COVESTRO AG - Up to 20 percent CO₂ instead of oil in rigid polyurethane foam
- Innovative rigid foam for insulation boards
- Materials show enhanced sustainability in initial tests
More sustainable, CO₂-based materials for the construction sector - in the future, this could become reality. Since 2016, Covestro has been working with research and development partners as part of the 'DreamResource' joint project (FKZ 033RC002) funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) to research new, more environmentally friendly polyols with the potential to be used, for example, in the form of rigid polyurethane foam in insulation for the construction sector. An initial prototype of an insulation board has now been developed together with the project partner puren gmbh, which contains the novel polyols based on conventional ethylene oxides and CO₂. This marks a decisive further development of Covestro's CO₂ technology for a particularly important part of the climate-relevant construction industry.
'Buildings are responsible for a large share of global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. This makes it all the more important for us at Covestro to contribute to the Circular Economy and make insulation even more sustainable and efficient in the future. Our goal is to end the use of fossil fuels and make our production processes more sustainable,' says Sucheta Govil, Chief Commercial Officer at Covestro.
Using innovative CO₂ technology, Covestro already produces the CO₂-based precursor cardyon®, which is utilized in the manufacture of mattresses, sports flooring, textile fibers and components for vehicle interiors.
New, promising approach thanks to CO₂ technologyCovestro has now succeeded in combining the petroleum derivative ethylene oxide with CO₂ in a chemical reaction to produce first polyols and finally rigid polyurethane foam. Up to 20 percent of petroleum-based raw materials are expected to be replaced by this process in the future. 'With the development of these materials, we are endowing the greenhouse gas CO₂ with a new use with versatile applications,' says Dr. Christoph Gürtler, Head of Catalysis and Technology at Covestro.
Together with Covestro's industrial partners puren gmbh, BYK-Chemie GmbH and PSS Polymer Standard Service GmbH, it proved possible not only to investigate a wide range of applications but also to develop new analytical methods for the CO₂-based materials. With RWTH Aachen University and the Technical University of Berlin, the ecological and economic potential of this expanded CO₂ technology was investigated along with the in-depth characterization of the novel materials. 'The results of DreamResource very clearly demonstrate the diverse opportunities that arise from the use of CO₂ as a basic building block for polyols to produce a wide variety of polyurethane types. The interaction between industry and science plays an essential role in this innovative field,' says Dennis Krämer, project manager for national and international research projects for CO₂ utilization at DECHEMA e.V.
Versatile and sustainable insulation'This renewed expansion of the product range yields enormous leeway,' continues Gürtler. Thanks to the promising combination of ethylene oxide and CO₂, surface-active substances can also be produced through this new route in addition to CO₂-based rigid polyurethane foam, which can be used in insulating boards for buildings, for example.
Lake Constance-based puren gmbh is one of the pioneers of rigid polyurethane foam technology and investigated the use of CO₂ polyols in the rigid foam segment in this research project.
Following more than three years of joint research in the collaborative project, over 400 kilogram of the CO₂-based polyol was successfully delivered to puren for further processing. 'These initial rigid foam insulation boards made with a CO₂-based rigid foam polyol conform to standards and are already comparable with the market standard in terms of their key technical specifications. During further cooperation, we plan to manufacture additional prototypes and to enhance the properties with the aim of taking a giant step closer to the use of CO₂ as an alternative raw material in rigid foam insulation boards and ensuring rapid final development to market readiness,' says puren Managing Director Dr. Andreas Huther. Thanks to this successful collaboration, CO₂ can now be used as an alternative raw material in the rigid foam sector. This will make building insulations even more sustainable and will further reduce the dependence on fossil raw materials.
About puren gmbh:
Since the company was founded more than 50 years ago (1968) making it one of the pioneers of rigid polyurethane foam technology, puren gmbh, with its headquarters in Überlingen and several production and sales locations nationwide, a subsidiary in the Czech Republic and a joint venture in China, has been one of the leading companies in the rigid polyurethane foam industry. Today, puren Group generates sales of over 90 million euros with around 300 employees, while also making an enormous contribution to environmental protection with its numerous energy-saving products and a unique sustainability concept.
About Covestro:
With 2019 sales of EUR 12.4 billion, Covestro is among the world's largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, construction, wood processing and furniture, and electrical and electronics industries. Other sectors include sports and leisure, cosmetics, health and the chemical industry itself. Covestro has 30 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 17,200 people (calculated as full-time equivalents) at the end of 2019.
Forward-looking statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Covestro AG. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Covestro's public reports which are available at www.covestro.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.
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Covestro AG published this content on 17 February 2021 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 17 February 2021 09:32:04 UTC.
