Single-Phase Recycling of Flexible Polyurethane Foam by Glycolysis and Oxyalkylation: Large-Scale Industrial Evaluation

Abstract

The efficient recycling of polyurethane foams (PUFs) is critical to reduce the environmental effects of end-of-life wastes. In general, industrial PUF recycling approaches have been focused on PUF mattresses; however, the recycling of PUFs used in the automotive industry is rarely discussed because of the specific parameters related to dynamic/static comfort, durability, and hygienic regulations. Here, we present, for the first time, an efficient chemical approach for recycling automotive PUFs from post-consumer wastes (PCWs) of automobiles. The PUF scrap was chemically decomposed via glycolysis without any phase separation and was used as a reactant in a reaction with alkylene oxide to obtain more stable oxyalkylated polyols. To fabricate various automotive PUF-based products, including seats, headrests, and sound-absorbing materials, 10–20 wt % recycled polyol was added to virgin polyol. As a result, the obtained PUFs containing recycled polyol exhibited physical characteristics, formability, and volatile organic compound (VOC) contents similar to those of virgin PUFs. Moreover, three cyclability tests for a PUF seat confirmed that the physical properties of the PUF remained stable during cyclic applications. The proposed automotive PUF recycling process will promote a circular economy and sustainability and will increase the recycling rate of PUFs in the automotive industry.