Covestro begins delivery of first CO2-based product

German materials manufacturer Covestro has begun delivery of a novel product based on carbon dioxide. The first tanker left the company’s Dormagen site near Cologne, Germany, recently, with the company stating it has now officially started production in the plant it inaugurated in Dormagen this year. The plant uses the climate gas to produce a key component for foams used in mattresses and upholstered furniture.

The CO2 serves as a new raw material, replacing a portion of the petroleum on which the precursor is usually based.

Covestro says it is working to integrate even more carbon dioxide into its products. In the case of the polyol precursor from the Dormagen plant, the CO2 content is roughly 20%.

Other projects have already achieved contents of over 40% in the lab. Covestro is also striving to use carbon dioxide for the manufacture of other products besides flexible foam.

Potential products that have already been tested in the lab include precursors for rigid foam and elastomers. The company is also willing to license the technology.

With 2015 sales of EUR12.1 billion, Covestro, formerly Bayer MaterialScience, has 30 production sites around the globe and at the end of 2015 employed approximately 15,800 people.