en.Wedoany.com Report on Mar 30th, Covestro and the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety, and Energy Technology UMSICHT recently signed an agreement to jointly develop a pilot plant using smart pyrolysis technology, specifically for the chemical recycling of rigid polyurethane foam. This smart pyrolysis recycling project is located in Germany and is expected to become operational by 2028, with an annual processing capacity of up to 2,000 tons. The smart pyrolysis recycling process can convert waste polyurethane insulation materials into aniline with a purity of up to approximately 99%. This aniline can then be reused to produce diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI).

Compared to traditional fossil fuel-based production methods, this approach can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of MDI manufacturing. The project builds on prior research and aims to scale up smart pyrolysis recycling technology to address the recycling challenges posed by the cross-linked structure of rigid polyurethane foam. Rigid polyurethane foam is widely used in building insulation and appliance thermal insulation, and its recycling has long been a technical difficulty in the industry. Through the smart pyrolysis process, waste foam materials can be broken down into high-purity monomer raw materials, enabling closed-loop recycling.

The collaborating parties stated that this initiative aims to advance the development of circular solutions for polyurethane materials in growing demand areas such as insulation applications. The progress of this smart pyrolysis project is expected to provide the polyurethane industry with a technological pathway to recover key chemical feedstocks from waste, reducing reliance on fossil raw materials. Operational data from the pilot plant will serve as a reference for process optimization in subsequent larger-scale commercial facilities.