co₂ as a raw material | covestro-2024欧洲杯官网

co₂ replaces oil in plastics

sleep on co₂? absolutely! walk on co₂? not a problem either. even getting dressed with co₂ will soon be possible. in an increasing number of areas of everyday life, plastic products are being used that have been manufactured using carbon dioxide – the greenhouse gas is thus on its way to becoming a useful raw material. thanks to a revolutionary process that covestro and its partners have developed. the big advantage? it saves on crude oil, the conventional raw material of the chemical and plastics industry. an innovative contribution to resource efficiency and a circular economy.

berlin summit expects great potential

finding alternatives to crude oil – not just an issue for industry. politics, science and society also see promising potential here. this was the conclusion of the second raw materials summit that took place at the technical university of berlin in summer 2018, once again organized by covestro under the patronage of the federal ministry of research. participants called for the further development and use of non-fossil resources such as co₂ and plants in order to make chemistry more sustainable and climate-friendly. young companies in particular could make a major contribution to this. five start-ups from three continents were selected as "resource innovators 2018" at the summit.

the third raw materials summit is scheduled for november 25, 2019 in berlin. theme: "carbon in the circular economy".

energizing molecules

the innovative co₂ technology

low-energy, inert co₂ is not making things easy for chemists. to set the molecule in motion, lots of energy must normally be supplied – which is neither environmentally nor economically sensible. over the past few years, however, this has changed thanks to a very special catalyst developed by covestro together with rwth aachen university and the cat catalytic center there.

this is what proved to be the scientific breakthrough. co₂ can now finally be used in a sensible manner for plastics production. covestro also operates a special production facility in its location in dormagen near cologne. a so-called polyol, the main preliminary product for polyurethane plastics such as foams and binders, is manufactured here using an innovative, patented process. the first delivery was made to the firm recticel, a major mattress manufacturer, at the end of 2016.

up to 20 percent co₂ can be integrated into the polyol. chemically bound, it cannot escape back into the atmosphere. the co₂ comes from the exhaust gas stream of a neighboring chemical plant. with a production capacity of 5000 tonnes per year, covestro’s plant is very small. it will serve initially to explore the market and further develop the process.

in the long run, covestro can envision producing such polyols on a large scale. after all, the company wants to use as much co₂ as possible in production and produce as many types of plastics as possible with it.

teamwork is the main thing

working together across industries and beyond borders is the path to success. this is the case with carbon4pur, a research project that links 14 partners across europe and is managed by covestro. the aim: to develop a new technology to use emissions from steelworks, such as co₂ and carbon monoxide, in plastics production.