MOSCOW (MRC) -- Repsol will build Spain's first plant for chemical recycling of polyurethane (PU) foam at its Puertollano industrial complex, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing,
PU foam is the main component of mattresses, sofas, and vehicle seats, among other uses.
At the end of its useful life, PU foam is one of the most difficult plastics to process. The new recycling facility is expected to be completed by the end of 2022 and will entail an investment of approximately EUR12 million.
Once operational, the plant will be capable of processing around 2,000 metric tons of PU foam per year, the equivalent of 380 linear kilometers of mattresses placed side by side.
Besides, Repsol plans on using this circular economy project to produce circular polyols from recycled PU foam. Polyols are one of the raw materials used to manufacture polyurethane foam, thus perfectly closing these essential products’ recycling circle and sustainability. Integrating this new recycling plant into the Puertollano petrochemical complex will ensure the quality of this circular product by allowing the maximization of synergies with the facility’s standard processes.
As MRC reported earlier, Repsol's refinery at Puertollano in central Spain has carried out an upgrade of its olefins unit. The modernization was a part of planned maintenance of the cracker and chemical derivative plants at the end of 2020.
We remind that Spain’s Repsol shut down its cracker in Tarragona (Spain) for maintenance in the fourth quarter of 2019. The turnaround at this steam cracker, which produces 702,000 mt/year of ethylene and 372,000 mt/year of propylene, was pushed back from Q3 2019. The exact dates of maintenance works were not disclosed.
Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 241,030 tonnes in January 2021 versus 217,890 tonnes a year earlier. Only shipments of low density polyethylene (LDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market reached 141,870 tonnes in January 2021 versus 123,520 tonnes a year earlier. Supply of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased.
Repsol S.A is an integrated Spanish oil and gas company with operations in 28 countries. The bulk of its assets are located in Spain.
MRC