An investigation on a batch production of palm kernel oil polyol (PKO-p) was conducted via esterification and condensation.
The process design was thoroughly studied as a preliminary step for future upscaling. The process variables included
necessity of vacuum pump, controlling of heating rate, recording the production time, nitrogen gas flow and agitator
speed. About 250 mL PKO-p was successfully synthesized within 3 h. Vacuum pressure was applied to haul out moisture
from the system. The control of heating rate and production time are vital to avoid sudden oxidation.
An investigation on the thermal and mechanical properties of rigid polyurethane (PU) foam from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste (of plastic drinking bottles) was conducted. The PET waste was glycolysed with ethylene glycol prior to blending with palm based-polyol (PKO-p). This blend was then reacted with 2, 4-methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) at a ratio of 1:1 to form the PU foam. The incorporation of the glycolysed PET (g-PET) into the PKO-p was studied at 50, 70 and 100% w/w loading. PU foam prepared from 100% w/w g-PET (without PKO-p) resulted in PU with high glass transition temperature and mechanical strength. This water-blown foam has molded and core densities of 182 kg m-3and 179 kg m-3, respectively, with maximum compressive stress and modulus at 396 kPa and 1920 kPa, respectively. An initial enthalpy value of 3164.8 cal g-1 and a glass transition temperature of 65ºC were observed.
Research on the development of lightweight concrete (LWC) utilizing wastes and natural resources as lightweight
aggregates (LWA) is increasingly gaining attention worldwide due to sustainable and environmental concerns. A new
alternative is using palm kernel oil polyol (PKO-p)-based polyurethane (PU) as filler. Rigid PU is a block copolymer
comprised of a monomeric PKO-p and 2, 4-methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (crude MDI). The property of PKO-p, its
ratio with crude MDI and reaction time were determined. The reaction time showed the average of 60 s for cream
time and 95 s for rise time with maximum hardening time of 8 min. The reaction between PKO-p to MDI at 1:1 ratio
resulted in a very short hardening time (within 2 min). The compressive strength of the rigid PU was at 7.0 MPa at a
density of 206 kg/m3
. Further increase in the amount of PKO-p increased the density and compressive strength of the
PU. PU aggregate in the concrete mixture was added at 1 to 5% (w/w) to obtain concrete with density of less than 1800
kg/m3
. The resulting concrete has excellent compressive strength (17.5 MPa) and thermal conductivity (0.24 W/m⋅K).
The results showed that physical properties of PU played the most significant effect on the physical and mechanical
properties of the lightweight concrete