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Oil Sorption Capacity of Recycled Polyurethane Foams and Their Mechanically Milled Powders.

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Title: Oil Sorption Capacity of Recycled Polyurethane Foams and Their Mechanically Milled Powders.
Authors: Cossari, Pierluigi1 (AUTHOR) ilplescia@gmail.com, Caschera, Daniela2 (AUTHOR) pierluigi.cossari@cnr.it, Plescia, Paolo3 (AUTHOR)
Source: Materials (1996-1944). Jan2026, Vol. 19 Issue 1, p166. 18p.
Subjects: Urethane foam, Oil spill cleanup, Hydrophobic interactions, Polymeric sorbents, Morphology, Mechanical alloying, Waste recycling
Abstract: Polyurethane (PU) is widely recognized for its efficient oil sorption properties. However, this capacity is highly dependent on its intrinsic chemical composition and morphological structure, which can be altered by mechanical or chemical treatments commonly applied before using it as a sorbent. In this study, we present a comprehensive investigation of the oil sorption behavior of both soft and rigid PU foams, and their blade-milled ground (BMG) counterparts obtained by mechanical treatment of several recycled PU-based products, including seats, mattresses, side panels of cars, packaging components, and insulating panels of refrigerators and freezers. We found that blade milling the soft PU foams leads to a significant reduction in oil sorption capacity proportional to the extent of grinding. Pristine soft PU foams and BMG-PUs with intermediate particle size (−250 μm–1 mm) exhibited the highest oil uptake (20–30 g/g), whereas the finest fraction (5 μm–250 μm) showed a lower capacity (3–7 g/g). In contrast, rigid PU foams showed consistently low oil sorption (~5 g/g), with negligible differences between the original and ground materials. At the macroscopic level, optical and morphological analyses revealed the collapse of the 3D porous network and a reduction in surface area. On the microscopic scale, spectroscopic, structural, and thermal analyses confirmed phase separation and rearrangement of hard and soft segmented domains within the polymer matrix, suggesting a different mechanism for oil sorption in BMG-PU. Despite reduced performance compared to pristine foams, BMG-PU powders, especially those with intermediate dimensions and originating from soft PU foams, present a viable, low-cost, and sustainable alternative for oil sorption applications, including oil spill remediation, while offering an effective strategy for effective recycling of PU foam wastes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Materials (1996-1944) is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Oil Sorption Capacity of Recycled Polyurethane Foams and Their Mechanically Milled Powders.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Cossari%2C+Pierluigi%22">Cossari, Pierluigi</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> ilplescia@gmail.com</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Caschera%2C+Daniela%22">Caschera, Daniela</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> pierluigi.cossari@cnr.it</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Plescia%2C+Paolo%22">Plescia, Paolo</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Materials+%281996-1944%29%22">Materials (1996-1944)</searchLink>. Jan2026, Vol. 19 Issue 1, p166. 18p.
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  Label: Subjects
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Urethane+foam%22">Urethane foam</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Oil+spill+cleanup%22">Oil spill cleanup</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Hydrophobic+interactions%22">Hydrophobic interactions</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Polymeric+sorbents%22">Polymeric sorbents</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Morphology%22">Morphology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mechanical+alloying%22">Mechanical alloying</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Waste+recycling%22">Waste recycling</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Polyurethane (PU) is widely recognized for its efficient oil sorption properties. However, this capacity is highly dependent on its intrinsic chemical composition and morphological structure, which can be altered by mechanical or chemical treatments commonly applied before using it as a sorbent. In this study, we present a comprehensive investigation of the oil sorption behavior of both soft and rigid PU foams, and their blade-milled ground (BMG) counterparts obtained by mechanical treatment of several recycled PU-based products, including seats, mattresses, side panels of cars, packaging components, and insulating panels of refrigerators and freezers. We found that blade milling the soft PU foams leads to a significant reduction in oil sorption capacity proportional to the extent of grinding. Pristine soft PU foams and BMG-PUs with intermediate particle size (−250 μm–1 mm) exhibited the highest oil uptake (20–30 g/g), whereas the finest fraction (5 μm–250 μm) showed a lower capacity (3–7 g/g). In contrast, rigid PU foams showed consistently low oil sorption (~5 g/g), with negligible differences between the original and ground materials. At the macroscopic level, optical and morphological analyses revealed the collapse of the 3D porous network and a reduction in surface area. On the microscopic scale, spectroscopic, structural, and thermal analyses confirmed phase separation and rearrangement of hard and soft segmented domains within the polymer matrix, suggesting a different mechanism for oil sorption in BMG-PU. Despite reduced performance compared to pristine foams, BMG-PU powders, especially those with intermediate dimensions and originating from soft PU foams, present a viable, low-cost, and sustainable alternative for oil sorption applications, including oil spill remediation, while offering an effective strategy for effective recycling of PU foam wastes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Materials (1996-1944) is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.3390/ma19010166
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 18
        StartPage: 166
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Urethane foam
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Oil spill cleanup
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Hydrophobic interactions
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Polymeric sorbents
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Morphology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mechanical alloying
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Waste recycling
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Oil Sorption Capacity of Recycled Polyurethane Foams and Their Mechanically Milled Powders.
        Type: main
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    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Cossari, Pierluigi
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          Name:
            NameFull: Caschera, Daniela
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            NameFull: Plescia, Paolo
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          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 01
              Text: Jan2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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              Value: 19961944
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              Value: 19
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            – TitleFull: Materials (1996-1944)
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