Materials manufacturer Covestro and the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT have inked a contract to operate a 2,000-ton-per-year pilot plant for smart pyrolysis of rigid polyurethane (PU) foam waste, set to go live by 2028.

 

The initiative is a major leap toward transforming appliance and construction insulation waste into high-purity re-aniline for MDI (methylene diphenyl diisocyanate) production. According to Covestro, the resulting MDI meets conventional purity standards while cutting carbon emissions by up to 401% compared with fossil-based production routes.

 

"The contract with Fraunhofer UMSICHT is a decisive step towards industrializing our smart pyrolysis technology," said Markus Dugal, Head of Process Technology at Covestro. 

 

"This partnership combines our chemical and technology expertise with Fraunhofer's process engineering capabilities and assets to scale a technology that is able to prove chemical recyclability of end-of-life Polyurethane materials and that could fundamentally change how we source raw materials for MDI production. By recovering high-value molecules from waste streams, we're turning the circular economy from vision into reality while significantly reducing the carbon footprint of our products."

 

Under the agreement, Fraunhofer UMSICHT will leverage its pyrolysis research and recycling infrastructure to scale Covestro’s proprietary process. The pilot plant will recycle 2,000 tons of end-of-life foam annually—enough aniline to produce insulation for roughly 200,000 refrigerators. The plant will target rigid PU/PIR foam, which is notoriously difficult to recycle due to its crosslinked molecular structure, and is slated to begin operations in mid-2028.

 

"This project represents the culmination of several years of intensive joint research," explained Prof Manfred Renner, Head of Fraunhofer UMSICHT. "It’s perfectly in line with Fraunhofer’s mission to bridge the gap between research and application: we are not just demonstrating technical feasibility but actively moving towards industrial implementation."

 

Dr. Alexander Hofmann, Head of Thermochemical Conversion Technologies at Fraunhofer UMSICHT, added: "The project is underpinned by our own research and technology developments in chemical recycling and downstream processing. The pilot plant will allow us to optimize process parameters at scale and provide sufficient material for further processing tests and market development."

 

The smart pyrolysis method produces aniline with ~99% purity, enabling recycled MDI that matches conventional quality.

 

The timing is critical: the European MDI market for rigid foam is projected to jump from 1,400 kt in 2025 to 1,900 kt by 2035, fuelled by rising demand for energy-efficient building and refrigeration insulation. Increasing EU regulations are pushing for scalable end-of-life solutions for PU/PIR rigid foam, a challenge that Covestro and Fraunhofer UMSICHT aim to solve.