Dyneon (Burgkirchen / Germany; www.dyneon.eu) cut the tape on what it says is the world’s first fluoropolymer up-cycling facility on 26 March. Located in Burgkirchen / Germany, the facility was realised thanks to a collaboration between the 3M (St. Paul, Minnesota / USA; www.3m.com) subsidiary, the University of Bayreuth, the InVerTec institute as well as funding by the German Federal Environment Ministry (BMU) – for previous coverage, see Plasteurope.com of 12.06.2012.

The pilot plant is designed to up-cycle up to 500 t/y of fluoropolymer waste. Dyneon said the facility constitutes a “significant breakthrough” for the sustainability of fluoropolymers, which are used in a wide range of applications, including linings in the chemical industry and automotive parts. The facility is integrated into Dyneon’s existing fluoropolymer production lines in Burgkirchen and uses pyrolysis to decompose perfluorinated polymers into gaseous monomers. After cleaning the latter, they are then fed back into the manufacture of new materials, Dyneon explained.

The facility will process end-of-life fluoropolymers from Dyneon and its customers. Its initial focus will be on PTFE, PFA and FEP but the company said that in a second phase it is targeting polymer compounds containing fillers, too. The plant will help meet rising global demand for products made using fluorspar, in Europe especially, the company said.

Commenting on the start-up, idea owner and 3M corporate scientist Klaus Hintzer said, “The up-cycling facility and process will abruptly change the way all of us think and do things. Now, what was once regarded as a useless waste stream or at best a by-product with little utility is a valuable material.” The up-cycling possibility means the monomer can be recovered, which in turn aids the environment since less mining activities are required. The process also affords energy savings, Dyneon added.