A kneading apparatus for a thermoplastic resin, includes: a plasticizing cylinder which has a high pressure kneading zone and a pressure reduction zone; a screw in the plasticizing cylinder; a downstream side seal mechanism which shuts off communication between the high pressure kneading zone and the pressure reduction zone; and a pressure reduction zone pressure adjusting mechanism which is connected to the pressure reduction zone and which controls a pressure of the pressure reduction zone so that the pressure is not less than an atmospheric pressure and the pressure is not more than a maximum pressure of the high pressure kneading zone that is achieved when kneading a molten resin with a pressurized fluid, when the downstream side seal mechanism shuts off the communication between the high pressure kneading zone and the pressure reduction zone.

A high-density foam cover board, including a high-density foam layer, wherein the high-density foam layer comprise polyurethane, polyisocyanurate, a filler, and a viscosity additive.

A container, that includes a transparent portion, which reveals an interior portion of the container, an access aperture communicating with the interior portion of the container, and a lid adjacent the access aperture. A first liquid component is placed into the interior portion. A second liquid component is poured into the interior portion. The lid of the container is closed to fully enclose the first and second liquid components. The components are agitated until the first and second liquid components are a mixture of uniform color, without an appearance of marbling and swirling, when viewed through the transparent portion of the container. The lid is opened to expose the mixture of uniform color. The mixture of uniform color is poured from the container into a receiving structure. The mixture of uniform color is transformed into a closed-cell polyurethane structure within the receiving structure.

A process for making a molded flexible foam. The processes includes: (a) depositing a foam-forming reaction mixture onto a surface of a mold cavity, and (b) allowing the foam-forming reaction mixture to react in the mold cavity. The foam-forming reaction mixture includes: (1) a polyisocyanate present in an amount of less than 45% by weight, based on the total weight of the reaction mixture; (2) an isocyanate-reactive composition; (3) a blowing agent; and (4) a catalyst. The isocyanate-reactive composition includes: (i) at least 50% by weight, based on the total weight of polyol in the isocyanate-reactive composition, of a polyether polyol having a functionality of greater than 2, an oxyethylene content of 0 to 50% by weight, based on the total weight of the polyether polyol, more than 50 mol % of primary OH groups and an OH number of 8 to 112 mg KOH/g; and (ii) a component comprising: (A) an amine-initiated polyether polyol (II), wherein amine-initiated polyether polyol (II) has an OH number of at least 500 mg KOH/g and a functionality of 2.5 to 4, and wherein amine-initiated polyether polyol (II) is present in an amount of greater than 0 and no more than 10% by weight, based on the total weight of polyol in the isocyanate-reactive composition; (B) a CO.sub.2-producing carbamic acid which is present in an amount of greater than 0 and no more than 10% by weight, based on the total weight of polyol in the isocyanate-reactive composition; or (C) both (A) and (B).

Processes for making a molded flexible foam. The processes include: (a) depositing a foam-forming reaction mixture onto a surface of a mold cavity, and (b) allowing the foam-forming reaction mixture to react in the mold cavity. The foam-forming reaction mixture comprises: (1) a polyisocyanate present in an amount of less than 45% by weight, based on the total weight of the foam-forming reaction mixture; (2) an isocyanate-reactive composition comprising at least 50% by weight, based on the total weight of polyol in the isocyanate-reactive composition, of a polyether polyol having a functionality of greater than 2, an oxyethylene content of 0 to 50% by weight, based on the total weight of the polyether polyol, more than 50 mol % of primary OH groups, and an OH number of 8 to 112 mg KOH/g; (3) a blowing agent comprising water present in an amount of at least 0.5% by weight, based on the total weight of the foam-forming reaction mixture; and (4) a tin-free metallic catalyst composition comprising a bismuth-based catalyst and a zinc-based catalyst.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing a rigid polyurethane foam using a non-continuous production process, the rigid polyurethane foam prepared therefrom, and use thereof.

A foamed sheet including: a polylactic acid; and a filler, wherein the foamed sheet has a compressive stress of 0.2 Mpa or less when the cushioning coefficient of the foamed sheet is 10 or less; and wherein the foamed sheet has a puncture strength of 2 N or more when the sheet thickness of the foamed sheet is 2 mm.

A method for producing a foam-molded product by using a plasticizing cylinder, includes: plasticizing and melting the thermoplastic resin to provide the molten resin in a plasticization zone of the plasticizing cylinder; introducing a pressurized fluid containing the physical foaming agent at a fixed pressure into a starvation zone of the plasticizing cylinder to retain the starvation zone at the fixed pressure; allowing the molten resin to be in the starved state in the starvation zone; bringing the molten resin in contact with the pressurized fluid containing the physical foaming agent at the fixed pressure, in the starvation zone in a state in which the starvation zone is retained at the fixed pressure; and molding the molten resin having been brought in contact with the pressurized fluid containing the physical foaming agent into the foam-molded product.

Processes for making a molded flexible foam. The processes include: (a) depositing a foam-forming reaction mixture onto a surface of a mold cavity, and (b) allowing the foam-forming reaction mixture to react in the mold cavity. The foam-forming reaction mixture comprises: (1) a polyisocyanate present in an amount of less than 45% by weight, based on the total weight of the foam-forming reaction mixture; (2) an isocyanate-reactive composition comprising at least 50% by weight, based on the total weight of polyol in the isocyanate-reactive composition, of a polyether polyol having a functionality of greater than 2, an oxyethylene content of 0 to 50% by weight, based on the total weight of the polyether polyol, more than 50 mol % of primary OH groups, and an OH number of 8 to 112 mg KOH/g; (3) a blowing agent comprising water present in an amount of at least 0.5% by weight, based on the total weight of the foam-forming reaction mixture; and (4) a tin-free metallic catalyst composition comprising a bismuth-based catalyst and a zinc-based catalyst.

The present invention provides a solar absorber incorporated bilayer foam solar evaporator for seawater and wastewater purification including a plurality of solar absorbers partially incorporated into a porous polymer framework and partially forming a thermal insulation layer proximal to solar irradiation. In particular, low-cost commercially available B.sub.4C powders are embedded into a porous polymer foam in a one-pot method to form a scaffold of boron carbide bilayer foam (BCBF) with good hydrophilic wettability, heat-shielding, and solar-thermal conversion. The boron carbide bilayer foam (BCBF) of the present invention enables a high cost-performance seawater desalination and wastewater purification at a high evaporation rate of 2.8 kg/m.sup.2/h with 93% solar evaporation efficiency under 1 sun illumination (or 1 kW/m.sup.2). The present invention thereby provides an excellent and cost-effective solar evaporator tool for industrial-level water purification. Following the present method to prepare the BCBF solar evaporator, the fabrication cost can be as low as 3.6 $/m.sup.2.