VOC binders. The I-Corp Team will offer transformative beneficial impact to society as the work transitions these low-polluting binders toward commercial acceptance. This has the potential create a healthier and more pleasant working environment for hard-working foundry personnel. With widespread use, these binders may have the ability to diminish outdoor pollution and increase sustainable use of first-generation biomaterials that are otherwise discarded.