Combined with carbon dioxide: For the first time, synthetic sports floors can be produced with carbon dioxide-which means less crude oil is needed as a raw material. The world's first such floor is now open for use in a hockey facility at a famous sports club in Krefeld, western Germany. This particularly sustainable new material comes from materials maker Covestro, which has developed a groundbreaking process to bring carbon dioxide utilization technology to market maturity. This can save up to one fifth of the amount of crude oil used-this is an innovative contribution to resource protection and recycling management.
The carbon dioxide of the subfloor is contained in the adhesive-or, more precisely, in one of the ingredients, namely in the polyol. To date, this new carbon dioxide-based material, called cardyon®, has been used in the production of flexible polyurethane foam for mattresses and upholstered furniture, and has been on the market. At present, the material is used for the further development of sports, which is the next step to expand the scope of application.
Use carbon dioxide to save oil
"Using carbon dioxide as a new feedstock is a promising approach to make production in the chemical and plastics industries more sustainable," explains Dr. Markus Steilemann, CEO of Covestro. "In this way, we use carbon dioxide in the closed-loop process and save oil. On this basis, we want to provide a comprehensive product portfolio for as many applications as possible, which is in line with our" Make the world a brighter " Vision. "
The first customer for the new adhesive produced with carbon dioxide was Polytan, a globally active sports flooring manufacturer. The company, located in Burgheim, Bavaria, Germany, is a sports group that uses this material in conjunction with rubber pellets to produce resilient floors. Daniel Klomp, the group's purchasing manager, said: "We attach great importance to the use of sustainable raw materials and are always looking for more environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional products. Ideally, the quality of the products can also be improved . Covestro guarantees this with cardyon® material. "
The first carbon dioxide-based floor is now in use at the "Crefelder Hockey and Tennis Club". Traditional clubs have one of Germany's leading hockey facilities and have been used as venues for international competitions and championships many times. This traditional club has one of Germany's leading field hockey facilities and has been used as a venue for international competitions and championships many times. The subfloor is laid on a 99 × 59-meter sports field to cushion the impact of the bright blue artificial turf, also from Polytan. "Sports are not only good for health, but also sustainable. We are proving this with our newly equipped hockey field, which will definitely make our club more attractive," said club manager Robert Haake explain.
Innovative Technology
Carbon dioxide can be used as a raw material for plastics through special environmental technologies jointly developed by Covestro and partners. Carbon dioxide is used as a raw material for the important element "carbon" instead of being based on petroleum. As a result, up to 20% of the traditional fossil feedstock can be replaced by carbon dioxide. Covestro produces this new carbon dioxide-based polyol at the Dormagen plant near Cologne. The supply of carbon dioxide comes from a nearby chemical company that produces it as a by-product.