Multifunctional Polyurethane Composites with Coffee Grounds and Wood Sawdust

Abstract

Currently, the fundamental activity that will allow for the development of an economy with closed circulation is the management of food waste and production waste for the preparation of biocomposites. The use of waste materials of natural origin allows for the creation of innovative composites with improved physicochemical and functional properties. The present investigation concerns the use of coffee grounds (2.5–20 wt.%) and oak sawdust (2.5–20 wt.%) as effective fillers of rigid polyurethane foam. Innovative composite materials, previously indebted in the literature, were subjected to the necessary analyses to determine the application abilities: processing times, free density, water absorption, dimensional stability, mechanical properties (compressive strength), thermal conductivity, morphology, and flame resistance. The results with respect to the mechanical tests turned out to be the key. Increasing the number of coffee additives has a positive effect on the compressive strength. The addition of this filler in the range of 5–15 wt.% increased the compressive strength of the composites, 136–139 kPa, compared to the reference sample, 127 kPa. The key parameter analysed was thermal conductivity. The results obtained were in range of the requirements, that is, 0.022–0.024 W/m·K for all used amounts of fillers 2.5–20 wt.%. This is extremely important since these materials are used for insulation purposes. The results of the burning-behaviour test have confirmed that the addition of renewable materials does not negatively affect the fire resistance of the received foams; the results were obtained analogously to those obtained from the reference sample without the addition of fillers. The height of the flame did not exceed 17 cm, while the flame decay time was 17 s for the reference sample and the composite with coffee grounds and 18 s for the composite with oak sawdust. In this work, the practical application of bioorganic waste as an innovative filler for the insulation of flooded polyurethane foam is described for the first time. The introduction of fillers of natural origin into the polymer matrix is a promising method to improve the physicochemical and functional properties of rigid polyurethane foams. Composites modified with coffee grounds and sawdust are interesting from a technological, ecological, and economic point of view, significantly increasing the range of use of foam in various industries.