Extrusion International 4-2016

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14 Extrusion International 4/2016 INDUSTRY NEWS
Premiere for new raw material
Covestro is now, for the first time, using CO2 to produce
plastics on an industrial scale. On Friday, the company
opened a production plant for an innovative foam compo-
nent made with 20 percent CO2 at its Dormagen site near
Cologne, Germany. The new process saves a proportional
amount of the traditional oil-based raw material, thus mak-
ing a contribution to sustainability that Covestro believes of-
fers considerable potential.
Covestro scientists worked hand-in-hand with experts from
the CAT Catalytic Center in Aachen – a research institute
operated jointly with RWTH – to find the right catalyst that
would make the chemical reaction with CO2 possible.
For mattresses and upholstery
In Dormagen, Covestro is now using carbon from CO2 to
manufacture a new type of polyol. These are core building
blocks for polyurethane foam – a versatile material that is
used in many industries around the world and that we en-
counter throughout our daily lives. The carbon dioxide is
chemically bound into the material.
The company has invested some EUR 15 million in the new
plant, which has an annual production capacity of 5,000 met-
ric tons. The CO2 used is a waste product from a neighboring
chemical company.
The new CO2-based polyol has been engineered initially for
flexible polyurethane foam intended for use in mattresses
and upholstered furniture. In terms of quality, the foam
achieves at least the same high standards as conventional
material produced using only petrochemical raw materials,
i.e. crude oil.
Environmentally friendly processes
By eliminating the use of crude oil and saving the energy
otherwise used to process that oil, the method is more en-
vironmentally friendly than conventional production pro-
cesses. Thanks to the catalyst and the considerable energy
contained in the remaining content of petrochemical raw
materials, no additional energy needs to be expended to
make the low-reactivity CO2 react.
If the new CO 2-based products are received as warmly as is
hoped, Covestro can envisage significant production expan-
sion. In addition to flexible foam, the company is also work-
ing on manufacturing many other plastics with carbon diox-
ide. Its vision is to one day largely dispense with crude oil in
plastics production.
Borealis acquires German recyclers mtm plastics
and mtm compact
Borealis, a leading provider of innovative solutions in
the fields of polyolefins, base chemicals and fertilizers,
announces today that it has fully acquired the German
plastics recyclers mtm plastics GmbH and mtm compact
GmbH. Based in Niedergebra, Germany, mtm plastics
GmbH is regarded as a technology leader in the recycling
of mixed post-consumer plastic waste and as one of Eu-
rope’s largest producers of post-consumer polyolefin re-
cyclates.
The sister companies mtm plastics GmbH and mtm compact
GmbH will become members of the Borealis Group. The two
Managing Directors will remain in their roles to ensure busi-
ness continuity.
“Over the past decade, innovations are increasingly address-
ing sustainability issues and caused stakeholders to rethink
and reshape their approach to value creation. As a leader in
our industry, it is a part of our responsibility to be in the driving
seat to couple growth ambitions with providing solutions to