The influence of rapeseed oil-based polyols on the foaming process of rigid polyurethane foams

•Rapeseed oil-based polyol affects the foaming process of rigid polyurethane foams.•Bio-polyol can replace petrochemical polyols in synthesis of polyurethane foams.•Increasing the content of a bio-polyol requires an increase in amount of catalyst.•The higher content of the bio-polyol, the apparent density of foams decreases.

The foaming process of water-blown rigid polyurethane foams with different contents of a rapeseed oil-based polyol was analyzed. The present work reports for an analysis of the foaming process using foam qualification system FOAMAT—which allows recording characteristic parameters such as the dielectric polarization, rise height of a sample, pressure, temperature during a foaming process. A replacement of a petrochemical polyol by a rapeseed oil-based polyol (ROP) affects the foaming process of rigid polyurethane foams by reducing the reactivity of the system. Increasing the content of ROP resulted in a smaller decrease in the dielectric polarization which reflects slower gelling and foaming reactions.