Chemical Recycling of post-consumer Mattress Materials
Abstract
Polyurethane (PU), with an annual production of 18 million tonnes, is the sixth most produced plastic in the world, and has a variety of applications due to the wide range of raw materials used Approximately one quarter of the PU produced worldwide is used in the production of flexible foam materials such as mattresses, pillows and seating cushions for the automotive and aircraft industry. After an average lifespan of 10 years, 30 million mattresses reached their end of life in Europe in 2017, which means an estimated volume of 450,000 tonnes for mattresses. Currently 40 % of these are incinerated, and 60 % are landfilled
