The Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) today announced the finalists for the 2015 Polyurethane Innovation Award, selecting innovations created by Dow Chemical, Honeywell and Novomer.

Since its inception in 2005, the Polyurethane Innovation Award has highlighted the role that innovation plays in the polyurethanes industry, and recognized companies and individuals whose vision and perseverance bring new products, technologies and initiatives to the marketplace. The award is presented annually at CPI’s Polyurethanes Technical Conference, which is the premier event for industry expertise, professional networking and regulatory issues.

“Each year, the selection process gets tougher as companies from all corners of the polyurethanes industry continue to raise the bar creating incredible innovations and developments,” said Lee Salamone, senior director of CPI. “All of this year’s submissions represented the best of the best in our industry, and CPI congratulates Dow Chemical, Honeywell and Novomer on their selection as finalists.”

The innovations selected for this year’s award are:

Dow Chemical’s VORASTAR™ 7000 spray elastomer represents a novel class of hydrophobic, alcohol terminated polymer resins that can be formulated as spray applied polyurea coatings. VORASTAR™ 7000 creates a coating that exhibits improved resistance to moisture and concentrated aqueous acids, as well as upgraded adhesive properties with steel, retention of adhesion after long-term immersion testing, and improved flexibility and durability. When used as a coating material, it can provide protection to infrastructure in the oil and gas, petrochemical, and chemical industries.

Honeywell’s Solstice® Liquid Blowing Agent (LBA) is a polyurethane foam blowing agent used in insulation applications, including in appliances and spray foam, enabling the attainment of higher energy standards. Solstice® LBA can also help better insulate trucks, containers and ships used to transport cold cargo like food and liquefied natural gas. Moreover, it can help safely and dramatically reduce climate impact, improve energy efficiency and create jobs.

Novomer’s Converge® Polyol RF-x polyisocyanurate rigid (PIR) foams represent an optimized material that allows foam manufacturers to process PIRs with traditional equipment and processing conditions while still benefiting from properties derived from polypropylene carbonate polyols. Converge® Polyols demonstrate improved properties in flammability testing; these tests reveal a reduction in total smoke and heat released when compared to a conventional aromatic polyester polyol. In addition, Converge® Polyols have demonstrated a reduced carbon and energy footprint when compared to traditional polyols.

“Interacting with the individuals leading these types of innovations is one of the things that defines the Polyurethanes Technical Conference,” said Susan Norris, 2015 conference chair and senior account/marketing manager at Momentive Performance Materials, Inc. “The conference hosts leaders who are transforming the industry through their technical expertise and new approaches of using science to create products that benefit all of us.”

The three commercial technologies will be presented during the Opening Session of the 2015 Polyurethanes Technical Conference, to be held Oct. 5 to 7 at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.

Attendees at the Opening Session will vote for their favorite nominee, and those tallies will be combined with scores from professional judges to determine the winner. The award winner will be announced during the conference’s Closing Session on Oct. 7. To be considered for the Polyurethane Innovation Award, technologies must have pertained to polyurethane chemistry, defined as the reaction of an isocyanate with a polyol, and must have been commercialized no more than 15 months prior to June 19, 2015. Eligible award entries may include finished products and manufacturing initiatives, training or education programs, and processes or processing equipment. More details on the selection process are available here.

Those interested in attending the conference can view the full conference agenda and register through the conference website. Session speakers include some of the brightest minds in emerging polyurethanes technology, and regulatory speakers hail from governing bodies from North America and beyond. From professional development and technical discussions about chemistry, to big-picture analysis and key learnings about recent industry trends, the Polyurethanes Technical Conference proves that the longest-running polyurethanes conference in North America is also the most innovative.