OSU Spinoff Brings Green Polyurethane Foam to Market

An Ohio State researcher and a bioenergy entrepreneur working together at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) in Wooster have launched Poly-Green Technologies, a startup to market a renewable source of polyurethane foam that’s expected to create up to 30 jobs in Ohio in the next two years.

The product (known as a bio-polyol) is made from crude glycerin, a byproduct of biodiesel production that has so little commercial value it’s practically considered waste. Mixed with other biomass -- through a patent-pending process developed by Yebo Li, a biosystems engineer -- this crude glycerin becomes the foundation for making polyurethane foam, which is used in a variety of products in the construction, automotive, appliance and other industries. 

Li’s research on bio-polyols has received funding from the TechColumbus as well as the Ohio Soybean Council and support from Polymer Ohio. 

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