Covestro Partners With Fraunhofer Institute to Build Rigid Polyurethane Foam Waste Recycling Facility

Covestro has announced that it has signed an agreement with the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety, and Energy Technology (UMSICHT) to operate a pyrolysis pilot plant for the chemical recycling of 2,000 tons per year of rigid polyurethane foam waste. The plant is scheduled to start operations in mid-2028.

Covestro stated that the facility processes waste insulation materials into high-purity aniline, which is subsequently used to produce recycled methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI)—a key raw material for manufacturing polyurethane. The investment amount for this pilot project has not been disclosed.

The Fraunhofer UMSICHT research institute, leveraging its R&D expertise in pyrolysis technology and existing chemical recycling facilities, will implement and scale up Covestro's proprietary pyrolysis process. Covestro noted that the pyrolysis technology is specifically developed for rigid foams because "rigid foams, due to their cross-linked molecular structure, are extremely difficult to recycle."

Covestro forecasts that driven by growing demand for energy-efficient insulation materials in the construction and refrigeration sectors, the European market for rigid foam MDI will grow from 1.4 million tons in 2025 to 1.9 million tons in 2035.

Since 2021, Covestro has been leading an EU innovation project called Circular Foam.