Bio-Based Polyurethane Coatings: Pioneering Efficient and Eco-Friendly Solutions for Sustainable Applications

Bio-based polyurethane (PU) coatings are more sustainable compared with petroleum-based PU coatings because they can address the public concerns about the use of renewable resources and environmental impact. This review overviews the different categories of bio-based PU coatings: water-borne, solvent-less, powder, UV-curable, and hybrid coatings based on vegetable oils, lignocellulosic biomass, and carbohydrates. The development of these coatings is further characterized by good environmental performance in terms of volatile organic compound content (VOC) emissions and energy intensity and good performance in terms of durability, chemical resistance, and flexibility. However, there are some barriers involved in the commercial scale of bio-based PU coatings, such as cost and performance, but they remain very promising in the development of sustainable coating, therefore showing a way forward in the application of environmentally sustainable coatings from industrial applications.