Bayer CO2-to-plastics project among best ideas for the future
6 Feb 2012
Leverkusen, Germany – A Bayer project for using the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide as a component for plastics is among Germany’s most promising ideas for the future.
The “Dream Production” research initiative is one of the award winners in this year’s “365 Landmarks in the Land of Ideas” competition. A pilot plant at Bayer’s Leverkusen site is one of the “Selected Landmarks 2012.”
The CO2 supplied by the power generation industry is to be used for the production of polyurethane foam materials, replacing a portion of the petroleum usually used as a feedstock for the polymer.
Other participants in the project launched in summer 2010 are the energy company RWE, RWTH Aachen University and the CAT Catalytic Center on the university campus. Researchers at Bayer and CAT have together developed a catalyst, which is an essential component of the new process.
The pilot plant at Chempark Leverkusen has been using CO2 from an RWE lignite-fired power plant in Niederaußem outside of Cologne to produce a chemical used for the production of the high-grade plastic polyurethane.
Industrial production of the CO2-based precursor is scheduled to begin in 2015. Polyurethane is used in many areas of our daily lives, including for mattresses, furniture, automotive components and to insulate buildings and refrigerators.
