The project, which is supervised by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), includes construction of a kilogram-scale pilot plant at the Chempark Leverkusen, where researchers from Bayer MaterialScience (BMS) and Bayer Technology Services have been exploring production of polyether polycarbonate polyols (PPPs) from CO2.
The researchers say PPPs can be further processed to produce polyurethane polymers.
At the heart of the Dream Production process is catalysis technology developed by Bayer Technology Services.
In the past, it has proved difficult to produce chemicals and monomers from CO2 due to its low energy density, according to BMS. However, the company says recent trials have yielded “promising results”.
"Using the waste product CO2 to manufacture versatile materials is an amazing achievement made possible by catalysis - and one which both we and our project partners are very proud of," says Patrick Thomas, Bayer MaterialScience CEO.
Using CO2 as a raw material for manufacturing polymers could help cut consumption of conventional raw materials and fossil fuels. (European Plastics News staff)