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Research and development for sustainable technology and cost leadership
An interview with Dr. Géza Avar, head of Innovation in the Polyurethanes Business Unit at Bayer MaterialScience.
Dr. Avar, polyurethanes were invented by Otto Bayer and his team as long ago as 1937. Is there any scope left for innovation in this material group?
Quite definitely. After all, polyurethane continues to be the most versatile of all plastics. Our products are now used in vehicles, electrical and electronic appliances, furniture, sports and leisurewear goods, and footwear, to name but a few. This is not only down to polyurethanes’ wide-ranging mechanical and chemical properties, but also because of the construction and design possibilities they offer. They also save weight, reduce fuel consumption in the transport sector, and minimize heat loss when used as efficient insulation for buildings, refrigerated appliances and pipes. Research and development is therefore a key element of our business strategy and a pivotal requirement for sustainable and profitable growth.
So polyurethane’s potential for the future is far from exhausted?
Precisely. We need processes offering maximum reliability and efficiency to compete on the dynamic global market, for instance. Our new gas phase phosgenation for producing toluene diisocyanate, a co-reactant in polyurethane synthesis, is a good example of this. Compared with conventional methods, our technology requires around 80 % less solvent, consumes around 60 % less energy and reduces operating costs. It does all this without any loss of capacity, requires around 20 % less investment, and significantly reduces CO2 emissions by around 60,000 tons a year in the case of a 300 kt plant.
Or take our new Multitec® technology. A solvent-free polyurethane spray application with an optional glass fiber additive, it replaces conventional methods based on styrene-containing polyester resins, optimizes the customer’s production processes, and enables the economic and ecological manufacture of high-strength, lightweight molded parts for a broad range of applications.
What challenges lie ahead for an inventor company like Bayer MaterialScience?
As always, it’s a question of tapping the full potential of renewable resources by working closely with our customers and partners. We are currently creating a new generation of polyurethane foams using natural-oil-based polyols (NOPs). And the interest is growing.
Up to now, the relationship between solubility, reactivity and attainable density has been less than satisfactory for NOPs, and they could only be used as a replacement for conventional polyols to a limited extent. However, we have now developed a new cost-effective method for producing these polyols and the resulting foams. The “natural” polyols used in this method exhibit impressive physical properties and better compatibility.
Moreover, we are increasingly tapping the potential of industrial biotechnology and nano- and micro-technology in our research and development activities because they enable significant optimization of processing reliability and methods.
How can polyurethanes contribute to saving energy and reducing greenhouse gases in the future?
Bayer MaterialScience was committed to protecting man and the environment long before the climate change debate hit the headlines. One of our guiding principles in the continuing development of polyurethanes has always been to create products that are both value-generating and environmentally sound. The energy-saving house of the future, for example, is barely conceivable without clever polyurethane applications. Our polyurethanes segment has already added a whole series of new system solutions to our portfolio, including heat insulation systems for walls, roofs and special products for photovoltaic systems. Because of their outstanding properties, however, polyurethanes will continue to be used successfully in completely new and previously unknown areas of application. And we’re working hard to ensure that this is the case.
Is Bayer MaterialScience well prepared for all these challenges?
Thanks to our worldwide innovation network and extensive material expertise, we can always supply the market with just the right products for both present and future requirements, while also incorporating the potential of high-tech into our research and development work. This will enable us to expand our technology leadership in line with market and customer requirements in future too.
Dr. Avar, thank you for talking to us today.
Dr. Avar, polyurethanes were invented by Otto Bayer and his team as long ago as 1937. Is there any scope left for innovation in this material group?
Quite definitely. After all, polyurethane continues to be the most versatile of all plastics. Our products are now used in vehicles, electrical and electronic appliances, furniture, sports and leisurewear goods, and footwear, to name but a few. This is not only down to polyurethanes’ wide-ranging mechanical and chemical properties, but also because of the construction and design possibilities they offer. They also save weight, reduce fuel consumption in the transport sector, and minimize heat loss when used as efficient insulation for buildings, refrigerated appliances and pipes. Research and development is therefore a key element of our business strategy and a pivotal requirement for sustainable and profitable growth.
So polyurethane’s potential for the future is far from exhausted?
Precisely. We need processes offering maximum reliability and efficiency to compete on the dynamic global market, for instance. Our new gas phase phosgenation for producing toluene diisocyanate, a co-reactant in polyurethane synthesis, is a good example of this. Compared with conventional methods, our technology requires around 80 % less solvent, consumes around 60 % less energy and reduces operating costs. It does all this without any loss of capacity, requires around 20 % less investment, and significantly reduces CO2 emissions by around 60,000 tons a year in the case of a 300 kt plant.
Or take our new Multitec® technology. A solvent-free polyurethane spray application with an optional glass fiber additive, it replaces conventional methods based on styrene-containing polyester resins, optimizes the customer’s production processes, and enables the economic and ecological manufacture of high-strength, lightweight molded parts for a broad range of applications.
What challenges lie ahead for an inventor company like Bayer MaterialScience?
As always, it’s a question of tapping the full potential of renewable resources by working closely with our customers and partners. We are currently creating a new generation of polyurethane foams using natural-oil-based polyols (NOPs). And the interest is growing.
Up to now, the relationship between solubility, reactivity and attainable density has been less than satisfactory for NOPs, and they could only be used as a replacement for conventional polyols to a limited extent. However, we have now developed a new cost-effective method for producing these polyols and the resulting foams. The “natural” polyols used in this method exhibit impressive physical properties and better compatibility.
Moreover, we are increasingly tapping the potential of industrial biotechnology and nano- and micro-technology in our research and development activities because they enable significant optimization of processing reliability and methods.
How can polyurethanes contribute to saving energy and reducing greenhouse gases in the future?
Bayer MaterialScience was committed to protecting man and the environment long before the climate change debate hit the headlines. One of our guiding principles in the continuing development of polyurethanes has always been to create products that are both value-generating and environmentally sound. The energy-saving house of the future, for example, is barely conceivable without clever polyurethane applications. Our polyurethanes segment has already added a whole series of new system solutions to our portfolio, including heat insulation systems for walls, roofs and special products for photovoltaic systems. Because of their outstanding properties, however, polyurethanes will continue to be used successfully in completely new and previously unknown areas of application. And we’re working hard to ensure that this is the case.
Is Bayer MaterialScience well prepared for all these challenges?
Thanks to our worldwide innovation network and extensive material expertise, we can always supply the market with just the right products for both present and future requirements, while also incorporating the potential of high-tech into our research and development work. This will enable us to expand our technology leadership in line with market and customer requirements in future too.
Dr. Avar, thank you for talking to us today.
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