Biodegradable plastics in single-use products have increased in popularity as a way to reduce the negative environmental impact of conventional plastics and meet the tightening law regulations. However, their recyclability needs to be assessed, as the environmental behavior of single-use plastics, even if compostable, is not negligible. Polylactide (PLA) is susceptible to thermal, oxidative, hydrolytic, and mechanical degradation...

The aim of this work was to obtain bio-polyurethanes using synthetic compounds and bio-components, i.e. bio-glycols. Bio-polyurethanes were prepared by means of the prepolymer method. Prepolymers were synthesized from 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) and a polyol mixture containing 75% by weight of commercial polyether and 25% by weight of hydroxylated soybean oils (H2 or H3), the latter being obtained in the reaction with...

Novel aliphatic PU foams, modified with gelatine, were obtained in a one-step polymerization process. Hard segments were obtained from 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) and chain extenders 1,4-butanediol (BDO) or 2-(2-(2-hydroxyethoxy)ethoxy)ethanol (TG), soft segments were obtained from poly(ethylene-buthylene adipate) (EBO) polyol. We examined the PU foams for their sorption capability in canola oil, saline (0.9% NaCl water...

Polyurethanes are among the most developed types of polymers. They are produced from the three primary components, i.e., polyols, low-molecular-weight glycols used as chain extenders, and diisocyanates. Until recently, all these substrates have been obtained via petrochemical processes. A decrease in petroleum-based resources and new ecological trends in chemistry, chemical technology, and materials engineering have generated increasing...