Development of waste polyurethane recovery method in Japan

Japan’s Toshiba recently developed a continuous chemical recovery method for polyurethane resins, also known as chemical decomposition methods, polyurethane resins and thermal insulation materials for refrigerators. The method uses a single extruder that can be compressed, heated, and mixed to crush the waste polyurethane material to about 5 mm pellets. It is decomposed with diethanolamine and decomposed into an oligomer containing a part (68%) of urethane bonds and an oligomer mainly containing a polyhydric alcohol (about 28%).

The company succeeded in generating a polyurethane resin that was not much different from the original resin by repolymerizing a mixture containing the product that had been decomposed to 20% and the raw polyurethane raw material (polyols and isocyanates), and the company continued to improve the operation of the polyurethane resin. Method; no waste is produced; it can be incorporated into industrial production by further development efforts.

Polyurethane resins are widely used as thermal insulation materials for refrigerators. The above recycling method is exactly what the users need at present.