Covestro launches pilot plant for chemical recycling in Leverkusen

From left to right: Dr. Lennart Sandbrink, Dr. Bastian Mahr, Monique Buch, Dr. Michael Traving, Dr. Markus Dugal, Dr. Thomas Braig

The plastics manufacturer has commissioned a pilot plant designed to recycle specialised elastomers.
 
According to Covestro, the company is investing a double-digit million-euro sum in the project to translate a recycling process previously developed on a laboratory scale into industrial practice. The technology used in the pilot plant will initially focus on recovering chemical building blocks from the high-performance polyurethane elastomer Vulkollan, the company states. According to Covestro, the material is used in heavily stressed machine parts such as forklift rollers, roller coaster wheels, railway buffers and impact buffers in the automotive sector. Once they reach the end of their service life, these parts have so far been virtually impossible to recycle economically, the company adds. Covestro’s chemical recycling process reportedly breaks down the used Vulkollan® materials into chemical building blocks that can be reused. Under certain process and input conditions, more than 90 per cent by mass would be recycled, and the carbon footprint of the recovered material is reduced by up to two-thirds compared with new fossil-based material. According to Covestro, the pilot plant is one of the first of its kind worldwide for this class of material. Covestro now intends to test various streams of waste material there, further optimise the process and gather the necessary data for potential future industrial-scale production. Based on the Vulkollan® pilot, the company also plans to investigate circular solutions for selected speciality cast elastomers and thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU). To develop the collection and take-back systems required for future closed-loop cycles, the company states that it is collaborating with customers, recycling companies, waste management firms, logistics service providers and other partners..
 
Pictured from left to right: Dr Lennart Sandbrink, Project Manager for Elastomer Recycling; Dr Bastian Mahr, Engineering Lead, Pilot Plant; Monique Buch, Chief Commercial Officer; Dr Michael Traving, Plant Manager, Piloting; Dr Markus Dugal, Head of Process Technology; and Dr Thomas Braig, Head of the Elastomers Business Unit.
 
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