Method of making natural oil-based polyols and polyurethanes therefrom
US6686435B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 20, 2002 |
| Grant date | Feb 3, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 20, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
- CPC primaryC08G2190/00
- WIPO fieldOrganic fine chemistry
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
A method for making natural oil-based polyols directly from vegetable or animal oil using a consecutive two-step process involving epoxidation and hydroxylation is provided. Specifically, this process comprises adding a peroxyacid to a natural oil wherein said natural oil and said peroxyacid react to form an epoxidized natural oil and adding said epoxidized natural oil to a mixture of an alcohol, water, and a fluoboric acid catalyst. The catalytic amount of fluoboric acid is less than about 0.5% by weight of the entire reaction mixture, and the amount of water is about 10 to 30% by weight of the entire mixture. The epoxidized natural oil undergoes hydroxylation and forms a natural oil-based polyol. The present invention further includes a method for making natural oil-based polyols from epoxidized oil by hydroylating the epoxidized oil in the presence of fluoboric acid, alcohol and water in the amounts discussed above.The natural oil-based polyols created by this method may be reacted with isocyanates so as to form polyurethanes, which is another embodiment of the present invention. Alternatively, fillers such as silica may be combined with these natural oil-based polyols before th…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.