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<p>The rising demand for sustainable polymers has accelerated interest in bio-based polyurethane (PU) foams. Here, we synthesized and optimized semi-rigid PU foams from waste cooking oil (WCO) using a Box–Behnken design to refine formulation parameters. The optimized WCO-derived PU foam (WCODPU) exhibited a density of 130.2&#xa0;kg&#xa0;m<sup>−3</sup>, a porosity of 89.15%, and a mean pore size of 483.63&#xa0;µm, which supports lightweight packaging applications. FTIR, SEM–EDS, and XRD confirmed successful oil-to-polyol conversion, polyurethane network formation, and uniform elemental distribution. UV-aging studies showed controlled degradability, with a 6.3% mass loss and increased carbonyl index after 96&#xa0;h exposure. Hydrophobicity improved significantly compared to edible-oil PU foam, evidenced by lower water uptake (15.9% vs. 28.3%) and a higher contact angle (84.5° vs. 60.5°). Mechanical testing and finite element analysis demonstrated strong agreement between experimental and simulated compression responses, with &lt; 10% deviation, validating the Ogden model for foam mechanics. A cradle-to-gate life-cycle assessment (ReCiPe 2016) showed a carbon footprint of 19.1&#xa0;kg CO<sub>2</sub>-eq kg<sup>−1</sup>, with minimal burden from WCO valorization and impacts dominated by TDI and process energy. Overall, the study establishes WCODPU as a sustainable foam with tunable structural and environmental attributes, offering a suitable alternative to petroleum-based packaging materials.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>

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Development and Multiscale Evaluation of Waste Cooking Oil-Derived Polyurethane Foam for Lightweight Structural Applications

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月8日

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  • Sayan Roy,
  • Rajdeep Ganguly,
  • Ananya Barui,
  • Shantonu Roy

摘要

The rising demand for sustainable polymers has accelerated interest in bio-based polyurethane (PU) foams. Here, we synthesized and optimized semi-rigid PU foams from waste cooking oil (WCO) using a Box–Behnken design to refine formulation parameters. The optimized WCO-derived PU foam (WCODPU) exhibited a density of 130.2 kg m−3, a porosity of 89.15%, and a mean pore size of 483.63 µm, which supports lightweight packaging applications. FTIR, SEM–EDS, and XRD confirmed successful oil-to-polyol conversion, polyurethane network formation, and uniform elemental distribution. UV-aging studies showed controlled degradability, with a 6.3% mass loss and increased carbonyl index after 96 h exposure. Hydrophobicity improved significantly compared to edible-oil PU foam, evidenced by lower water uptake (15.9% vs. 28.3%) and a higher contact angle (84.5° vs. 60.5°). Mechanical testing and finite element analysis demonstrated strong agreement between experimental and simulated compression responses, with < 10% deviation, validating the Ogden model for foam mechanics. A cradle-to-gate life-cycle assessment (ReCiPe 2016) showed a carbon footprint of 19.1 kg CO2-eq kg−1, with minimal burden from WCO valorization and impacts dominated by TDI and process energy. Overall, the study establishes WCODPU as a sustainable foam with tunable structural and environmental attributes, offering a suitable alternative to petroleum-based packaging materials.

Graphical Abstract