Covestro's new elastomer recycling pilot plant in Leverkusen cuts carbon footprint by up to two-thirds

Covestro has started operating a pilot plant in Leverkusen, Germany, that chemically recycles high-performance polyurethane elastomers. The process breaks down end-of-life Vulkollan materials into reusable chemical building blocks, recovering over 90% of the mass and cutting the carbon footprint by up to two-thirds compared to fossil-based routes. The plant is one of the first of its kind globally and will test waste streams from various sources to optimize the technology for industrial scale. The company plans to expand the approach to specialty cast elastomers and thermoplastic polyurethane. It is also working with customers, recyclers, and logistics providers to build collection infrastructure for closed-loop recycling. Insights from the pilot will eventually support circular solutions in China, a major market for polyurethane elastomers in automotive and manufacturing. For those tracking low-carbon industry, this is a concrete example of chemical recycling moving from lab to pilot. The key numbers to watch are the energy intensity of the process and whether collection networks can deliver enough feedstock at consistent quality.