Covestro AG (Leverkusen, Germany; www.covestro.com) has successfully completed the modernization of its TDI (toluene diisocyanate) plant in Dormagen, Germany. At an event with around 60 invited guests from politics, business, and staff, including North Rhine-Westphalia Environmental Minister Oliver Krischer, Covestro officially commissioned the plant and announced its new target for increasing energy efficiency in production.
“The successful completion of this project shows that climate protection and competitiveness can go hand in hand,” says Dr. Philip Bahke, Head of the North Rhine-Westphalia Site Network. “The modernized plant sets new standards in energy efficiency and underlines our path toward climate-neutral production. In light of persistently high energy costs, the project significantly strengthens the competitiveness of TDI production in Europe. My special thanks go to the entire project team, who professionally implemented this complex modernization during ongoing operations.”
More Efficient Processes for More Sustainable Products
The modernized plant consumes 80 percent less energy than conventional processes, achieving a CO2 reduction of 22,000 tons per year. This is made possible by a new reactor weighing over 150 tons (330,700 lbs) and almost 20 meters (65.6 feet) high, which uses the generated reaction energy for steam production. Covestro started the modernization in summer 2023. In total, the project installed over 3.5 kilometers of new pipelines, around 14 kilometers of cables, and hundreds of new equipment, valves, and monitoring instruments in the plant.
“In Dormagen, we operate Europe’s largest TDI production plant. With the successful modernization, we can now offer our customers TDI with an even better carbon footprint,” explains Dr. Christine Mendoza-Frohn, Head of Sales Performance Materials for the EMEA and LATAM regions. “This supports our customers in achieving their own sustainability goals and strengthens our position as a reliable partner for climate-neutral and circular solutions.”
New Global Energy Efficiency Targets Presented
During the event, Covestro also presented its new, ambitious energy efficiency target for global production. The company targets a 20 percent reduction in CO2 emissions from energy use per ton of product by 2030 compared to 2020, underlining the central importance of energy efficiency as a lever for achieving operational climate neutrality by 2035. The Dormagen TDI plant, with its annual capacity of 300,000 tons, serves as a prime example of the successful transformation of existing production facilities toward greater energy efficiency.
The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) has supported this modernization through its federal funding program for energy and resource efficiency.