Solution to Recycling PU Foam Mattresses

21-Apr-21

H&S Anlagentechnik GmbH has signed a contract with the Dutch recycling company RetourMatras to build a plant for the chemical recycling of discarded PU mattresses. As from 2021, 1.5 million old mattresses are to be dismantled annually by RetourMatras in the Netherlands and Belgium. A part of these mattresses will be recycled using process technology and know-how provided by H&S, and the Dutch company will supply a fully automated production line for dismantling the old mattresses. The reactor plant is scheduled to be commissioned in the end of 2021. "With our chemical process for the generation of high-quality polyols from post-consumer mattresses, we offer a viable business model that will have a major impact on the environment," enthuses Ruediger Schaffrath, founder and Managing Director at H&S.

In Europe, up to 30 million old mattresses end up in landfills or incinerators every year and are thus removed from the material cycle. The European Union is countering the amount of waste with an ambitious goal. By 2035, 65 percent of all municipal waste is to be recycled. "With the H&S system, valuable recovered polyols can be generated enabling production of high-quality flexible and other PU foams," emphasizes Chico van Hemert, Operational Manager at RetourMatras, adding, "The H&S process allows us to chemically recycle different foam from various mattress manufacturers." The furniture industry can thus gain valuable secondary raw materials for the production of new PU foam and at the same time contribute to more sustainability.

Source: Chemical Park