Scientists at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP have successfully engineered a method to produce versatile polyurethane (PUR) plastics without using toxic isocyanates, substituting them with a harmless chemical made partly from carbon dioxide (CO2). This breakthrough, developed within the CO2NIPU project, promises safer manufacturing, lower emissions, and a pathway to fully recyclable plastics.
From soft furniture foam to durable paints and essential medical tubing, polyurethanes are ubiquitous modern materials. Their production, however, has long depended on a hazardous ingredient: isocyanates. These toxic compounds can trigger asthma and severe allergies, necessitating rigorous safety protocols in factories to protect workers. Now, a consortium of Fraunhofer institutes has rendered this danger obsolete. For the first time, as reported by Fraunhofer, they have produced non-isocyanate polyurethane (NIPU) on a practical scale, marking a potential paradigm shift for the plastics industry.
About the Product, this new process tackles the core environmental and safety problem of traditional plastic manufacturing. It replaces the hazardous isocyanate with a benign substitute called dicarbamate. The Basic Function of this innovation is to create the same high-performance polyurethane materials through a safer, more controlled chemical reaction. The researchers have developed a modular system where materials like polymer diols for softness and chain extenders for elasticity are combined with dicarbamate. This mixture is then melted and reacted at temperatures between 180 and 190 degrees Celsius, resulting in plastics with tailored properties for applications ranging from adhesives to medical devices.
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A key figure behind this advance is Project Manager Christoph Herfurth of Fraunhofer IAP. He and the collaborative team from institutes including Fraunhofer ICT, IFAM, and UMSICHT are the Innovator & Engineer driving this technology from lab to pilot plant. Herfurth emphasizes a significant advantage: the molecular structure of the new plastic is identical to conventional PUR, meaning decades of industrial expertise can be directly applied. However, he also notes a current Limitation: the chemical reaction using dicarbamate is less frantic than the explosive reactivity of isocyanates. While traditional reactions complete in minutes, the new process takes six to eight hours. Yet, this slower pace is framed as a major benefit, allowing for precise control that minimizes production scrap and ensures consistent, high-quality output.
The environmental credentials of the process are robust. The dicarbamate itself is synthesized in a high-pressure process at Fraunhofer UMSICHT by reacting methanol and CO2 with other compounds at 50 bar pressure, effectively locking greenhouse gas into a useful material. Furthermore, partners at Fraunhofer ICT are developing methods to chemically recycle used polyurethane foam back into raw material for new products. The Summary of this holistic approach is a decisive move toward a circular economy, reducing both toxic hazards and carbon footprint simultaneously.
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Initial applications are already in sight, with researchers targeting biocompatible medical catheter tubes. The technology has proven itself beyond the beaker. “We are now able to produce several kilograms of NIPU in our pilot plant,” says Christoph Herfurth. The next scale-up at the Fraunhofer Pilot Plant Center in Schkopau will target batches of several hundred kilograms, paving the way for industry adoption and safer, more sustainable plastics for countless everyday and specialized uses.
