Washing with CO₂ technology

Covestro has scored another research success in the ongoing development of its innovative CO_₂ technology: As part of the "DreamResourceConti" project (FKZ 033R222) funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the materials manufacturer is examining the production of CO_₂-based surfactants and how they can be used to produce sustainable detergents and cleaning agents. Covestro has now presented the results at the "9th Conference on CO_₂-based Fuels and Chemicals" hosted by the nova Institute. “We see ourselves as a pioneer in the mission to end the use of fossil resources and make production processes more sustainable and future-proof," said Sucheta Govil, Chief Commercial Officer at Covestro and responsible for innovation. "Washing with CO_₂ technology is a major milestone in Covestro's recent research and development drive on the road to the Circular Economy."

More sustainable materials with comparable performance

Surfactants are found in a wide range of everyday products such as detergents, cleaning agents and personal care products and have so far been based mainly on fossil resources such as petroleum. Together with its academic partners RWTH Aachen University and TU Berlin, Covestro has now achieved an important breakthrough. “We are developing a continuous production process that facilitates the manufacture of novel surfactants based on CO₂,” said Dr. Christoph Gürtler, Head of Catalysis and Technology at Covestro. "We have succeeded in replacing part of the ethylene oxide (EO) from petroleum needed for production with carbon dioxide, making surfactant materials much more sustainable."

In the future, up to 25 percent of the conventional ethylene oxide could be replaced by CO₂. In addition, initial tests have shown that the novel CO₂-based material can be used in standard formulations for detergents with comparable primary washing performance. In the further course of the project, a detailed characterization of the new materials by the Technical University of Berlin will provide further insights into potential fields of application so that CO₂ can be optimally utilized as a raw material.

Breakthrough based on previous research successes

The "DreamResourceConti" research success is based on the findings of the predecessor "DreamResource” project. As part of this research project, Covestro has already investigated the promising combination of ethylene oxide and CO₂ and has achieved a breakthrough for use in the construction sector. Now the CO₂ technology has been expanded to include the "washing" application area.

Covestro has already been marketing CO₂-based materials under the name cardyon^® since 2016. These can be used, for example, in the production of flexible polyurethane foam in mattresses, binders for sports floors or elastic fibers.