Students from the Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Department at the University of Minnesota won a BASF Science Competition with a proposal for bio-based degradable polyurethane foams.  The team presented a new technology that could transform the polyurethane industry by introducing a sugar-based Mevalonate (MVL) monomer and its polyesterol (PMVL) made by solvent free polymerization.

“This novel idea, presented by the students from the University of Minnesota, clearly illustrated how this new technology could potentially replace traditional petroleum based polyols,” said Elvira Stesikova, Ph.D., BASF Project Manager.

Similar to traditional polyols, PMVL polyesterols exhibit tunable properties associated with varied molecular weight and crosslinking functionality. However, unlike currently commercialized polyols, PMVL polyesterols offer a solvent-free process, utilize a sustainable raw material source, and present improved biodegradability and recyclability. In the long term, this technology is viewed as a step towards isocyanate-free polyurethanes.

BASF hosted the Science Competition at its North America headquarters in Florham Park, NJ, as part of its 150 year anniversary. The goal for the competition was to solve the following challenge:   What chemistries can be used to create lightweight solutions with improved end of life management? Four teams of students presented proposals that were judged by a panel of BASF executives. The proposed ideas will be shared with many of the BASF business units for possible further development.  The three finalist teams represented Georgia Institute of Technology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Connecticut.

All four presenting teams received $5,000 and the winning team members won an all-expense-paid trip to the BASF Summer Course to be held in Ludwigshafen, Germany in August.