Abstract: Liquefaction of bamboo powder was conducted in polyols such as poly ethyleneglycol (PEG400), ethylene glycol or glycerol using sulfuric acid catalyst. Effects of liquefying agents, types of catalyst and reaction conditions on the liquefaction procedure, were investigated in detail. The results showed that the yield of liquefied bamboo power was obtained when PEG400 was used as liquefaction solvent and 98% sulfuric acid as catalyst. The residue rate for this case is low to 0.8% in 180 min when the liquefaction was performed at 150 ℃ with 3% catalyst and the ratio of PEG 400 to bamboo powder by weight of 5:1. The resulting liquefaction bamboo products(LB) shows a hydroxy value of 178 mg/g, an acid value of 41 mg/g and excellent flowing property. Additionally, the abundant —OH groups that further conformed by infrared absorption spectrum, allowed this resulting LB to be used to prepare semi-rigid polyurethane (PU) foam. A semi-rigid polyurethane foam from LB and TDI (Toluylene Diisocyanate)(LB-PU) was then prepared using water as vesicant. These LB-PU forms had an apparent density of 69 kg/m³. In conclusion, our work on a new application of bamboo powder material has provided a novel way to develop the "green" polyurethane products.

Key words: bamboo powder, polyol, liquefaction, semi-rigid polyurethane foam