The LIGNICOAT project team is excited to announce the publication of a new open-access article titled “Scaling up lignin-based polyols for PU coatings” in the RSC Applied Polymers.
This study, authored by our coordinator TECNALIA, and partners, AEP Polymers, and ECOAT, presents a major milestone in the development of our lignin-based coatings. In this paper, our team scaled up the production of lignin-based polyols (LPOs) to kilogram scale, demonstrating the viability of this innovative process in an industrially relevant environment.
Key Findings & Implications for Industry:
- Scale-up: LPOs production scaled up from 15 mL to 5 L reactors
- Process Integration: All process steps were sequentially combined in a single reactor, increasing efficiency and reducing material losses.
- In-process monitoring: In-process control methods were developed for improved reproducibility. Tetrahydrofuran (THF) was identified as the parameter to monitor reaction progress.
- Partial substitution in polyurethane dispersions (PUDs): LPO could partially replace standard polyols in alkyd-PUDs for coating.
- Comparable performance: LPO-based PUD showed similar performance to reference PUDs in key areas like tack-free time, adhesion, flexibility, and impact resistance.
Overall, the successful scale-up of LPOs presented in this study confirms and sets the stage for further exploration of LPOs in coating applications. Future development directions may include increasing the percentage of LPO substitution in PUD formulations, and investigating the potential of depolymerized lignin to enhance LPO properties.
Read the full open-access article here.
