Setting the standard: Polyurethane materials - Efficiently filling in the gaps for sustainable buildings

DALLAS, Sept. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Sustainable building design and construction requires insulation that fills unwanted gaps – helping improve energy efficiency. In residential homes, homeowners could save up to 20 percent on monthly energy bills by adding insulation and sealing air leaks, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR Program estimates.   

Spray polyurethane foam (SPF) expands, making it an ideal solution to fill voids and seal gaps and holes. Bayer experts will discuss the benefits of SPF, safe application and best practices for monitoring air quality, as well as a life cycle analysis during the Center for the Polyurethane Industry Technical Conference held Sept. 22-24, in Dallas. Following is a sneak peek at Bayer's activities at the show.  

• George Combs, senior principal scientist, product development and technical support, Rigid/Specialties and Raw Materials, Polyurethanes, Bayer MaterialScience LLC, will detail specific research findings during a presentation entitled "Production of PIR laminate boardstock insulation with non-halogenated flame retardants" 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23. He will share results of a study – co-authored with William Nicola, technical manager, and Sue Pigott, associate scientist, both of Bayer MaterialScience LLC – on the use of non-halogenated flame retardants in the production of PIR laminate boardstock foam insulation on a pilot scale laminator.  
• John Sebroski, senior associate scientist, Bayer MaterialScience LLC, presents "Development of ASTM Standards for measuring emissions of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds from spray polyurethane foam insulation products" at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23.
• Scott Ecoff, industrial hygienist, Bayer MaterialScience LLC, presents "SPF Study: Analysis of post spray airborne concentrations" at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23. Sebroski and Carl Thompson, scientist, Bayer MaterialScience LLC, co-authored the study.
• Shen Tian, environmental, health and safety engineer, Bayer MaterialScience LLC, is co-author of "Meeting the need for sustainable building design: Final results from SPFA's industry-wide LCA and EPD project for spray polyurethane foam insulation and roofing." Richard Duncan, technical director, Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance, will present the results at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24. He will discuss the environmental impact avoided through the use of spray polyurethane foam in buildings based on a life cycle assessment. Additionally, he will detail an effort on developing environmental product declarations to meet industry sustainability needs.

Bayer experts also are presenting the following poster sessions during the conference:

• "Evaluation of modified FLEC^® Cell and Micro Chamber prototype for monitoring methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) emissions"
• "Meeting the need for sustainable building design: Final results from SPFA's industry-wide LCA and EPD project for spray polyurethane foam insulation and roofing."

About Bayer MaterialScience LLC:
Bayer MaterialScience LLC is one of the leading producers of high-performance plastics in North America and is part of the global Bayer MaterialScience business with approximately 14,300 employees at 30 production sites around the world and 2013 sales of 11.2 billion euros. Bayer MaterialScience, a Bayer Group company, manufactures high-tech polymer materials and develops innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction, medical, and sports and leisure industries. Sustainability is central to Bayer MaterialScience LLC's business and is based around the key areas of innovation, product stewardship, social responsibility and respect for the environment.

For more information about Bayer MaterialScience LLC's spray polyurethane foam systems, call 412-777-7454 or visit www.spf.bayermaterialscience.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

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SOURCE Bayer MaterialScience LLC