Covestro: Two Facilities for Mechanical Recycling in Asia
German-based Covestro AG is building the company’s first dedicated mechanical recycling production line in Shanghai. Furthermore, it intends to repurpose a production line in Thailand.
The international active company’s goal is to become fully circular. Therefore, in August this year, Covestro has announced plans to set up its first dedicated line for the mechanical recycling (MCR) of polycarbonates at its integrated site in Shanghai. “The new MCR line will address the growing demand for more sustainable solutions, in particular, with post-consumer-recycled (PCR) products, to be used primarily for the compounding step in the manufacture of electrical and electronic products, automotive applications, and consumer goods,” the press release said. The line (investment: over 27 million Euro) would be capable of delivering more than 25,000 tons of high-quality polycarbonates and blends. The commission is planned for 2023. Overall, the company aims to be capable of delivering more than 60,000 tons of polycarbonates with recycled content in Asia Pacific per year until 2026.
Repurposing a compounding facility in Thailand
Covestro will also repurpose an existing compounding line at its Map Ta Phut site in Thailand into a plant for mechanical recycling. “The conversion of the plant is scheduled to be accomplished by the end of 2022 and continue to pave the way and meet market demand for polycarbonates from post-consumer recycled (PCR) content across multiple industries in the ASEAN region,” the company announced. Based on the current forecast, the unit would supply up to 10 percent PCR-based product of its annual production volume by 2030.
The two facilities in Shanghai and Map Ta Phut would boost Covestro’s output of PCR polycarbonates Makrolon R and Bayblend R, which contain up to 75 percent recycled content, the manufacturer of polymer materials and their components underlined. These materials “can contribute to a carbon footprint reduction of up to 50 percent while meeting performance and eco-labels’ requirements”.
(Published in GLOBAL RECYCLING Magazine 3/2022, Page 33, Photo: Covestro)
