Sustainable polymer materials for the chemical industry

Power2Polymers is designed as a satellite of the Kopernikus project P2X and develops from the results of the second phase of P2X. The objective is replacing existing petroleum-based raw materials for polymer materials - such as propylene oxide - with more sustainable raw materials.

You can see conceivable polymer materials in various colours and shapes.

The project is utilising paraformaldehyde (pFA), which can be obtained from sustainable or green methanol, for the climate-friendly production of polymer materials. The next step is the conversion of pFA into PME polyols (PME is an acronym for polyoxymethylene ether). With these polyols, the aim is to subsequently develop new adhesive formulations for the field of industrial adhesives. Both polyurethane melts and liquid dispersion adhesives are the focus here.

If the project succeeds, a start-up company is intended to be founded, which will carry on the project short name Power2Polymers. This spin-off will ensure that the project results are commercialised as quickly as possible. A cross-link to the Carbon2Chem project, which is also funded by the BMBF, is also envisioned. This will be used to obtain more sustainable methanol from Carbon2Chem for the synthesis of pFA. As a result, it should prove possible to validate a utilisation pathway for CCU-based basic chemicals.