New Chemical Recycling Process for Polyurethanes

ABSTRACT: The majority of polyurethanes are crosslinked thermoset polymers, which cannot be recycled by melting and extrusion processes without excessive degradation. Sev-eral recycling techniques for polyurethanes have been described in technical and scientific literature and are used industrially, such as rebonding of flexible foam, regrind and hot stamping of Reinforced Reaction Injection Molding (RRIM) and glycolysis of rigid foams. Several chemical recycling methods for polyurethanes have been developed and pa-tented, such as hydrolysis, glycolysis, aminolysis and acidolysis. The glycolysis process is also being used on an industrial scale for recycling of "in house " production waste of rigid and microcellular shoe sole, polyurethane foam. This article describes a novel, new, chemical recycling process that has been developed to produce relatively high performance polyols from the recycling of a diversity of polyurethanes. This process is attractive for use on an industrial scale and appears to be commercially viable, based on cost-performance, particularly in the context of the total eco-balance of polyurethanes. Consequently, further development work and innovation, based upon this research, should be a high priority for the global polyurethanes industry to recycle "in house " and "post consumer " polyurethane waste. Molded MDI-based automotive seating foam has been converted into polyols, which can be used in prime automotive applications, such as low-density mat molding and sound in-sulation. TDI-based flexible slabstock foam and RRIM materials have been efficiently converted in to relatively high performance polyols by this new chemical recycling pro-cess