TAGS: Sustainability / Natural Solutions
Covestro is investing a mid to high double-digit million amount in the modernization of its production facility in Dormagen by 2025, in order to further strengthen the sustainability and competitiveness of TDI (toluene diisocyanate) production for the production of flexible foams in Europe.
The plant was put into operation at the beginning of 2015 and is considered one of the most modern TDI production plants in the world thanks to the use of gas phase technology developed by Covestro.
Using Up to 80% Less Energy for TDI Production
As part of the work, a modern reactor will be installed, which will enable the resulting reaction energy to be used to generate steam in an energy-efficient manner in the future.
The modernization ensures a significant increase in the energy efficiency of the system and thus a reduction in CO
2 emissions. After the modernization, the plant will use up to 80% less energy than conventional processes for the production of TDI, and greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by a further 22,000 tons per year.
This not only makes a significant contribution to achieving the company's climate goals and securing European TDI production in the face of sharply increased energy costs, but also improves the sustainability balance of the purchasing industries. The first phase of the project has now been successfully completed with the installation of the equipment into operation. All further measures will take place gradually until spring 2025 to ensure the continuous supply of TDI to customers.
“
We want to continue to grow in Germany and advance the transformation to climate-neutral production. The general conditions, especially the high energy prices, are making it increasingly difficult for us to decide on such investments,” says Dr. Thorsten Dreier, board member for technology at Covestro. “
Politicians must finally take effective measures to restore Germany's competitiveness in energy prices and to ensure reliable foundations for the climate-neutral transformation of the industry.”
Dormagen as a TDI hub in Europe
The TDI plant in Dormagen has an annual capacity of 300,000 tons. It uses the gas phase technology developed by Covestro, which even before the modernization required up to 60% less energy and up to 80% less solvents than conventional processes.
With the current investment, the efficiency and therefore sustainability of the system will be significantly increased again. TDI is an important raw material for soft foams, which provide comfort in mattresses and upholstered furniture as well as car seats, for example. The material will continue to play an important role for Covestro and the processing industries in the future.
“
In Dormagen we have the largest TDI production facility in Europe, meaning the location plays a central role in the reliable supply of our customers in the region. Now we continue to consistently focus on your needs. The investment not only underlines our commitment to the European market, but also enables our customers to further reduce their indirect CO2 emissions on the way to developing climate-neutral and circular products for the end consumer markets,” said Dr. Christine Mendoza-Frohn, sales manager performance materials for the EMEA and LATAM regions. “
At the same time, with the investment we are also underlining our claim to play a leading role in climate protection and the circular economy together with our partners along the value chains.”
Covestro as a company is completely aligned with the circular economy. On the way there, the company has set itself the goal of being operationally climate-neutral by 2035. Increasing the efficiency of existing production processes is an important lever for this. From 2005 to 2020, Covestro was able to reduce its specific energy consumption, i.e. the energy consumption per ton of product manufactured - by a good 35%.
By 2035, the specific primary energy requirements of the three NRW locations are to be further reduced by around 25% compared to 2020 through targeted energy management. Covestro wants to save around 1,100 GWh of primary energy per year from 2035. This corresponds to the annual consumption of over 50,000 average households. Almost half of this potential is expected to be realized within the next five years.
Discover Complete Range of TDI Offered by Covestro
Source: Covestro