Mechanical Recycling of Rigid Polyurethane and Composites
In March 2026, Italy-based company Cannon S.p.A. presented a new approach for recycling polyurethane (PU) and PU-glass fiber composites (GFRPs) at JEC World 2026 (Paris Nord Villepinte).
“The process has been developed in close cooperation with PU processor MAP S.p.A. and the University of Bergamo, with co-funding from the Italian strategic plan for the EU recovery fund NextGenerationEU,” the company gave account. Named POSSIBLE, for “PrOduce SuStainabLE Industrial Bodies,” the project had laid the groundwork for PU and GFRPs end-of-life recycling and reuse, demonstrating that ground foam and granulated parts can be used as secondary reinforcement materials in new composite formulations. “Scientific research has developed several potential chemical recycling routes, but these work on a laboratory scale and are often too slow, too expensive, or incompatible with existing PU manufacturing processes. Cannon therefore decided to focus on a more direct approach, reintegrating pure or composite rigid PU waste through two complementary methods, both compatible with their high-pressure systems.”
During the project, two complementary approaches were explored. “The first involved transforming rigid foam waste into micrometric powders, which were then dispersed into the polyol to form a slurry and dosed as a liquid component using a mixing head,” the company explained. “The second involved using rigid PU granulate and polyurethane-glass fiber composite, introduced as a solid two-filler into the mixture using dedicated dosing systems combined with the FPL 36 IW mixing head for Interwet-LFI (Long Fiber Injection) technology patented by Cannon.” According to the information, subsequent testing showed that recycling rigid polyurethanes and GFRP composites could become an integral part of production lines. “They do not require invasive processes or radical changes to formulations but transform waste into a material that can be reused in the process, with immediate economic and environmental benefits. This is a concrete step towards circularity in thermosets, a family of materials for which recycling was previously considered almost impossible,” Cannon S.p.A. underlined.
Based on research conducted during the POSSIBLE project, the company is now working on commercially viable solutions for recycling PU and GFRPs that will enter the market in the near future.
(Published in GLOBAL RECYCLING Magazine 1/2026, Page 21, Photo: The Cannon Group)
