Covestro opens elastomer recycling pilot plant

Leverkusen, Germany – Covestro has opened a pilot plant for chemical recycling of high-performance polyurethane elastomers at its Leverkusen site.

The “double-digit million-euro” investment moves Covestro’s recycling process for Vulkollan elastomers from laboratory development into pilot operation, the German materials supplier said 16 Sept.

The process breaks down selected end-of-life Vulkollan material into purified building blocks for reuse, enabling “more than 90%” of the material by mass to be recycled.

Covestro said the process could also reduce the carbon footprint by “up to two thirds” compared with fossil-based virgin material.

The pilot plant will be used to test different waste streams, refine the recycling process and generate data for potential industrial-scale production.

“This pilot plant is a key step in our pre-industrialisation journey,” said Thomas Braig, head of Covestro’s elastomers business.

“It allows us to demonstrate the technical feasibility of chemical recycling for Vulkollan [and] systematically refine the process,” he added.

Covestro is also working with customers, recyclers, waste collectors and logistics providers to establish collection and return systems for end-of-life elastomers.

Beyond Vulkollan, Covestro intends to use the pilot facility to investigate recycling processes for selected specialty cast elastomers and thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs).

Vulkollan is used in applications including forklift wheels, railway buffer elements, automotive jounce bumpers and vibration-control components.