Recent Advances in Polyurethane Coatings and Adhesives Derived from Vegetable Oil-Based Polyols

Sustainability and renewability are the terms that concern most researchers today. In the world of paints and adhesives, polyurethane (PU) is a popular material due to the enormous possibilities in the choice of raw materials. The scientific community today is more focused on adopting water-based and low-solvent or solvent-free technologies instead of traditional solvent-based routes in the synthesis of PUs. Adopting more ecological routes is a step towards achieving the goal of sustainable and renewable development. The use of bio-derived monomers not only contributes to the goal of sustainable development but also eliminates the uncertainty of price, availability and environmental hazards associated with traditional petroleum-derived monomers. Among the biologically derived resources, vegetable oils are the most promising and most studied raw materials in the PU industry due to their abundance, inherent biodegradability, non-toxicity and low price. Since primitive times they had traditionally been used for coatings and adhesive applications. Today, the full field use of vegetable oil-based monomers or polymers as raw material is an excellent effort for a sustainable future in the world of coatings and adhesives worldwide. The review highlights recent advances in vegetable oil-based polyols as an environmentally friendly material for PU coating and adhesive applications.