Bio-Inspired Polymer Matrix Based on the Chicken Waste to Novel Polyurethanes

Although researchers are focusing on the production of bio-based polyurethane using plant sources, only a few studies have reported the use of animal waste, such as fish oil, in the production of polyurethanes. The amount of chicken waste produced in the United States is staggering, and chicken fat is a valuable by-product of chicken waste and is currently used for a variety of useful purposes. The high unsaturated fatty acids contents in chicken fat make it a prospective alternative source for greener polyurethane formation. This study was conducted to propose a feasible pathway to formulate new low-cost rigid polyurethane foams (RPUFs) with variable mechanical and thermal properties from the chicken fat. The hydroxyl groups were introduced along the fatty acids’ chains through simple wet chemical methods. These CF-derived polyols had 96 mg KOH/g hydroxyl group content. The combination of 25−75 wt. % of chicken fat-based polyols with isocyanates formed the semi-rigid, rigid foams with a maximum of 142 kPa compressive strengths that can be further modified for various commercial applications. The characteristics of RPUFs were studied using density, closed-cell content, and scanning electron microscope. As the chicken fat-derived polyol replacement increased to 75 wt.%, the closed-cell content decreased significantly. The thermal behaviors of RPUFs were studied by gradually increasing the percentage of phosphorous-based flame retardant. More importantly, the burning time and thermal stability results revealed that the flame retardant mechanism depends on the matrix of the polyurethane foam. In summary, this work provides an innovative strategy for creating a new alternative source for the polyurethane industry.