Please cite this article in press as: Rosa, J.R., et al., Production of polyols and new biphasic mono-component materials from soy hulls by oxypropylation. Ind. Crops Prod. (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2014.12.044 ARTICLE IN PRESS G Model INDCRO-7727; No. of Pages 7 Industrial Crops and Products xxx (2015) xxx–xxx Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Industrial Crops and Products jo ur nal home p age: www.elsevier.com/locate/indcrop Production of polyols and new biphasic mono-component materials from soy hulls by oxypropylation Joyce Rover Rosa, Ingrid Souza Vieira da Silva, Caroline Stefany Marques de Lima, Daniel Pasquini ∗ Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Campus Santa Mônica, Av. João Naves de Ávila, 2121, 38400-902 Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 29 August 2014 Received in revised form 17 November 2014 Accepted 22 December 2014 Available online xxx Keywords: Partial oxypropylation Thermoplastic polymer Polyol Lignocellulosic residue Natural biopolymer a b s t r a c t The present study is aimed at oxypropylating soybean hulls (SH) to obtain two products in a single reac- tion: a viscous polyol (SHP) and a solid fibrous residue of soybean hulls modified on the surface (SHBM) by a layer of thermoplastic polymer poly (propylene oxide). The oxypropylation reaction was conducted by polymerizing propylene oxide in the presence of the SH in a reaction catalysed by KOH at 150 ◦ C. The chemical composition of the SH was determined. The samples before (SH) and after oxypropylation (SHP and SHBM) were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and thermogravimetric anal- ysis. The SH and SHBM were also characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The SHP was characterized with respect to its hydroxyl index value (IOH), intrinsic viscosity [] and with respect to the amount of poly (propylene oxide) homopolymer (PPO) formed. These characterizations were carried out in order to assess the effectiveness of the process and verify the applicability of both products: (i) for producing polymer derivatives such as polyurethane foams in the case of polyol; and (ii) to prepare biphasic monocomponent composites in the case of the superficially oxypropylated residue. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The production of energy and new materials from renewable sources is extremely relevant given the growing need to replace materials produced from petrochemical sources, the anticipated shortage of fossil resources and increasing prices. On the other hand, it is also desirable to take industrial fractions of low value, reducing their environmental impact, and thus, contributing to the sustainable development of society (Pinto et al., 2009). Due to its territorial extent and suitability for forestry, Brazil produces large quantities of plant biomass in crops such as corn, sugar cane, and soybeans, among others, annually. Thus, forest and agricultural residues form an interesting category of biomass that can be explored, especially as a source of renewable energy and raw materials that do not compete with the food sector, have low cost and are available in abundance (Leitão et al., 2010). Soybeans are the second largest agricultural product of Brazil. Brazilian states leading in soybean production are: Mato Grosso, with 29.0% of domestic production; Paraná with 19.5%, Rio Grande do Sul with 15.4%, and Goiás, with 10.5% (MAPA, 2013). ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +55 34 3239 4143; fax: +55 34 3239 4208. E-mail address: pasquini@iqufu.ufu.br (D. Pasquini). Due to its composition, soy can be used for various purposes, both as food for humans and animals, and for various industrial products and raw materials for agro-industries. Soybeans can be processed initially, generating oil, bran and flour, the oil being pro- cessed into refined oil for food consumption and refined oil for non-food purposes, the meal used in animal feed and the flour used in food for production of breads, pastries, and pasta (CISOJA, 2014). Soybean hulls are a very thin film that covers the grain, being separated from the embryos by their industrial processing. This film is extracted from the beans before they undergo crushing to obtain the oil. Thus, it is a byproduct of the soybean oil industry with a relatively low cost and is 7–8% of the grain weight. Whereas the production of soybeans in the 2012/2013 harvest was about 81.2 million tons, it was estimated that 5.7 million tons of soybean hulls were generated during this period (CONAB 2013). Little attention is given to soybean hull applications. Very lit- tle of it is directed to animal feed production and therefore, huge amounts of this residue do not have a proper use. Because it is a plant biomass, soybean hulls are a lignocellulosic waste composed of natural polymers, which due to their chemical chain hydroxyl groups are presumably capable of participating in oxypropylation reactions (Gandini and Belgacem, 2008). Different types of substrates from renewable sources have been studied, namely beet pulp (Pavier and Gandini, 2000), lignin from different pulping processes (Nadji et al., 2005), chitin and chitosan http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2014.12.044 0926-6690/© 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.