When it went into operation in 1993, the recycling facility for aircraft de-icing fluids at Munich Airport was the first such facility in the world on a comparable scale. EFM covers up to 70 percent of its annual requirements for Type I de-icing fluid through recycling.

At Munich Airport, most aircraft are de-iced on special de-icing pads at the runway heads. These remote areas are provided with a recovery system for de-icing fluids. This permits the recovery of a substantially greater quantity – up to 60 percent – of used materials than would be possible if aircraft were de-iced on the apron.

The sprayed de-icing fluid that falls onto the de-icing pads during aircraft de-icing operations is channeled – along with melted ice and snow – into large subterranean tanks. This mixture is then trucked to the recycling facility where it is cleaned in a series of mechanical and chemical refinement operations and then distilled to recover the basic glycol-based de-icing agent. Additives are then introduced to produce Type I de-icing fluid. After laboratory analysis and clearance by the manufacturer, the de-icing fluid can be used again.

Apart from producing new de-icing fluid, recycling has a practical side effect: The recycling process generates heat as a byproduct. This “waste heat” is used to keep Munich Airport warm.