For manufacturers looking to incorporate sustainable cushions, mattresses, and vehicle seats into their product lines, an environmentally friendly alternative to the petroleum-based polyurethane (PU) foams currently used in these applications may soon be available.
Recently, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability (Fraunhofer LBF) developed a polyurethane foam made primarily from bio-based raw materials as part of the OrganoFoam project. Their goal is to ensure that the material maintains high standards of comfort, durability, and quality.
This bio-based polyurethane foam is specifically designed to be processed using existing industrial manufacturing equipment while providing the same level of sitting and lying comfort as conventional flexible polyurethane foam.
The development of the OrganoFoam material was made possible through close collaboration with Friedrich Platt, a company responsible for evaluating and further processing the material.
Roland Klein, a research scientist at Fraunhofer LBF, stated:
“We produce the bio-based polyurethane foam in block form in our laboratory. The foam blocks vary in size, color, and shape. Our project partner then cuts them into products such as sofa seat cushions and backrest cushions.”
Researchers have successfully developed a sustainable flexible polyurethane foam using bio-based polyols and bio-based isocyanates.
One of the researchers explained:
“These two components are typically used in the production of coatings and are not actually suitable for manufacturing flexible polyurethane foam. However, by developing a specially tailored formulation, for which a patent application is currently pending, we have successfully produced this sustainable polyurethane foam. The foam has a bio-based content of over 90% and contains only a small amount of additives.”
What makes this polyurethane foam unique is that it does not require any natural fibers to serve as a load-bearing support structure. Even without fiber reinforcement, the foam exhibits the characteristic resilience needed to provide comfort in furniture seating and bedding applications.
During the foaming process, the material expands into foam blocks weighing up to 8 kilograms (18 pounds).
After demolding, the foam undergoes mechanical compression to open its cellular structure, ensuring dimensional stability.
In other words, the foam maintains its original shape and dimensions without warping, excessive expansion when heated, or shrinkage when cooled.
Researchers used these foam blocks to create a demonstration sofa to evaluate its seating comfort and long-term durability under real-world conditions.
UV aging tests showed that this bio-based polyurethane foam yellows significantly more slowly than conventional upholstery foam. Furthermore, suitable additives can be incorporated to provide effective protection against ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
Roland Klein stated:“Conventional polyurethane foam had already turned yellow and become brittle after just 100 hours, while our OrganoFoam showed almost no discoloration even after 700 hours of UV exposure. This demonstrates its potential for a long service life.”
Compression hardness measurements and compression set tests confirmed that this sustainable polyurethane foam, featuring a fine, open-cell structure, delivers performance comparable to conventional fossil-based polyurethane foam used as a reference.
Tests conducted by Friedrich Platt demonstrated that the foam blocks can be easily cut using existing industrial equipment, bonded together to form larger components, and upholstered with standard furniture fabrics.
Test participants gave highly positive feedback on the foam's comfort, both when sitting and lying down.
Beyond furniture and automotive manufacturing, this bio-based polyurethane foam could also replace petroleum-based materials in the packaging, construction, and medical technology industries.
Potential applications include protective cushioning for packaging, acoustic insulation for walls and ceilings, and medical positioning supports.
For manufacturers committed to environmental protection and resource conservation in their production processes, OrganoFoam presents an opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint and dependence on fossil-based resources while appealing to environmentally conscious consumers.
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