New elastomer system reduces carbon footprint for offshore industry

LEVERKUSEN, Germany—The offshore industry can reduce it environmental impact and carbon footprint with a new polyurethane elastomer system.

Covestro A.G. said it developed of a new PU system for the offshore industry that uses its CO2 feedstock technology.

The German chemicals supplier said it replaced part of the fossil raw materials with CO2 in the production of Triturn, which it said can "positively contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of end products."

The new PU system enables the reuse of CO2 as a material source in polyol production, reducing the consumption of fossil-based raw materials by up to 20 percent, Covestro announced Dec. 8.

In application, the materials supplier said it teamed up with offshore energy service company Tekmar Group to manufacture cable protection systems for offshore wind farms using the new elastomer.

A key component of the cable protection system is a bend restrictor, which along with the rest of the system, is designed to protect cables in the ocean "for decades."

The material, which won the UTECH Europe Award 2021 in the CASE category in November, is also claimed to be easier to process and features improved non-ageing properties in salt water.

Tekmar is using the new PU system to manufacture sample products at its facility in the northeast England and is currently conducting a range of tests on the elastomer.