PU-Recycling Equipment

Production of PUR recycling polyol

Polyurethane recycling technology is state-of-the-art developments in this area, with initial successes at the production level. Industrial polyurethane foam waste is dissolved in a reactor with a chemical reaction and re-processed into a liquid raw material. These can replace up to 30% of the raw materials for the new production of the sorted polyurethane. The design and installation of the equipment is tailored to the individual customer and can rarely be transferred to another customer in the same way. At the same time, the interaction between the chemical process and the plant design is of decisive importance and is thus the key factor for the successful use of the technology.

Manufacturing of custom suited recycling plants

The chemical recycling of polyurethane is to break the long polymer molecule into shorter segments by a chemical reaction and attach to each of them reactive hydroxyl OH groups. This creates a special type of polyol that can be incorporated into a new polymer chain.
If done well, the process is much more than just dissolving polyurethane waste in glycols so that it becomes liquid and can be mixed into a system polyol. The right choice of chemicals, their proportions and the corresponding process make the difference. The quality and mechanical properties of the PU foam based on recycled polyol are the proof of a successful process.

Acidolysis is a process in which carboxylic acids are used at high temperatures to chemically "break" the polyurethane chain and convert it back into reactive raw material that can be used for the same application. The process is particularly suitable for the reuse of flexible foams since the resulting recycled polyol has a very low OH number, which is a requirement for use in flexible foams.


Glycolysis is a similar process to recycle polyurethanes, causing a chemical reaction at high temperature using diols and producing recycled polyols containing portions of the original polyurethane chain. These polyols can retain the properties and functionality of the original polyols used for foam production and can be recycled to the same application.

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