Covestro & Partner Recover Raw Materials by Chemical Recycling of PU Foam

Covestro and Recticel demonstrate the two main raw materials originally used in flexible polyurethane (PU) foam from mattresses can be recovered by chemical means to a high level of quality and purity from the outcome of Europe-wide research project "PUReSmart".

For the first time, a flexible foam sample has now been produced from fully recycled polyol and toluene diisocyanate (TDI), respectively. Both raw materials were obtained in Covestro’s pilot plant in Leverkusen.

Polyol & TDA Recovery by Chemolysis:

Unlike other chemical processes for recycling PU flexible foam, the process does not use fossil-based polyol. It requires only the pre-sorted foam from mattress waste, a glycol and an additive. During chemolysis, the polyol and toluene diamine (TDA), the precursor to TDI, are recovered in high purity and yield.

After reprocessing, they can be used again as often as required for the production of new PU flexible foams. This ensures a sustainable circular economy for PU flexible foam with a reduced CO2 footprint.

"With this we have fully achieved the goal of developing a technology to chemically recycle these products and convert polyurethane into a high-quality recycled material," says Bart Haelterman, R&D director at Recticel. "For the first time in history polyurethane is truly fitting into a circular economy." The European Union funded the PUReSmart project with six million euros over a four-year period under its Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (agreement No. 814543).

Development of Flexible Foam Recycling:

Building on the PUReSmart project, Covestro is working with partners from the waste management industry to drive the further development of flexible foam recycling through to industrial use.

"Our goal is to turn waste into valuable raw materials and to anchor the principle of the circular economy in our company and along the value chain with our partners to achieve this," says Christine Mendoza-Frohn, head of Performance Materials Sales EMEA & LATAM of Covestro.

"That’s why we make innovative recycling a priority. We call this ongoing Evolution of Recycling: Evocycle® CQ. The first initiative of this kind is dedicated to the chemolysis of PU mattress foam and is called 'Evocycle® CQ Mattress'. This underlines our willingness to further invest in this technology," says Mendoza-Frohn.

Source:Covestro/specialchem

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