04. Sep 2026
Purtiso plans 2027 pilot trials for PU recycling process
KU Leuven spin-off Purtiso plans to begin industrial pilot trials in 2027 for a chemical recycling process designed to recover virgin-quality polyols and isocyanates from polyurethane waste.
The Belgian company’s patented PUR2ISO process breaks polyurethane down into its original molecular building blocks without requiring the phosgenation step conventionally used to manufacture isocyanates.
Purtiso said the process has been optimized for flexible polyurethane foam but can also treat TDI- and MDI-based flexible foams, rigid polyurethane and PIR foams, polyester-based polyurethane materials and mixed or contaminated waste streams.
The recovered polyols and isocyanates can reportedly replace up to 100% of virgin material in new polyurethane production. Purtiso said the recovery rate is close to quantitative and that the quality of the resulting materials has been independently verified by industrial partners.
The process originated in research led by professor Dirk De Vos at KU Leuven’s Faculty of Bioscience Engineering. Purtiso founder Niels Van Velthoven developed the technology while working as a postdoctoral researcher at the university.
The underlying approach uses chemolysis to separate the polyol component from material derived from the original isocyanate. According to the company, this avoids the loss of the isocyanate-derived fraction that occurs in many existing polyurethane recycling processes.
Purtiso is preparing its first pilot implementation at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus in Geleen, the Netherlands. The trials will be carried out with industrial partners and are intended to demonstrate continuous operation and integration with existing polyurethane manufacturing infrastructure.
After completing the pilot phase, the company intends to construct a commercial demonstration plant. Its longer-term plan is to supply modular recycling units that can be installed close to sources of polyurethane waste, reducing the cost and environmental impact associated with transporting low-density foam.
Potential users include flexible-foam and insulation manufacturers, mattress producers, footwear companies, polyurethane raw-material suppliers and waste-management businesses.
Photo: Purtiso founder Niels Van Velthoven (KU Leuven/Purtiso)