Materials
CO2
to produce a precursor for premium polyurethane foam.
the market in 2016. The line will have an annual production capacity of 5,000 tonnes.
The ‘Dream Production’ project aims to launch its first CO2
-based polyols onto
Bayer says the new polyols will have at least the same level of quality as conventionally manufactured materials, but with a more sustainable impact. Using CO2
physical properties to ABS. The main element is polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), which is made from renewable raw materials such as palm oil and starch. But PHB is quite brittle, so polypropylene carbonate from BASF is added to make it softer. The PPC – as in earlier cases – is made from carbon dioxide obtained from power plant emissions.
as a building block allows the process to run with a reduced amount of propylene oxide – the petroleum-derived raw material from which polyols are made.
The production process has been developed in collaboration with partners in industry and academia. Bayer discovered the catalyst that brings about the chemical reaction, and developed it with the CAT Catalytic Center, a research facility in Aachen, Germany. The process was tested in a pilot plant at its Leverkusen site as part of the publicly funded Dream Production research project.
The new polyol is used to make polyurethane foam, which is typically used in upholstered furniture, shoes and automotive parts, and to insulate buildings and refrigeration equipment.
“The first major field of application is likely to be mattress production,” said Karsten Malsch, Dream Production project manager at Bayer MaterialScience.
Cleaning up
These examples use polypropylene carbonate to make polyurethane – usually in the form of foam. But PPC has also been used in a blended plastic with similar properties to ABS, a commonly used material.
A project funded by the German Research Ministry, including partners such as Siemens and BASF, spent three years developing a blended plastic with similar
More than 70% of the material is made of green polymers. It has been moulded into a typical ‘ABS’ part – a vacuum cleaner cover – by Bosch-Siemens-Hausgeräte (BSH). The researchers are now investigating whether they can replace other types of plastic used by BSH with CO2
-based composite materials.
But the best example of converting greenhouse gases into usable products may be that offered by Newlight Technologies. Its combines the two bogeymen of global warming – carbon dioxide AND methane – and catalyses their reaction together into a plastic called Air Carbon. The material, similar to a bio- based plastic called polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), can replace conventional plastics such as polyethylene and polypropylene.
This year, the company began producing the material in commercial quantities at its plant in California, USA. Furniture manufacturer KI is incorporating the material into two of its product lines, while telecoms company Sprint has used it to make mobile phone cases. This autumn, Dell will use the material to make packaging sleeves for its Latitude notebooks.
“By using carbon that would otherwise be in the air we are breathing right now, AirCarbon turns everyday goods into products that actually improve the environment,” said Mark Herrema, CEO of Newlight. “Combined with a cost profile that is more favorable than oil-based plastics, AirCarbon has the potential to change the world.” l
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