Lignin-Polyurethane Based Biodegradable Foam

Abstract

Natural sources like starch and lignin used during manufacturing of polyurethane (PU) foam have been used extensively from last decades and replaced petro-chemical based PU foam due to their lower environmental impact, easy availability, low cost and biodegradability. Bio-renewable sources, such as lignin which is an abundant, underutilized component of cellulosic biomass, constitute a rich source of polyol which are being considered as polyol for the production of “eco-friendly and bio-degradable” PU foam. Lignin was mainly used for production of high fungal degradable polyurethane foams, followed by elastomers as well as wood adhesives. This review paper will focus on the progress of research in lignin based polyurethane materials for foam application.