Germany's Bayer starts up Leverkusen CO2 polyurethanes pilot plant

17 February 2011 10:26  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (ICIS)--Bayer has inaugurated and started up a new pilot plant at Chempark in Leverkusen for the production of polyurethanes using carbon dioxide (CO2), the German chemicals company said on Thursday.

The plant produces a chemical precursor into which CO2 is incorporated and then processed into polyurethanes, the company said.

The CO2 used in the project comes from energy company RWE Power’s lignite power plant in Niederaussem outside Cologne, Germany.

Bayer said the state of North Rhine-Westphalia is supporting the CAT Catalytic Center.

The project is receiving federal funding amounting to approximately €5m ($6.76m). Including investment from Bayer and RWE, the total budget amounts to some €9m.

The company said that if the testing phase goes well, industrial production of plastics based on CO2 should start in 2015.

"The inauguration of this pilot plant is another milestone in a long line of Bayer projects that have used innovative technologies to develop sustainable production processes," said board of management member Wolfgang Plischke.

($1 = €0.74)

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By: Hilde Ovrebekk
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