Study of flame retardancy, thermal and physical properties of rigid polyurethane foam based on recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) using non-halogen flame retardant

Abstract

Bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET) obtained from waste poly(ethylene terephthalate) bottles was used to synthesize polyurethane foams (B-PUF) and the fireproof B-PUF in the presence of nonhalogen flame retardant, namely, aluminum hydrogen phosphonate (AHP). Loading of 25 php AHP was needed for B-PUF/AHP to achieve UL-94 V-0 rating. The thermal stability of B-PUF was improved with the addition of AHP through the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results. In addition, other properties such as density and foam structure were also investigated. The outcomes of this study also confirmed that the B-PUF prepared from recycled PET not only were composed of a high percentage of waste poly(ethylene terephthalate), which could help reduce the amount of recycled polymer materials and improved waste management but also met the high demands for the fire safety of polymer applications.