A systematic review on the recycling of polyurethane products from offshore applications

With the growing environmental awareness, more scrutiny is placed on the responsible handling of materials during the decommissioning of offshore facilities no longer in use. These facilities may contain polyurethane, renowned for its versatility, resilience, stability, buoyancy, and insulation (thermal, acoustic, and electrical). Recycling polyurethane (PU) from offshore facilities is both an opportunity and a challenge that has not been addressed thoroughly yet in the published literature. While recycling polyurethane from domestic and onshore industrial applications is relatively well-documented, literature reviews on recycling PU from offshore environments are scarce. To date, there are no comprehensive syntheses on offshore PU recycling approaches. The purpose of this review is to identify published articles that (1) describe the recycling of PU with a special focus on offshore oil and gas production and transport, (2) explore potential applications/consumers for recycled PU products, and (3) examine the economic/environmental viability of PU recycling in a typical offshore province, the North West Shelf of Australia.

A systematic search was conducted using three electronic databases (Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science) to source articles that describe the recycling of offshore polyurethane and its potential. Recycling methods were extracted and synthesised to identify their advantages, disadvantages, and possible gaps in the existing body of knowledge. By synthesising the literature on PU recycling, analysing the local market, and conducting a life cycle assessment of recycling methods, this study demonstrated that mechanical recycling is superior to its alternatives in terms of environmental impact and economic viability.