Sunday July 11, 2004 - THERE'S a good chance that the comfortable paddingon the chair you use every day is made from polyurethane, a chemical-basedsubstance that can be fashioned into foams with varying degrees offlexibility.

Polyurethane is used in all kinds of everyday items such as mattresses,cushions, car steering wheels, water hoses, ski boots and even playingsurfaces for sports.

The polyurethane industry is big business worldwide, with global demandfor the product exceeding 10 million tonnes per year.

But there is a downside to polyurethane: it is non-environment friendlysince it is derived from petroleum products, a non-renewable resource thatis already a scarce commodity worldwide.

In the chemistry laboratories of Universiti Malaya, Professor Dr Gan SengNeon seems to have found an alternative source for polyurethane, and herevealed this at the recent 14th International Invention, Innovation,Industrial Design and Technology Exhibition in Kuala Lumpur.

Held annually by the Malaysian Invention and Design Society, theexhibition showcases the creative talents of scientists and inventors, andawards prizes for outstanding projects and inventions.

Prof Gan showed the result of his research project called Making FlexiblePolyurethane Foams From Palm Oil at the exhibition, and won a gold medalfor his innovative work.

Prof Gan, who has been teaching chemistry for more than 20 years, isknowledgeable in all branches of the subject but his area of expertise ispolymer chemistry.

The word ‘polymer' is a Greek word. 'Poly' means 'many' and 'mer' is from'meros' and it means 'identical parts', he explains.

Actually it refers to a very large molecule where you can identify a lotof repeating units.

Polymers are commonly used in everyday items such as paint, says Prof Gan.

Paint is a pigment that gives colour but you need the polymer to hold thepigment to the wall. You cannot just simply put the colour on the wallbecause the paint won't stick. Even the wind will be able to blow it off,he says with a laugh.

Prof Gan, who keeps up to date with developments in polymer chemistry,read that someone had managed to use castor oil to make rigid foam frompolyurethane, a type of foam generally used for insulation.

This set him thinking about the feasibility of making rigid foam usingpalm oil. He tried it, and was successful.

Then I thought, why don't we make flexible foam because it will be moreuseful, he relates.

After two years of research and hundreds of hours in the laboratory, ProfGan successfully found a formula to create flexible polyurethane foamusing palm kernel oil.

Initially, I worked on this project alone but later on I engaged aresearch assistant to help me, he says, adding that he intends to pass hisknowledge on to his Master's students.

There are many types of foams in the market but polyurethane foam is amongthe best, says Prof Gan.

Polystyrene foam, for example, is used for packaging but cannot withstandhigh temperatures and exposure to light. If you use this type of foam tomake car seats, it won't last.

On the other hand, polyurethane foam is far more durable, he says.

Car seat cushions, the good mattresses, the expensive armchairs are madeout of polyurethane foam. Polyurethane is a very useful material andflexible foams made from it are used extensively.

They are made into big slabs and cut into sheets to be used in thefinished products.

Any application you can think of for plastic can be replaced bypolyurethane. It’s just that it is a higher end product and more expensivebecause it has special features such as resistance to heat and UV light.

Prof Gan is confident that his formula of using palm oil as a base productwill only add to the advantages of polyurethane foam.

The price of petroleum is high and palm oil-based products are nowcheaper. Palm oil is our national product, and making polyurethane foamout of it will help diversify the industry. This will ultimatelycontribute to the national economy.

The processing costs and capitol costs will be lower for palm oil-derivedpolyurethane foam than the traditional petroleum-based ones, he adds.

The most important advantage is that polyurethane foam made from palm oilis environment-friendly, although it is not biodegradable.

There are two different classes of environment-friendly materials. One isbiodegradable, so as not to pollute the environment. The other class isdurable material that is not biodegradable, Prof Gan explains.

It (polyurethane foam) has to be durable because you do not want yoursteering wheel or mattress to be biodegradable.

The aspect that contributes to the environment is palm oil, which is asustainable resource because it is a plant, unlike petroleum chemicals.

Prof Gan says he is in the midst of applying for a patent for the productand the patent will be in the name of the university.

I am employed by the university and the patent belongs to the university,he says.

Coming up with the idea of creating polyurethane foam out of palm oil wasone thing, he says. The road to getting the formula was another, and itrequired a lot of patience and perseverance.

Curiosity is one of the main factors that inspired me but breakthroughsalong the way are what propelled me to continue my work.