RENUVA™ Renewable Resource Technology Creates Next-Generation Polyols

Many producers process soybean oil with simple manufacturing techniques to produce one or two natural oil-based polyols that don't provide much advantage over unmodified castor oil. RENUVA™ technology, however, has the flexibility to give birth to a new generation of cleaner, greener performance-based polyols. Dow Polyurethanes' chemists work as polyol architects, designing polyols with a variety of attributes to help achieve consistent performance.

Sustainable Solutions

Dow Polyurethanes is committed to the development of economic, technologically advanced processes and products that support Dow's sustainable chemistry goals, as evidenced by the investment in hydrogen-peroxide-based propylene oxide, the low VOC (volatile organic compounds) VORACTIV™ polyol, and most recently, RENUVA™ Renewable Resource Technology. According to life-cycle analysis conducted by Dow researchers, RENUVA technology is greenhouse-gas neutral and uses up to 60% fewer fossil fuel resources than conventional polyol technology.

"With an increase in global awareness of the impact each individual has on the earth, consumers such as you and I are willing to make purchase decisions that favor more environmentally-friendly products and processes, as long as the price and performance continue to meet our expectations," says Doug Warner, global business director, Dow Polyols, a business unit under Dow Polyurethanes. "With Dow's bio-based polyols, we feel we have a solution that can, now and in the long term, help to meet these requirements."

Leveraging 50 years of experience in the PU industry

Using its expertise in science and chemistry, Dow Polyurethanes has been able to break natural oils down to their most basic components and then reassemble them in a manner that uses the business's depth of polyol and polyurethane application knowledge to deliver polyols with renewable content and performance that matches or exceeds what is available on the market today.

Dow Polyurethanes is taking a demand-driven production approach to products manufactured with its renewable resource technology, starting with an investment in market development capacity. The business is already collaborating with customers as part of a long-term commitment to validate initial product offerings in carpet, bedding, furniture, and automotive applications. Product offerings in the coatings, adhesives, sealants, and elastomers markets will soon follow. Dow plans to have commercial quantities of soybean oil-based polyols available in the market starting as early as fourth quarter 2007.  This is the first step in the development of "next generation" polyols.

For more information about RENUVA™ Renewable Resource Technology and Dow's natural oil-based polyol capabilities, please visit www.dowrenuva.com.