PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
More than 2.6 million tonnes of polyurethane plastics (PUR) are produced annually in the EU which are recycled either directly or only partially after having been used. Otherwise the substance is incinerated. Chemical recycling currently only takes place at a few inefficient pilot plants and with techniques only suitable for certain PU types. Capacities are very limited. It is, however, possible to recycle all PUR waste, to save resources and also to avoid, to a large extent, both waste products and the liberation of CO2 through the widespread use of large-scale demonstration plants and new processes.
OBJECTIVES
The overall goal of this LIFE Project was to demonstrate a real economically and ecologically viable recycling (cycle) of all polyurethane plastics (PUR) and then to effectively implement it. This was to be effectuated by the following: - Establishing a technical scale plant to demonstrate an economically and ecologically viable recycling system (full cycle, not down cycling) for all PUR. - Providing a system to be implemented at PUR manufacturers of reasonable size to immediately use their PUR-scraps to regain polyol and refeed it into the process. - Refining raw recyclate into ready-to-use material blends to allow other manufacturers without own recycling plants to use the technology. - Establishing new techniques to enable recycling of soft and/or semi-hard polyurethane.
RESULTS
This project was successful. The new technology uses a process which recycles either post-consumer PUR and PET waste as well as industrial PUR production waste. The prerequisite to use the above mentioned recycling process is a high purity, as any impurities, often in post consumer waste, complicate the process and deteriorate the resulting polyols. The project showed PUR/PET waste recycling to have the following environmental advantages: - Substantial reduction of waste disposal dumps, due to the material recycling of PUR/PET-waste - Reutilization of raw materials, “real” chemical/material recycling of PUR/PET - Energy savings and lower CO2-emissions due to reuse of the material as compared to currently applied incineration of the plastics - New opportunities for recycling of duro-plastic waste material, e.g. insulation materials, car seats, mattresses, PET bottles etc. Technical and economical advantages demonstrated include: - Preservation of former product characteristics by means of 'cross-linking' - Easy integration into the production cycle without the necessity of retrofitting machines - Adding the recyclate to the new product without a loss in quality of the final product - Cost-savings compared to the primary polyol - Disposal fee savings by re-processing residual PUR-substances - Possible compliance with the legal ordinances, regulations and conditions - (TASi/German Waste Disposal Ordinance) - Image boost through improved environmental balance sheets.This project was successful. The new technology uses a process which recycles either post-consumer PUR and PET waste as well as industrial PUR production waste. The prerequisite to use the above mentioned recycling process is a high purity, as any impurities, often in post consumer waste, complicate the process and deteriorate the resulting polyols. The project showed PUR/PET waste recycling to have the following environmental advantages: - Substantial reduction of waste disposal dumps, due to the material recycling of PUR/PET-waste - Reutilization of raw materials, “real” chemical/material recycling of PUR/PET - Energy savings and lower CO2-emissions due to reuse of the material as compared to currently applied incineration of the plastics - New opportunities for recycling of duro-plastic waste material, e.g. insulation materials, car seats, mattresses, PET bottles etc. Technical and economical advantages demonstrated include: - Preservation of former product characteristics by means of 'cross-linking' - Easy integration into the production cycle without the necessity of retrofitting machines - Adding the recyclate to the new product without a loss in quality of the final product - Cost-savings compared to the primary polyol - Disposal fee savings by re-processing residual PUR-substances - Possible compliance with the legal ordinances, regulations and conditions - (TASi/German Waste Disposal Ordinance) - Image boost through improved environmental balance sheets.
