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Coal fly ash reinforcement for the property enhancement of crude glycerol-based polyurethane foam composites

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Abstract

Coal fly ash (CFA) is the main combustion residue of fine ground coal in the process of coal-fired thermal power generation, and crude glycerol (CG) is the byproduct of biodiesel production. The novel polyurethane/CFA (PU/CFA) foam composites were prepared from CFA and CG. Two kinds of CFA, CFAI and CFAII were used as fillers for the property enhancement of PU/CFA composites, and the effects on foaming behavior and the reinforcement for the PU/CFA composites were investigated. It was found that the addition of CFA can prolong the rising time and tack-free time, and the maximum rising time and tack-free time increased to 40 s and 42 s. Meanwhile, the maximum compressive strength of PU/CFAI and PU/CFAII increased to 0.2186 MPa and 0.2284 MPa with the addition of CFA. The thermogravimetric analysis showed that the PU/CFA composites underwent three stages of thermal decomposition, and the amount of carbon residue increased from 23.11% to 67.91% with increasing CFA dosage. Moreover, the values of the limit oxygen index increased from 21.5% to 23.7% with the incorporation of CFA into the PU foam matrix, indicating that CFA improved the thermal stability and flame retardant performance of the composites. This study provided a new method for the recycling and high-value utilization of CG and CFA.

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Funding

This study is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 22178328, No. 52006200), the Henan Science and Technology Research Project (No. 222102320059), the Nanyang Collaborative Innovation Project (No. 21XTCX12002), and the Program of processing and efficient utilization of biomass resources (No. GZS2022007).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemical Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China

    Linda Zhang, Mengyu Li, Pan Li, Chun Chang & Weihua Zou

  2. Henan Huakang Sugar Alcohol Technology Co. Ltd, Jiaozuo, 454150, China

    Weihong Zhang & **aoyang Zheng

  3. Henan Center for Outstanding Overseas Scientists, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China

    Pan Li & Chun Chang

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  1. Linda Zhang
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Correspondence to Chun Chang or Weihua Zou.

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Zhang, L., Zhang, W., Li, M. et al. Coal fly ash reinforcement for the property enhancement of crude glycerol-based polyurethane foam composites. Waste Dispos. Sustain. Energy 4, 271–282 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42768-022-00112-4

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