Syensqo has announced a proprietary chemical recycling technology for sulfone polymers, adding to its six-decade track record in this material family. The process is designed to depolymerize formulated polyarylethersulfone content in post-industrial production scrap and post-consumer parts, yielding purified raw-material monomers. According to the company, these monomers can be reintroduced without performance loss into new products based on its sulfone polymer families, including Udel PSU, Radel PPSU and Veradel PESU. The approach is presented as enabling repeated, potentially unlimited cycles of use for PSU, PPSU and PESU grades in new formulations.
The technology builds on Syensqo’s Echo sulfone polymers portfolio and relies on proprietary chemical recycling steps to convert PAES back to monomer feedstock. Beyond closed-loop use in sulfone polymers, the company states the recovered monomers may also serve as inputs for other thermoplastics or even epoxy resin formulations. The announcement underscores a focus on circular options for high-performance materials and aligns with Syensqo’s strategy in specialty polymers for life solution markets.
Process scope and materials
Syensqo indicates the process addresses both post-industrial scrap and end-of-life, post-consumer parts containing PAES. By depolymerizing the material back to purified monomers, the technology is intended to decouple input variability from downstream performance requirements, enabling integration of recycled content into new sulfone polymer grades as claimed by the company.
The company notes that the monomer output can be incorporated repeatedly into Udel PSU, Radel PPSU and Veradel PESU, and can also be used as building blocks in other thermoplastics or epoxy resin formulations. Referenced application areas include hemodialysis, water filtration and aerospace.
Collaboration across the value chain
Syensqo reports it is engaging partners across collection, sorting and end-use to support the transition to circularity within the PAES sector. The company invites collaboration and support from stakeholders across the value chain to advance adoption of the technology.
"In times where circularity is increasingly crucial, we are leading the way to transform the industry with breakthrough sustainable solutions," said Floryan De Campo, Vice President of Life Solutions at Syensqo Specialty Polymers global business unit. "Our new circular PAES technology is a step forward for customers seeking to advance their sustainability goals. By enabling the recycling of sulfone polymers from both production scrap and end-of-life products, we help reduce carbon footprint and increase recycled content in a wide range of applications, from hemodialysis and water filtration to aerospace."
