Materials News

Eco-friendly process for PPPs
German materials company Bayer MaterialScience (BMS) has received funding of EUR4.5 million from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research to research the manufacture of polyether polycarbonate polyols (PPPs) from carbon dioxide waste product.

BMS's partners in the three-year project include utility firm RWE Power International and RWTH Aachen University in Germany. A pilot plant using the process will be built in Leverkusen where BMS is headquartered.

Carbon dioxide for the process will be sourced from RWE Power's plant in Niederaussem, Germany, where it operates a carbon dioxide scrubbing system at its coal innovation centre. The use of carbon dioxide as a raw material reduces the consumption of conventional raw materials and fossil fuels, say the companies.The PPP materials can be used in building insulation and lightweight automotive parts.