CIRCULAR FLOORING · Project

Turning Toxic PVC Flooring Waste Into Safe, Recyclable New Flooring Products

environmentPilotedTRL 6

Old PVC floors contain harmful chemicals called phthalates that make recycling them a nightmare — you can't just melt them down and reuse them safely. This project figured out how to dissolve the PVC, strip out the dangerous plasticizers with over 99% efficiency, and then chemically convert those toxic substances into safe alternatives. Think of it like filtering dirty water: you separate the good stuff, clean up the bad stuff, and put it all back together. They processed 7,000 kg of real waste flooring and produced 400 kg of clean, phthalate-free plasticizer to prove it works at industrial scale.

By the numbers

500,000 t

European PVC flooring market addressed

7,000 kg

Real PVC flooring waste processed in demonstration

400 kg

Phthalate-free plasticizer produced from waste

>99%

Plasticizer removal efficiency in purification

>99.5%

Phthalate hydrogenation conversion rate

>98%

Decomposition rate in pilot hydrogenation plant

1-2 kg/h

Pilot plant hydrogenation throughput

19 partners

Consortium size across 8 countries

68%

Industry partner ratio in consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Europe generates massive amounts of PVC flooring waste containing banned phthalate plasticizers like DEHP, making it extremely difficult to recycle safely. Current options are landfill or incineration, wasting valuable PVC material and creating environmental liability. Flooring manufacturers face mounting regulatory pressure to use recycled content while eliminating hazardous substances — but until now, there was no proven industrial process to do both at once.

The solution

What was built

A pilot-scale recycling line based on the CreaSolv® dissolution process that separates pure PVC from contaminated flooring waste, plus a catalytic hydrogenation system that converts toxic phthalate plasticizers into safe alternatives. Demonstrated with 7,000 kg of real waste input, producing 400 kg of clean phthalate-free plasticizer, with pilot hydrogenation validated at 1-2 kg/h and over 98% decomposition.

Audience

Who needs this

PVC flooring manufacturers needing recycled content for EU circular economy compliancePlastic waste recyclers looking to process PVC flooring instead of landfilling itPlasticizer producers seeking phthalate-free product lines from circular feedstockConstruction material companies with sustainability targets for flooring productsWaste management firms handling end-of-life building materials

Business applications

Who can put this to work

PVC Flooring Manufacturing

enterprise

Target: PVC flooring producers looking to meet circular economy regulations and use recycled content

If you are a PVC flooring manufacturer dealing with tightening EU regulations on phthalates and recycled content targets — this project developed a complete recycling process (CreaSolv® based) that recovers pure PVC from waste flooring with over 99% plasticizer removal. They demonstrated it with 7,000 kg of real waste input and produced flooring-grade recycled PVC at TRL 5-6. This gives you a proven pathway to offer circular flooring products while eliminating hazardous DEHP from your supply chain.

Waste Management & Recycling

mid-size

Target: Plastic waste processors and PVC recyclers seeking higher-value output streams

If you are a waste processor struggling with PVC flooring because it's contaminated with heavy metals and banned plasticizers — this project built a pilot-scale dissolution and purification process that separates clean PVC from hazardous additives. They validated hydrogenation at 1-2 kg/h throughput with over 98% decomposition of phthalates. Instead of sending PVC flooring to landfill or incineration, you can now extract marketable recycled PVC and converted plasticizers from a 500,000-tonne annual waste stream.

Chemical & Plasticizer Production

enterprise

Target: Plasticizer manufacturers looking for sustainable feedstock and phthalate-free product lines

If you are a chemical company producing plasticizers and facing market pressure to phase out phthalates — this project demonstrated catalytic conversion of extracted phthalate esters into safe cyclohexanedicarboxylate plasticizers with over 99.5% conversion efficiency. They produced 400 kg of upgraded phthalate-free plasticizer from actual waste streams. This offers a circular feedstock route for your phthalate-free product lines, turning a disposal problem into a raw material source.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement this recycling process at our facility?

The project data does not include specific cost-per-tonne or capital expenditure figures. However, the process was demonstrated at pilot scale with 7,000 kg of waste input and includes process simulation and business modelling among its 20 deliverables, which would contain economic feasibility data. Contact the consortium for detailed cost projections.

Can this scale to industrial production volumes?

The project achieved TRL 5-6 with a pilot plant processing 7,000 kg of PVC flooring waste and hydrogenation validated at 1-2 kg/h throughput. The target market is the 500,000-tonne European PVC flooring sector, and the consortium includes 13 industry partners positioned to drive scale-up. Further engineering would be needed to reach full commercial throughput.

What is the IP situation — can we license this technology?

The core dissolution technology is the CreaSolv® Process, which is an existing proprietary technology. The project generated 20 deliverables including catalyst formulations and process optimizations. IP is likely held by the consortium members, led by Fraunhofer. Licensing discussions would need to go through the coordinator.

Does this help us comply with EU regulations on phthalates and recycled content?

Directly. The process removes hazardous phthalate plasticizers like DEHP with over 99% efficiency and converts them into safe, phthalate-free alternatives. This addresses REACH restrictions on DEHP and supports compliance with the EU Circular Economy Action Plan's recycled content targets for construction products.

How pure is the recycled PVC output?

The CreaSolv® Process achieves over 99% removal of co-dissolved plasticizers in the extractive purification step. The catalyst converts extracted phthalates with over 99.5% efficiency. The project specifically designed the output for reuse in new flooring applications, meaning it meets flooring-grade quality requirements.

Is this technology ready to deploy now?

The project closed in August 2024 at TRL 5-6 (pilot validated). Key milestones were achieved: 7,000 kg waste processing, 400 kg plasticizer production, and pilot hydrogenation at 1-2 kg/h. Moving to commercial deployment would require further scale-up engineering, but the technical risk has been substantially reduced.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a heavily industry-driven consortium: 13 out of 19 partners are from industry (68%), with the remaining split between universities, research organizations, and other entities across 8 European countries. Fraunhofer, one of Europe's largest applied research organizations, coordinates — which signals strong technology transfer capability. The presence of partners across the full value chain (waste collection, chemical processing, flooring manufacturing) means the technology was developed with real industrial constraints in mind, not just in a lab. For a business considering this technology, the broad consortium means there are likely multiple entry points for collaboration, licensing, or supply chain integration.

ETHNICON METSOVION POLYTECHNIONparticipant · EL
INSTITUT NATIONAL DE L ENVIRONNEMENT INDUSTRIEL ET DES RISQUES - INERISparticipant · FR
SPHERA SOLUTIONS GMBHparticipant · DE
BAYERISCHE FORSCHUNGSALLIANZ BAVARIAN RESEARCH ALLIANCE GMBHparticipant · DE
KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVENparticipant · BE

How to reach the team

Fraunhofer Gesellschaft (Germany) — contact via project website or Fraunhofer's technology transfer office

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Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the CIRCULAR FLOORING team? SciTransfer can connect you with the right consortium partner for your specific recycling or flooring challenge.

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