Development of novel PU binder and processing plant technology for use in PU foam recycling

柔性聚氨酯（PU）泡沫广泛用于制造耐用品（如车辆和家具）。尽管生产方法不断改进，但高达20%的PU泡沫在切割和成型后成为废料。此外，一旦床垫和椅子等产品达到使用寿命阶段，必须处理PU泡沫成分的处理。再粘合聚氨酯泡沫地毯衬垫是一种非常成功的产品，用于处理废泡沫。虽然回收泡沫的好处很多，但回收过程本身很慢、很长，而且由于使用蒸汽（粘合过程的必要组成部分），需要大量的能量输入。目前，从废泡沫中生产衬底需要使用蒸汽固化工艺，将泡沫“碎片”与PU粘合剂粘合成大块。在处理再生PU泡沫时使用蒸汽有许多缺点。产生蒸汽是非常昂贵和不环保的。此外，所生产的泡沫块含水量很高，这意味着它们必须在切割前在大型储存棚里干燥3-4天。蒸汽中的污染物在蒸发过程中也会逃逸到环境中。foam - bind项目建议转让和开发用于橡胶回收行业的技术，并将其应用于PU泡沫回收应用，以消除对蒸汽的需求，从而解决上述问题。Rosehill Polymers （RP）已经成功地进行了这种粘合剂的实验室开发工作。我们计划进一步开发专业聚氨酯（PU）粘合剂，以及将粘合剂应用于片状泡沫所需的配料/混合设备。

Flexible polyurethane (PU) foam is used extensively in the manufacture of durable goods (e.g.vehicles & furniture). Despite continuous improvements in production methods, up to 20% ofall PU foam becomes scrap after cutting and shaping. Additionally, once products such asmattresses and chairs reach their end-of-life stage, the disposal of the PU foam content mustbe addressed.Rebonded PU foam carpet underlay is one highly successful product developed to deal withwaste foam. Although the benefits of recycled foam are numerous, the recycling process itselfis slow, lengthy and requires significant energy input due to the use of steam, a necessarycomponent of the binding process. Currently the production of underlay from waste foaminvolves bonding the foam “chippings” into large blocks with PU binders, using a steamcuring process.The use of steam in the processing of recycled PU foam has many disadvantages. Generatingsteam is extremely expensive and non-environmentally friendly. Furthermore, the foam blocksproduced have a high moisture content meaning they must be dried for up to 3-4 days in largestorage sheds before slitting. Pollutants trapped within the steam can also escape into theenvironment during evaporation.The Foam-Bind project proposes to transfer and develop technology used in the rubberrecycling industry and apply it to PU foam recycling applications in order to eliminate theneed for steam and thereby address the issues outlined above. Rosehill Polymers (RP) hasalready undertaken successful laboratory developmental work for the binding agent. We planto further develop the specialist polyurethane (PU) binder and also the dosing/mixing plantrequired to apply the binder to the chip foam.