Bio-based polyurethanes: a comprehensive review on advances in synthesis and functionalization

The materials commonly used to produce polyurethane foam (PUF) are based on petrochemical derivatives, which can pose long-term environmental and human health risks. Therefore, the search for alternatives to replace these petrochemical derivatives has grown substantially in the last 20 years, aiming mainly at improving polymer properties and leading to a reduced environmental impact. Thus, this review focuses on the advances presented in the literature on PUF production strategies from alternative sources and their impact on polymer material properties, discussing the environmental and technical advantages of using bio-polyols in polyurethane synthesis. From an analysis of the metrics available in the Web of Science and Scopus databases, it was observed that in the last 17 years, 1012 articles and 979 patents were published on bio-based PUFs, mainly in materials sciences, polymeric materials and chemistry. Among these alternative sources used to obtain polyols, castor and soybean vegetable oils are the matrices that stand out the most in current studies. It is concluded that replacing petrochemical polyols with biological sources in the production of PUF allows industrial practices to be aligned with sustainability principles, representing a significant step towards developing cleaner and more efficient technologies. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.