With funding from ERA, Sprayfoam Co. developed, tested and pre-commercialized a spray foam insulation product that incorporates renewable materials from the agricultural sector, instead of using GHG generating fossil fuels. This insulation will play a key role in increasing building envelope performance by reducing infiltration heat loss, energy consumption and GHG emissions. The goal is to develop a bio-polyol formulation incorporating environmentally friendly additives to replace the commercial petrochemical polyol formulation used in polyurethane (PU) spray foam applications, with a target of 50 percent bio-based content in the PU foam.
The project team used bio-based components derived from canola or other plant oils that have been developed by the Lipid Chemistry Group (LCG) at the University of Alberta. This approach enables more rapid progress into commercial bio-based spray foam production, and accelerates any future production plant development in Alberta. Additionally, a bio-based spray foam will substantially improve the energy efficiency of buildings in Alberta.
ERA funded this project through the Biological GHG Management Program, administered by Alberta Innovates. Other project partners include Green Analytics and Lipid Chemistry Group, University of Alberta.