Technology: Covestro rolls out CO2 hockey pitch

Leverkusen, Germany – Covestro is claiming a world-first with the use of its polyurethane (PU) material incorporating a CO2-derived polyol in a sports-flooring application.

Polytan of Burgheim, Bavaria is employing the PU material as a binder for rubber granulate-based subflooring at the at the Crefelder Hockey and Tennis Club.

The subfloor has been laid on a 99 x 59-meter playing field to cushion a new synthetic turf pitch at the Krefeld, western Germany venue, which hosts international hockey matches.

Compared to conventional materials, the PU is said to enable up to 20% of crude oil resources to be replaced by CO2.

Covestro produces the polyols at its Dormagen site near Cologne, using CO2 produced as a by-product by a neighbouring chemical company.

The polymer supplier has previously started marketing the ‘cardyon’ branded material for use in flexible PU foam for mattresses and upholstered furniture.

"The use of CO2 as a new raw material is a promising approach for making production in the chemical and plastics industries more sustainable," said Dr. Markus Steilemann, CEO of Covestro. "This way, we use CO2 in a closed-loop process and save oil.”