For the first time, Covestro’s innovative CO2-based polyol has been used in in China in the production of sports flooring.
In Europe, cardyon has already found application in soft polyurethane foam for mattresses and upholstered furniture, as well as in sports floorings at a German hockey facility. Next to elastic textile fibres, it has also been used to produce soft foams for automotive interiors.
Now, the polyurethane walkway laid at Covestro’s Asia-Pacific Innovation Center in Shanghai marks its first use in sports flooring in China.
The new walkway is a joint development between Covestro and Shandong INOV New Materials Co., Ltd., a materials manufacturer and engineering contractor of plastics sport floors,
66 meters long and 1.2 meters wide, the new walkway uses polyurethane adhesive based on cardyon, this sustainable material can save up to one-fifth of crude oil in production – an innovative contribution to resource preservation and circular economy.
Inert CO2 molecules are activated and used to partly replace crude oil to produce polyethercarbonate polyols. Covestro has produced the new CO2-based polyols at its Dormagen site near Cologne since 2016, using carbon dioxide from a neighboring chemical company, where it is produced as a byproduct.
The walkway material itself has a molecular structure design by INOV. It features outstanding elasticity and flatness, enhancing user comfort. The material is highly resistant to yellowing.
“It is great to see the CO2 walkway is laid at our Asia-Pacific Innovation Center, which is another example of our commitment to promoting innovation inspired by sustainability,” said Dr. Michael Schmidt, Head of Innovation for the Asia-Pacific region at Covestro. “We look forward to using CO2 as new raw material in a variety of applications. We hope to form a closed loop in the use of CO2, thereby saving oil resources and fostering a circular economy.”