CPI announces 2015 Polyurethane Innovation Award Finalists

Drum roll, please…..

After outside judges reviewed all submissions, the Center for the Polyurethanes Industry is proud to announce the three finalists for the 2015 Polyurethane Innovation Award! The award is presented annually at CPI’s Polyurethane Technical Conference, which is the premier event for industry expertise, professional networking and regulatory issues.

This year’s finalists are Dow Chemical, Honeywell and Novomer.

The Polyurethane Innovation Award acknowledges the most impactful, inventive and unique commercial technologies in the global polyurethanes industry. Since 2005 this award has highlighted the role that innovation has played in the polyurethanes industry and recognized companies, as well as individuals, whose vision and perseverance bring new initiatives, products and technologies to the marketplace.

The innovations selected for this year’s award are:

• Dow Chemical’s VORASTAR™ 7000 spray elastomer represents a novel class of hydrophobic, alcohol terminated polymer resins that can be formulated as spray applied polyurea coatings. VORASTAR™ 7000 creates a coating that exhibits improved resistance to moisture and concentrated aqueous acids, as well as upgraded adhesive properties with steel, retention of adhesion after long-term immersion testing, and improved flexibility and durability. When used as a coating material, it can provide protection to infrastructure in the oil and gas, petrochemical and chemical industries.

• Honeywell’s Solstice® Liquid Blowing Agent (LBA) is a polyurethane foam blowing agent used in insulation applications, including in appliances and spray foam, enabling the attainment of higher energy standards. Solstice® LBA can also help better insulate trucks, containers and ships used to transport cold cargo like food and liquefied natural gas. Moreover, it can help safely and dramatically reduce climate impact, improve energy efficiency and create jobs.

• Novomer’s Converge® Polyol RF-x polyisocyanurate rigid (PIR) foams represent an optimized material that allows foam manufacturers to process PIRs with traditional equipment and processing conditions while still benefiting from properties derived from polypropylene carbonate polyols. Converge® Polyols demonstrate improved properties in flammability testing; these tests reveal a reduction in total smoke and heat released when compared to a conventional aromatic polyester polyol. In addition, Converge® Polyols have demonstrated a reduced carbon and energy footprint when compared to traditional polyols.

The finalists will present these technologies during the Opening Session of this year’s Polyurethane Technical Conference, which takes place October 5-7 at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center, in Orlando, Florida. Attendees will vote during the Opening Session for their favorite technology, and those tallies will be added to the scores from outside judges to determine the winner. The winner will be announced during the Closing Session of the conference.

To be considered for the award the submissions must pertain to polyurethane technologies, defined as a reaction of an isocyanate with a polyol, and must have been commercialized no more than 15 months prior to the June 19, 2015 submission deadline. To read more details on the selection process click here.

Those interested in attending the Polyurethane Technical Conference can register and view the full itinerary by clicking here. Registration is now open.