Evonik Advances Polyurethane Foam Recycling with New Circular Economy Technology

Evonik Industries has announced a major step forward in polyurethane (PU) recycling with the development of an innovative chemical recycling technology at its Hanau site in Germany. The project has received financial support from the state of Hesse, reinforcing efforts to accelerate circular economy solutions within the chemical industry.

The technology focuses on recycling polyurethane foam waste generated from end-of-life mattresses, automotive seats, and furniture. Each year, Germany discards thousands of tonnes of PU foam, with much of it currently ending up in landfills or energy recovery. Evonik's new hydrolysis process breaks down used polyurethane foam into its basic chemical building blocks, allowing valuable recyclates to be fully recovered and reused to make new high-quality polyurethane products.

Having successfully demonstrated the process in laboratory trials, Evonik is now operating a continuous pilot plant in Hanau to validate the technology under industrial conditions. The company aims to scale up the process commercially, helping to reduce dependence on fossil-based raw materials, lower carbon emissions, and establish a truly circular value chain for polyurethane materials.

As part of its long-term strategy, Evonik also plans to establish a dedicated technology center for chemical recycling at the Wolfgang Industrial Park. The facility will focus on waste pre-treatment technologies such as shredding, pelletizing, and grinding, as well as purification processes including filtration and centrifugation. Researchers will also investigate the recycling potential of additional waste streams.

The initiative forms part of Evonik's broader circular economy ambitions and highlights the growing role of advanced recycling technologies in transforming plastic waste into valuable secondary raw materials while supporting climate and sustainability goals across the chemicals industry.

Source: Evonik