Looking forward to seeing everyone at PFA next week. Polyurethanes are a somewhat obscure material to those who aren’t in the industry. In an effort to make it a bit more relatable, did you know that the mattress you sleep on at night owes its existence in some part to the table salt sitting in your kitchen cupboard? Table salt (sodium chloride) is mined from caverns beneath the earth. Some of it is sent to your local grocery store. But, a vast majority of salt is actually separated into its individual components (sodium and chlorine) through a chemical reaction known as the chlor-alkali process. Chlorine can then be reacted with propylene to create propylene oxide which is a building block in the production of key polymers that make up the world of polyurethanes, and more specifically the polyurethane foam that finds its way into your mattress. In short, your mattress isn’t all that far removed from the same salt with which you season your dinner, and without salt, we’d all still be sleeping on goose feathers. (Side note: propylene oxide can also be produced through other methods without needing chlorine, but nonetheless, still somewhat amazing to think about how a material as fundamental as salt can have impacts on our lives that we never knew or stopped to consider. Chemistry is fun!)
Today's the deadline: Register for PFA's Spring Meeting before the end of the day to avoid late charges. You can register here: https://lnkd.in/efwDzVVQ