The European project URBANREC has been successfully completed. For the past three years, leading experts from seven countries have worked on solutions for the valorization of bulky waste. RAMPF Eco Solutions has developed chemical processes for obtaining high-value recycled polyols from plastic waste such as mattresses and upholstery.

Just three years ago, the European project URBANREC was initiated with the goal of improving the logistics and treatment of bulky waste. Entities from seven countries took part, including public institutions in Belgium, Poland, Spain, and Turkey.

The focus of URBANREC was the development and implementation of an eco-innovative and integral bulky waste management system for promoting prevention and reuse, improving logistics, and allowing new waste treatments to obtain high-quality recycled products such as adhesives, foams, fiber/felt-reinforced composites, and solvents.

Together with partner companies and institutions, RAMPF Eco Solutions had the task of developing chemical solutions for obtaining high-quality recycled polyols from plastic waste such as mattresses and upholstery. This way, the proportion of fossil-based polyols used in the production of new plastic products was to be reduced and the burden on landfills and incinerators lessened.

The URBANREC project was also a focus topic of this year’s annual conference of the Specialist Association Foamed Plastics and Polyurethanes (FSK) in Reutlingen, Germany (see picture above).

At the event, Dr. Frank Dürsen, Head of Future & Sustainability at the RAMPF Group, explained in detail how the recycled polyols were obtained from bulky waste using glycolysis and acidolysis, which have already been successfully used for the manufacture of high-quality adhesives, foams, insulation materials, and solvents.

The chemical recycling of plastic waste will become ever more important, Marco Werth, Sales & Marketing Director at RAMPF Eco Solutions, is convinced:

Chemical recycling is an important building block of an holistic waste management approach. We are very proud to have been part of URBANREC and that we could contribute to its success with our chemical engineering know-how.