Properties of Natural Composites from Wood Flour and Tung Oil Based Polyol

MOSIEWICKI, MIRNA A.; CASADO, ULISES; MARCOVICH, NORMA E.; ARANGUREN, MIRTA I.

Lima, Perú

Simposio; XI Simposio Latinoamericano y IX Congreso Iberoamericano de Polímeros; 2008

Departamento de Ciencias. Universidad Católica

Polyurethanes (PU) can offer a wide range of properties in different applications. In general polyols used for their production are derived from the petroleum industry [1]. The use of renewable natural products as an alternative source for raw materials has gained increased interest. Oils are widely available at low cost, offering potential biodegradability. They consist of triglyceride molecules with three unsaturated fatty acid chains able to be reacted in order to obtain a product for the polymer industry [2]. Tung oil is interesting because its main constituent is elaeostearic acid with 3 conjugated unsaturations [3] capable of being reacted to introduce hydroxyl groups through a hydroxylation reaction. The use of natural wood flour (WF) as reinforcing material increase the content of renewable materials of low cost in the composites. The OH groups in natural fibers can react with isocyanate groups during synthesis, improving the fiber-matrix adhesion. The aim of this work is to obtain reinforced PU using a polyol based on tung oil for the matrix and WF as reinforcement. Response of the materials in tensile and impact test was also checked.