Evonik’s hydrolysis process makes it possible to recover the main components of polyurethane foam and reuse them as building blocks in the production of new mattresses. This process is currently being tested in a pilot plant in Hanau, and in a next step, the recycling process will be tested in a larger demonstration plant.
According to estimations, more than 250 kilotons of PU foam from old mattresses are incinerated or landfilled in Europe every year. Evonik and Remondis want to help reduce this with the goal of ensuring fewer fossil raw materials are used in the PU value chain by returning valuable materials to the raw material cycle.
Thomas Wessel, the member of Evonik's executive board responsible for sustainability, said: "Circularity in the field of flexible polyurethane foams is very important both for the environment, and for the future viability of our business. It gives us the opportunity to act in the interests of the environment, the industry, and consumers.”
Remondis sorts PU flexible foams from waste and feeding them into the cycle in constant quality so that they can be converted into chemical recyclates using Evonik's hydrolysis process.
Dr. Patrick Glöckner, head of Evonik's global circular economy program, said: "By working together with Remondis, we can evolve from the current linear value chains to functioning circular loops. True circularity only works in networks, that’s why we are actively expanding our collaborations.”
The initial focus of the project is on the region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. However, the goal is to develop a scalable technology and a business model that can be expanded internationally.
