The Center for the Polyurethanes Industry of the American Chemistry Council announced on Oct. 5 that Carbon’s EPU 44 has won the 2022 Polyurethane Innovation Award. The Innovation Award is renowned throughout the polyurethane industry and recognizes companies and individuals whose visions and perseverance bring new innovative, life-enhancing products, technologies and initiatives to the marketplace.

“On behalf of CPI, congratulations to Carbon on this recognition and achievement,” said Lee Salamone, senior director of CPI. “This new technology helps bolster our industry’s role in creating a more sustainable future. CPI is proud to recognize and honor Carbon on this groundbreaking achievement.”

Carbon describes their winning entry as:

“EPU 44 is a 40 percent bio-based production-grade elastomeric 3D printing resin, especially well-suited for lattices where high resiliency is needed. It has superior latticing performance, prints faster, uses less material and has higher green strength, which protects delicate designs. EPU 44 proves it’s possible to have highly sustainable materials without sacrificing performance.”

“EPU 44 proves it’s possible to have highly sustainable materials without sacrificing performance,” says Andrew Wright, Senior Staff Research Scientist at Carbon. “Our team is honored to be recognized for creating a bio-derived 3D-printable elastomer. EPU 44 is well-suited for products that need to be highly resilient and durable, such as the midsoles in running shoes. It offers an advantageous alternative to traditional foam materials because of its tear strength, energy return and elongation at break and unlocks tunable and unique compression profiles that enable excellent cushioning and comfort.”

This year, three finalists were selected to present their products at the 2022 Polyurethanes Technical Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, the other two being Dupont and the Chemours Company. Dupont and the Chemours Company described their respective entries as:

DuPont’s Thermax Non-Halogen Insulation: DuPont’s new Thermax Brand Non-Halogen Insulation series is a best in class, safer-by-design product with exceptional performance to support the needs of architects, contractors and occupants in high performance, energy-efficient buildings. With this reformulation, DuPont is the first polyisocyanurate wall insulation manufacturer to offer Class A products without the halogenated flame retardants commonly used in building insulation polyurethane foams while meeting the stringent wall building code requirement.

The Chemours Company’s Opteon 1150: Chemours commercialized Opteon 1150 – also referred to as HFO-1336mzzE – is a next-generation HFO foam blowing agent with a unique boiling point, superior thermal performance and remarkable stability. A solution for an industry ready for a transition to a sustainable future, meeting and exceeding regulatory standards.

Eligible innovations include finished products, chemistries, initiatives, training or education programs, processes and processing equipment that have entered the market for the first time between June 17, 2020, and June 16, 2022.

In addition to the 2022 Polyurethane Innovation Award, the 2022 Polyurethanes Technical Conference also featured the Distinguished Leadership Award, 15 technical sessions, 23 posters, 70-plus presentations and 47 exhibitors.