Covestro develops sustainable elastomer for offshore cable protection

Leverkusen, Germany – Covestro AG has developed a new polyurethane elastomer system for offshore industry, using its CO2 feedstock technology.

The German chemicals supplier said it replaced part of the fossil raw materials with CO2 in the production of Triturn, which it said can "positively contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of end products."

The new PU system enables the reuse of CO2 as a material source in polyol production, reducing the consumption of fossil-based raw materials by up 20%, Covestro announced 8 Dec.

In application, the materials supplier said it teamed up with offshore energy service company Tekmar Group to manufacture cable protection systems for offshore wind farms using the new elastomer.

A key component of the cable protection system is a bend restrictor, which along with the rest of the system, is designed to protect cables in the ocean "for decades."

The material, which won the UTECH Europe Award 2021 in the CASE category in November, is also claimed to be easier to process and features improved non-ageing properties in salt water. 

Tekmar is using the new PU system to manufacture sample products at its facility in the northeast England and is currently conducting a range of tests on the elastomer.