This study propounds a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based polyurethane (PU) foams, aiming to curtail this nonrenewable resource’s continued and uncontrolled use. Coconut fatty acid distillate (CFAD) and crude glycerol (CG), both wastes generated from vegetable oil processes, were utilized for bio-based polyol production for rigid PU foam application. The raw materials were subjected to catalyzed glycerolysis with alkaline-alcohol neutralization and bleaching. The resulting polyol possessed properties suitable for rigid foam application, with an average OH number of 215 mg KOH/g, an acid number of 7.2983 mg KOH/g, and a Gardner color value of 18. The polyol was used to prepare rigid PU foam, and its properties were determined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis/derivative thermogravimetric (TGA/DTA), and universal testing machine (UTM). Additionally, the cell foam morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM), in which most of its structure revealed an open-celled network and quantified at 92.71% open-cell content using pycnometric testing. The PU foam thermal and mechanical analyses results showed an average compressive strength of 210.43 kPa, a thermal conductivity of 32.10 mW·m⁻¹K⁻¹, and a density of 44.65 kg·m⁻³. These properties showed its applicability as a type I structural sandwich panel core material, thus demonstrating the potential use of CFAD and CG in commercial polyol and PU foam production.

This study investigates the combined effects of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and silica fume on the workability, microstructure, thermal stability, and compressive strength of concrete. The addition of these admixtures slightly reduced slump performance due to their reinforcing effect. However, the concrete remained within the medium workability range. Scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) confirmed the successful integration of MWCNT and silica fume. The analysis revealed improved matrix densification and stronger interfacial bonding. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy provided further insights into the material’s thermal stability and chemical interactions. These microstructural and thermal improvements contributed to a 31.5% increase in compressive strength compared to the control mix. The findings highlight the synergistic role of MWCNT and silica fume in enhancing concrete performance.

This study propounds a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based polyurethane (PU) foams aiming to curtail this nonrenewable resource's continued and uncontrolled use. Coconut fatty acid distillate (CFAD) and crude glycerol (CG), both wastes from vegetable oil processes, were utilized for bio-based polyol production for rigid PU foam application. The raw materials were subjected to catalyzed glycerolysis with alkaline-alcohol neutralization and bleaching. The resulting polyol possessed properties suitable for rigid foam application with an average OH number of 215 mg KOH/g, acid number of 7.2983 mg KOH/g, and Gardner color value of 18. The polyol was used to prepare rigid PU foam, and its properties were determined using FTIR, TGA/DTA, and UTM. Additionally, the cell foam morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) in which most of its structure revealed an open-celled network and quantified at 92.71% open cell content using pycnometric testing. The PU foam thermal and mechanical analysis results showed an average compressive strength of 70.59 kPa, thermal conductivity of 46.50 mWm-1K-1, and density of 32.79 kgm-3. These properties showed its applicability as thermal insulating foam, thus, demonstrating the potential use of CFAD and CG in commercial polyol and PU foam production.

Soil erosion, a global problem, degrades land quality and increases pollution and sedimentation in bodies of water. This study propounds a new material to mitigate soil erosion using rice straw-based polyurethane foam (RSPF) blocks as a potential replacement for commercially available expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam in slope stabilization. RSPF was synthesized via a conventional one-shot foaming method with 15% rice straw-based polyol content. The RSPF blocks have an average density of 43.29 kg/m³, average compressive strength of 184.55 kPa, closed cell content of 88.4%, and water absorption capacity of 262% that can effectively reduce water runoff. These properties are comparable to EPS foams according to ASTM D6817, except for the high absorption capacity of RSPF. This added feature allows the foam to act as topsoil protection by reducing runoff. In slope stabilization and topsoil protection applications, the effectiveness of the RSPF blocks in reducing soil loss was tested in both simulated and natural rainfall events with different land slope degrees, rain intensities, and soil covers. Results show that the use of RSPF in the simulated setup with a heavy rain intensity of 80 mm/h reduced the soil loss by 61.5%, 22.7%, and 4.3% in 5°, 10°, and 20° of land slope, respectively. There was also a higher degree of soil loss reduction when the RSPF block was coupled with a natural vegetation soil cover by 79.6%, 70%, and 19.3% in 5°, 10°, and 20° land slopes, respectively. Moreover, in the natural rainfall events in an open field with a land slope of 20°, the recorded soil loss reduction reached 93.6–98.8% at an average rainfall intensity of 16.26 mm/h. Additionally, the relationship between soil loss and land slope was investigated to produce a best fit model that predicts the soil loss up to a 20° land slope. An interesting observation was made wherein the erosion rate increased using linear regression modeling in the simulated setup for bare soil (BS), soil with vegetation (SV), soil with RSPF (SF), and soil with RSPF and vegetation (FV), with high coefficient of determination (R²) values between 0.92 and 0.99. These findings suggest that the RSPF block is a promising alternative and sustainable material for EPS foams in mitigating soil erosion, especially under heavy rainfall conditions.