26. Jul 2021

Innovation in Tokyo: a sustainable hockey field

Innovation in Tokyo: a sustainable hockey field

The innovative CO2 technology brought to market by Covestro just a few short years ago is already proving its value in various applications, where it is helping to contribute to a circular economy.

The latest of these is in the hockey pitches that were laid in Tokyo, for the Olympic Games currently being played there.
Covestro partnered with Australia-based Advanced Polymer Technology, a leading global manufacturer of polyurethane-based materials, acrylic coatings and artificial turf products, to develop the exclusive Poligras Tokyo GT field hockey surface, in conjunction with sports flooring manufacturer Polytan. This product was developed for this summer's major sporting event in Tokyo, using Covestro's CO₂ technology specifically to produce the binder that sits beneath the surface.

The particularly sustainable new material, called cardyon, is a polyol produced with up to 20 percent CO₂. Covestro brought this groundbreaking technology to market a few years ago. It helps reduce the use of petroleum-based fossil raw material in polyol by up to one-fifth. This is an enormous advance and an innovative contribution to resource conservation and the circular economy for the plastics-producing industry and beyond. cardyon is manufactured at Covestro's Dormagen site near Cologne, Germany.

"Thanks to Covestro's CO₂ technology and other sustainable components such as renewable raw materials and recycled rubber, this field hockey pitch is one of the most sustainable and technologically advanced surfaces we have developed in the world," says Jim Tritt, COO of Sport Group Asia, which includes APT. "At the same time, it offers premium playability and performance for field hockey players with features that ensure lower surface temperatures and higher ball speeds."

"By increasingly using CO₂ and other alternative raw materials to replace petroleum, we as an industry are making an important contribution to conserving fossil resources," said Dr. Persefoni Hilken, venture manager cardyon at Covestro. "We are very pleased to work with partners like APT to advance the path toward sustainability and a circular economy with our innovative CO₂ technology, which is being used in more and more applications."
Bringing carbon dioxide full circle

With this technology, carbon dioxide can be reused as a valuable raw material for sustainable plastics. Chemical catalysts are used to drive reactions between CO₂ and a conventional feedstock to produce polyols in a more economical and sustainable way, with the CO₂ firmly chemically incorporated.

Cardyon is now also used to produce padding for shoes and car interiors, flexible foam for mattresses and adhesives for sports floors. The first prototypes of insulating materials made of rigid foam and surfactants, which are used as detergents, for example, were also recently realized using CO₂ technology.

Last year, Covestro completed the installation of a catwalk with cardyon polyols in cooperation with Shandong INOV New Materials Co., Ltd. at the Covestro Asia-Pacific Innovation Center in Shanghai. This was the first time the innovative product has been used in a binder for plastic walkways in the Asia-Pacific region.

www.covestro.com

 

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