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The new chemical systems from IFS are all based on polyurethane technology and include both lightweight foam and solid, polymer concrete. Foamed shower bases are derived from a renewable source of chemical, namely polyols derived from rapeseed oil. The locally-grown oil is used to produce a chemical which reacts to form a lightweight, low-cost foam with high impact properties. It is particularly suited for use in a composite structure with other more conventional plastics such as ABS.

Thinner walled products can also be moulded using an environmentally-friendly polymer concrete. This material, which is also based on a rapeseed oil derived polyol system, contains recycled fillers from various sources. Fly-ash from power stations is mixed with recycled rubber from car tyres to produce a unique synthetic concrete which can be moulded to form a quality shower-base.

A third innovation in this area of technology involves the use of both types of material in one product. A sprayed or cast elastomer is back-filled with a low density rapeseed oil-based polyurethane resulting in a strong, lightweight composite.

Development chemists at IFS have been combining polyurethane foam and a wide variety of fillers for the past ten years. Successful applications have included imitation wood products and various structural materials based on high-performance isocyanates. The latest addition to this range results from the finalisation of rapeseed oil technology combined with inexpensive fillers, the ultimate in environmentally attractive chemical systems.