en.Wedoany.com Reported - Evonik has developed a hydrolysis process that can depolymerize polyurethane (PU) foam from sources such as mattresses, car seats, and furniture into its chemical building blocks, allowing the recovered recycled material to be reused in the production of high-quality products. This laboratory achievement is currently being validated in a continuously operating pilot plant at Evonik's Hanau facility.

The goal of this process is to achieve industrial-scale implementation, replacing fossil raw materials and reducing the carbon footprint, while establishing a circular economy for polyurethane. Evonik plans to establish a chemical recycling technology center in Hanau to advance pretreatment (shredding, granulation, grinding), purification of reaction mixtures (filtration, centrifugation), and integration of other waste streams.

The Hessian Ministry of Economic Affairs has submitted a funding notice to support the further development of this process. Plant management positions this technology as a concrete solution for converting the main components of polyurethane back into new product quality, and as part of the Wolfgang Industrial Park's innovation, technology, and scaling location. The park also plans to build an electrochemical hub to transfer electrochemical processes to industrial scale, applied in areas such as battery materials, membranes, and catalysts.

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