Abstracts Book - IMRC 2018

• SF5-P061
POLYURETHANE FOAM-PHENOLIC FOAM, A COMPARATIVE LIFE
CYCLE ASSESSMENT
Silvia Paola Venegas Segura 1 , Israel Herrera Orozco 2 , Martha Lilia Dominguez Patiño 1
1 Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas e Ingeniería,
Mexico. 2 Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medio Ambientales y Tecnológicas, Unidad de
Análisis de Sistemas Energéticos, Spain.
The development or production of any product generates a footprint on the
planet, this footprint can be measured through different methodologies. In this
work, a comparative life cycle analysis was performed on 2 types of different
foams, phenolic foams and polyurethane foams.Phenolic foams are widely used
for floristry, insulating material, even hydroponic crops, however phenols are
toxic substances for humans and the environment. Polyurethane foams also
have various applications, among which its use as insulation material in
construction stands out. Due to its high demand and consumption worldwide,
and the easy accessibility to these products, it was decided to carry out an
evaluation to determine the potential potential impacts generated by the
production of both foams.
A technique that helps measure the environmental impact that is generated
from the development of a product is the Life Cycle Assessment, this
methodology is described in ISO 14040, ISO 14044. This methodology was
applied to the development of 6 polyurethane foams, and 3 phenolic foams.
Life Cycle Inventory was performed according to the methodology proposed by
ISO and the EcoInvent database was used,after that, an specialized software
(SimaPro) was used for obtaining results in different impact categories; Climate
change potential (Global Warming), Acidification, Eutrophication, Ozone
depletion, and Water use.
The 6 polyurethane foams had 6 different concentrations of polyols, and 3 of
them used dye, in the case of the 3 phenolic foams, all had dye and the
concentrations were variable. The results showed that the higher the content of
polyols, phenols or dye, the global warming potential increased. (Developing)
The results obtained from the LCA of the foams helped us determine which
foam has the biggest contribution to important impact categories; Ozone
depletion, Global warming, Eutrophication, acidification and water use.