Polyurethane (PU) coating for wood application has been formulated from polyethylene terephthalate or PET bottles, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said.
DOST Secretary Fortunato “Boy” T. de la Peña said it was the agency’s Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI) that formulated the PU coating for wood application.
“Considering the country’s high importation of raw materials for finishes and the huge volume of unrecycled waste PET bottles in landfills, DOST-Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI) explored the recycling of these bottles and subsequent formulation of polyurethane (PU) coating for wood application,” he announced on the DOSTv Facebook page.
PU is used in the production of adhesives, sealants and surface coatings.
"After several stages of test reactions, an orange-brown polymer was obtained, which was confirmed to be polyol via FT-IR analysis. The polyol was formulated into wood finish, and applied on wood samples,” the DOST chief said.
“After a month of curing, the formulated finish was tested for physical performance and properties.”
The DOST-FPRDI has been conducting research and development on wood and non-wood forest products.
Created in 1954 as the Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) under the then Bureau of Forestry, the Institute aims to generate, improve and transfer appropriate technologies and information on efficient utilization of forest-based products to make local industries more competitive in the domestic and global markets and to benefit the general public.