Iranian Researchers Make Fireproof Resins for Casting Industry, Thermal Chimneys of Power Plants
“One of our products is phenolic powder resin for making refractory composites like refractory bricks that should withstand high temperatures,” said Mohammad Rasoul Bakhtiari, the deputy head of the design and control department of the knowledge-based company.
Noting that these bricks are suitable for smelting industries, waste incinerators and thermal chimneys of power plants, he said, “This type of resin was imported from abroad so far and we managed to produce it.”
“This product is used as a binder in production of heat-resistant materials, specially in refractory products. Due to their high heat resistance, phenolic resins are suitable for various industries where heat resistance is important,” Bakhtiari said.
The phenolic resins are synthetic polymers obtained by the reaction of phenol or substituted phenol with formaldehyde.
Used as the basis for Bakelite, they were the first commercial synthetic resins (plastics). This step-growth polymerization reaction can be either acid- or base-catalyzed.
In acid, the reaction forms novolac resins. These resins require a curing agent – often hexamethylenetetramine or hexa. They are not heat-sensitive. In alkaline solution, the polymerization reaction produces resole resins. These resins are sensitive to heat and acids, do not require curing agents, and have relatively short shelf lives.
4155/v
