An eco-friendly range of soundproofing materials

18-Mar-10

A new eco-friendly range of soundproofing materials that can reduce the impact of noise in a variety of flooring applications is the latest innovation to emerge from a long-term collaboration between Huntsman Polyurethanes and manufacturer WPT GmbH. The ECOLine product range is a next generation range of sound reduction and decoupling mats that are better for the environment and less exposed to fluctuating oil prices. Offering the same durability as established PVC-based products, these floors are resilient, hard-wearing and far easier to clean and maintain. This makes them ideal for use in heavy footfall environments such as hospitals, airports, schools, the retail sector, office space, hotels and leisure amenities. The key challenge for WPT was to replace a petrochemical-based polyol (polyester) as the key raw ingredient in its acoustic mesh materials, with a polyol derived from renewable vegetable oils (polyether). Huntsman identified a solution from its MDI polyurethane range that could meet these specifications and suit its production processes. Isocyanate SUPRASEC® 2385 provided the low viscosity, high linearity and consistent performance needed to help WPT make the transition from polyester to polyether. The result is a range of eco-friendly sound reduction flooring systems based on at least 93% renewable resources like rapeseed oil, caster oil, sand and chalk. This enabled the acoustic material to be filled with other non-wovens without the loss of product performance.