Covestro Develops CO2-based Elastomers Process

German engineering plastics producer Covestro is expanding its work on using carbon dioxide (CO2) as a feedstock and is developing a new manufacturing process for elastomers.

The work is part of the Dream Production project to develop a sustainable use for CO2. A first plant to make a polyol with a 20% CO2 content is expected to open this year at the Dormagen site.

Work on the elastomers process is being done in partnership with RWTH Aachen University and the Technical University of Berlin. Project manager Jochen Norwig, working in catalysis research at Covestro in Leverkusen, said the company was redoubling is efforts to develop cost-effective and climate-friendly production processes that use CO2 has an element in high-performance plastics.

Covestro has already made individual batches of polyether carbonate polyurethane, which can be processed into elastomers, and is now focusing on developing a continuous commercial-scale route. Some 25% of the oil used to make the elastomer’s precursor can be replaced with the greenhouse gas.

Small-scale tests have already shown that the CO2-derived elastomers have the same qualities as those made from petrochemical feedstocks. At the same time, Covestro said the new process has better energy efficiency and less solvent use. The company explained that because the technology uses less petroleum, there are fewer processing steps leading to a reduction in overall CO2 emissions and energy consumption.

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is providing funds of up to €1.5 million over the next three years as part of its r+Impuls (impetus for industrial resource efficiency) measure under the Research for Sustainable Development (FONA) program.

Virtual Event

Digitalization in the Chemical Industry
CHEManager Spotlight

Digitalization in the Chemical Industry

Save the Date: October 22, 2025
The event will be promoted to a combined audience of over 100,000 professionals across Europe through the CHEManager and CITplus networks.

Interview

Specialty Chemicals in a Shifting World
Adapting to Tariffs and Strengthening Regional Networks

Specialty Chemicals in a Shifting World

Jennifer Abril, President & CEO of SOCMA, discusses the impact of new tariffs and the importance of regional supply networks in the specialty chemical industry.

most read

Photo
28.07.2025 • NewsChemistry

VCI Welcomes US-EU Customs Deal

The German Chemical Industry Association (VCI) welcomes the fact that Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and US President Donald Trump have averted the danger of a trade war for the time being.