DuPont Wins 2021 ASC Innovation Award; Kraton and Arkema Named Runners-Up

The award-winning two-component spray polyurethane foam products from DuPont are used to air seal and insulate various spaces within the building envelope.

The Adhesive and Sealant Council (ASC) held its fifth annual Innovation Awards at the ASC 2021 Annual Convention last week in Orlando, Fla., recognizing the top three innovations from the adhesive and sealant industry. Independent judges reviewed the following categories and weightings as part of their review process:

Science and Innovation (30%)
Applicability and Impact (10%)
Impact of the Technology Relative to the State of the Art (30%)
Qualifications, Experience and Capabilities (20%)
Significant Milestone (10%)

The primary award was presented to Dan Schroer, Mark Rickard, and Megan Thomas of DuPont for a development entitled “Low GWP Froth-Pak™ Spray Foam Blown with Liquid HFO and CO₂.” DuPont’s two-component spray polyurethane foam products are used to air seal and insulate various spaces within the building envelope. The innovation team solved challenges in formulating, manufacturing, and application technology. The resulting sealant and insulation products are reportedly shelf stable, maintain all performance attributes, and boast a GWP reduction of over 99%.

Two additional awards were also presented. With a development called “Next Generation of Biobased Tackifiers Revolution™,” Kraton was recognized as First Runner-Up. Second Runner-Up was Arkema, with a development entitled “Clearstrength^® XT100 Toughener for Structural Adhesives and Thermosets.”

“We were pleased with the quality of the 18+ submittals for the 5th annual program in which we recognized unique developments for our industry,” said Steve Duren, ASC managing director for Membership & Industry Programs. “We are now open for innovation submittals for the World Adhesive Conference (WAC) in April of 2022 and anticipate a competitive field for our meeting in Chicago. Thank you to all that submitted in 2021 and the ASC Membership Committee for developing the program. Congratulations to Kraton and Arkema as runners up and DuPont as our 1st place winner for the 2021 best innovations.”

To learn more, visit www.ascouncil.org/page/innovation_awards.