Vegetable oils are an excellent renewable source of raw materials for manufacturing polyurethane components with hydroxyl groups. The transformations of the double bonds of triglycerides to hydroxyls and their application in polyurethanes have been the subject of many studies [1-8]. Taking into account that European countries have a vast potential regarding cultivation of oil plants, these investigations may result in a significant source of modern, sustainable, more ecological polymers. The real commercial development of natural-oil-derived polyols (NOPs) in polyurethanes is still on a small scale but ever growing number of users is expected. Vegetable oils are triglycerides, esters of different fatty acids and glycerol. The composition of the fatty acids contained in the vegetable oils determines the further use of the oils. The types of unsaturated fatty acids in triglycerides determine the distribution of hydroxyl groups in oil-based polyols. The number of hydroxyl group depends on the type of unsaturated fatty acids and then agent used for oxirane ring opening. oils such as linseed or rapeseed and soybean can also be useful in polyurethane formulation but first, they need to be transformed. There are several methods of converting them into the raw materials contained the hydroxyl group capable of forming new polyurethanes. Through the epoxidation, the double bonds of the triglycerides are transformed into oxirane rings. In the second step, the epoxidized oil can be converted into the polyols by ring opening reaction with alcohols i.e., methanol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, glycerol etc. A two-step process was applied for the preparation of rapeseed and linseed oil-based polyols. In the first step, the double bonds of the triglycerides were transformed into oxirane rings through the epoxidation with acetate peoxyacid. In the second step, the epoxidized oils were converted into the polyols using monoethylene glycol (MEG) or diethylene glycol (DEG). In the case of the polyol based on rapeseed and linseed oil and the glycols both steps of the process (epoxidation and oxirane ring opening) were carried out under microwave irradiation. It allowed reducing the reaction time of the epoxidation step ca. 60 % and hydroxylation step ca. 75 % in comparison to the same process carried out under conventional thermal conventions. References [1] Guo A., Jani J., Petrovic Z.: Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 77/2 (2000) 467. [2] Prociak A.: Rigid polyurethane foams modified with vegetable oil-based polyols. UTECH 2006 Conference Papers on CD, Maastricht, The Netherlands. [3] Höfer R.: Oleochemical polyols - New raw materials for polyurethane applications, Proceedings European Coatings Conference, Berlin 1999. [4] Hong Hu Y., Gao Y., Wang D. N., Hu C. P., Zu S., Vanoverloop L., Randall D.: Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 84 (2002) 591. [5] Chian K. S., Gan L. H.,: Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 68 (1998) 509. [6] Badri K. H., Ahmad S. H., Zakaria S.,: Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 81 (2001) 384. [7] Kozłowski R., Pielichowski J., Prociak A., Marek M., Bujnowicz K.: Raw materials based on linseed oils for polyurethane synthesis. Textiles for sustainable development, International Conference, The Boardwalk, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, 2005, Conference Papers CD, 384. [8] Zlatanic A., Lava C., Zhang W, Petrovic Z.: Journal of Polymer Science, Part B: Polymer Physics, 42 (2004) 809.

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1. Diversity oriented synthesis under (highly efficient) microwave conditions. Report on WG10 activity.