Spanish plastics technology centre Aimplas (Valencia; www.aimplas.net) said it is participating in a consortium that will develop a new chemical recycling process for polyurethane waste. The group’s “Foam2Foam” project will decompose PU by using heat, chemicals or catalysers in a process called catalytic glycolysis, which makes it possible to obtain new raw materials called green polyols. Foam2Foam will scale up the process and analyse its efficiency.

PU has many forms, including flexible and rigid as well as others that stand out for their lightness. They are used in wide-ranging products, from foams for the automotive and furniture industries to packaging and insulation for construction, electronics and sportswear applications. Because it is mixed with other materials and its end-products are as varied as the sectors that produce them, polyurethanes do not have their own recycling logistics chain. They usually end up in landfills or are recycled using a mechanical process that yields low value-added products.

Apart from Aimplas, participants in the consortium include Arcesso Dynamics (Barcelona / Spain; www.arcesso-dynamics.es), AMB Electrónica de Brescia (Teruel / Spain; www.ambelectronica.com) and the technology centre Gaiker (Biscay / Spain; www.gaiker.es). It is led by Titan Recycling Solutions (Valencia).