Covestro
(Source: Covestro)
The Europe-wide research project "PUReSmart" has come to an end with the positive outcome. The project was able to demonstrate that the 2 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. 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, in collaboration with Recticel Group, Brussels/Belgium.
The European Union (EU) funded the PUReSmart project with €6 million over a 4-year period under its Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (agreement No. 814543).
Building on the PUReSmart project, Covestro AG, Leverkusen/Germany, is working with partners from the waste management industry to drive the further development of flexible foam recycling through to industrial use. The goal is to turn waste into valuable raw materials and to anchor the principle of the circular economy in the company and along the value chain with partners to achieve this. Covestro calls 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'.
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.
Covestro's first initiative, Evocycle CQ Mattress, transforms end-of-life mattress foam directly back into its main building blocks, giving old foam a new life within an optimized circular system.
An effective and cost-efficient supply of used PU mattresses is also crucial to building a circular economy. To achieve this, large quantities must be collected, broken down into individual components such as springs, textiles and foam parts, and the foam components pre-sorted according to purity and density. This can only succeed in close cooperation with partners – in this case in the recycling industry.
The European Union (EU) funded the PUReSmart project with €6 million over a 4-year period under its Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (agreement No. 814543).
»For the first time in history polyurethane is truly fitting into a circular economy.«
Building on the PUReSmart project, Covestro AG, Leverkusen/Germany, is working with partners from the waste management industry to drive the further development of flexible foam recycling through to industrial use. The goal is to turn waste into valuable raw materials and to anchor the principle of the circular economy in the company and along the value chain with partners to achieve this. Covestro calls 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'.
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.
Covestro's first initiative, Evocycle CQ Mattress, transforms end-of-life mattress foam directly back into its main building blocks, giving old foam a new life within an optimized circular system.
An effective and cost-efficient supply of used PU mattresses is also crucial to building a circular economy. To achieve this, large quantities must be collected, broken down into individual components such as springs, textiles and foam parts, and the foam components pre-sorted according to purity and density. This can only succeed in close cooperation with partners – in this case in the recycling industry.
Evocycle = registered trademark
