COVESTRO AG - Foam Recycling Ecosystem Evolution (FREE) project kicked off
- Covestro coordinates the research & development activities
- Combination of chemical and mechanical processes
- Efficient sorting of used foams at dismantlers is crucial
Material efficiency is the key objective when creating a new material cycle for flexible polyurethane (PU) foam from used mattresses. The French company Ecomaison has dedicated itself to collecting and recycling used furniture and has been working with Covestro for a few years to utilize its chemical recycling technology for this purpose. With this advanced process, both raw materials originally used can be recovered - the polyol as well as the precursor to the isocyanate TDI.
The aim of the partners is to recycle the sorted polyurethane foams as efficiently as possible by combining mechanical and chemical technologies after careful sorting by foam type in the mattress cutting plants.
Collaborations leveraging own expertises with like-minded partners are key: In addition to Ecomaison and Covestro, the French dismantling company Secondly and Federal Eco Foam, a Belgian specialist in the mechanical recycling of flexible foams, are involved as partners in the project, which is planned to run for a maximum of 24 months. The project is called Foam Recycling Ecosystem Evolution (FREE) and coordinated by Covestro and half-funded by Ecomaison.
For the FREE consortium, the motivation lies in the added value of the material that can be recovered from the used foams and the opportunity to enter a more sustainable circular economy. The partners want to explore all possibilities in a future-oriented foam recycling ecosystem and are convinced that chemical and mechanical recycling will complement each other in a meaningful way. As dismantler and sorting actor, Secondly is interested in empowering its sorting processes to be able to supply to recyclers a specified quality of foam.
At the same time, the project will provide a good picture of how the foam recycling market in the coming years may look like. The partners truly believe that chemical and mechanical recycling can be complementary given different specifications of inlet materials being sorted already at dismantlers. To provide added value to the PU foam material, the consortium will investigate all possibilities in a future oriented eco-system of foam recycling.
The research and development project includes the foam sorting at the dismantling step, as well as a comparative feasibility study for two recycling processes for the sorted foams covering economic and ecologic value co-creation.
A few years ago, Covestro and its partners developed a chemical recycling process that is the only one of its kind capable of ultimately recovering both main raw materials of flexible PU foams in high purity. The company also operates a pilot plant at the Leverkusen site for this purpose. Together with the waste management industry, the company wants to drive the process forward to industrial use.
To make its vision of a fully circular economy a reality, Covestro is making the development of innovative recycling technologies a priority and calls the evolution of recycling Evocycle® CQ. The chemolysis of PU mattress foam is the first initiative of Covestro of its kind and is called Evocycle® CQ Mattress.
About Covestro:
Covestro is one of the world's leading manufacturers of high-quality polymer materials and their components. With its innovative products, processes and methods, the company helps enhance sustainability and the quality of life in many areas. Covestro supplies customers around the world in key industries such as mobility, building and living, as well as the electrical and electronics sector. In addition, polymers from Covestro are also used in sectors such as sports and leisure, telecommunications and health, as well as in the chemical industry itself.
The company is geared completely to the circular economy. In addition, Covestro aims to achieve climate neutrality for its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2035, and the Group's Scope 3 emissions are also set to be climate neutral by 2050. Covestro generated sales of EUR 14.4 billion in fiscal year 2023. At the end of 2023, the company had 48 production sites worldwide and employed approximately 17,500 people (calculated as full-time equivalents).
Forward-looking statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Covestro AG. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Covestro's public reports, which are available at www.covestro.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.
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Covestro AG published this content on 22 May 2024 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 22 May 2024 08:03:03 UTC.
