More than 750 attendees from around the world had the opportunity to hear 75 technical paper presentations and view poster presentations during the three-day conference, held in conjunction with the UTECH Exhibition, at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, TX, USA. Judging was conducted by panels made up of industry veterans, subject matter experts and members of the media.

Technical paper judging criteria included originality and relevance of the technology, effectiveness of the speaker, as well as clarity of the presentation. Posters were judged on both technical and artistic merits.

Technical Paper Award Winners

Automotive 1: Advances in Emanation Reduction and Renewable Content:

"Emanation Reduction Catalysts for the Production of Flexible Polyurethanes," Courtney Thurau, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

Automotive 2: Testing and Recycling:

"Long Term, In-Vehicle Polyurethane Seating Durability Performance," G. Ron Blair, The Woodbridge Group

CASE 1:

"FilterPave Porous Paving System - An Innovative Hard Surface Pavement Using Post-Consumer Recycled Glass," David  Bower, BASF Corporation

CASE 2:

"Reactive Polysulfide Polyols and Chain-Extenders for Property Enhancement in Urethanes," Thomas Upshaw, Chevron Phillips Chemical Co LP

Chemistry and Fundamentals:

"Glycerine Carbonate, a Bio-Based Reactive Blocking Agent and Other Bio-Based PU Additives," Nicholas Kob, Huntsman International LLC

Construction 1: Advancing the Science of SPF for the Construction Industry:

"Reducing Environmental Impact for Spray Foam Systems," Jean Vincent, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

Construction 2: Advancing the Science of Construction Materials

"Dimensional Stability of Polyiso Insulation Boards:  A Detailed Analysis," Sheila Dubs, Huntsman International, LLC

Energy Critical Foams:

"Comparison of Gaseous and Liquid Low GWP Blowing Agents with HFC 134a and HFC 245fa in Rigid Polyurethane Insulating Foams," Steven Schilling, Bayer MaterialScience, LLC

Flammability Performance and Flame Retardants:

"New Sprayable Polyurethane System for the Production of Fire Resistant Articles and Coatings," Heiko Tebbe, Lanxess Deutschland GmbH

Flexible Foams:

"Novel Gelling Catalyst for Non-Emission Flexible Polyurethane Foam," Takao Suzuki, Tosoh Corporation

Health, Safety and the Environment: Two winners tied for first place:

"A Proposed Methodology for Development of Building Re-Occupancy Guidelines Following Installation of Spray Polyurethane Foam Insulation," Brian Karlovich, Bayer MaterialScience, LLC

"Monitoring of HFC-245fa Exposure in Spray Foam Applications," Kevin Blair, Honeywell

Processing Innovations:

"Graco Advancements in Single-Component Precision Dispense and Shot Metering Technology," Nick Di Donato, Graco Inc.

Renewable Polyols 1: Chemistry:

"Polyether Polyols Produced from Scrap Polyurethanes - Application in Rigid and Flexible Foams," Ibrahim Sendijarevic, InfiChem Polymers, LLC

Renewable Polyols 2: Applications:

"Polycard XFN, A Novel Class of Bio-Based Polyols for Rigid Foam Formulations," James Weir, Composite Technical Services LLC

Sports and Athletic Footwear:

"Automation of Assembly Footwear Production By the Use of Reactive Hotmelt and Other Robotic Solutions," Christian Decker, DESMA GmbH

Sustainability:

"Green Marketing and Update on the FTC Green Guides," Karyn Schmidt, American Chemistry Council

Poster Award Winners

Additives and Chemistry:

"Next Generation Specflex PU Foam System for Under the Carpet NVH Automotive Applications," Stephen Burks, The Dow Chemical Company

Insulation and Rigid Foam:

"245fa+Cp Application in Appliance for China Market," Ryan Qin, Honeywell Integrated Technology Solution, China

Renewable Resources:

"Aromatic-Aliphatic Polyols Based on Cashewnut Shell Liquid for Rigid Polyurethane Foams," Mihail Ionescu, Pittsburg State University, Kansas Polymer Research Center

Training, Testing and Processing:

"Recovery Measurement According to IKEA Specification IOS-MAT-0076," Erland Hofmann, Format Messtechnik GmbH