SK Chemicals to create a new benchmark for South Korea plastic recycling

South Korea SK Chemicals recently announced a major initiative to establish a comprehensive plastic recycling solution center, the Recycling Innovation Center (RIC), at its Ulsan facility. This move marks a solid step forward for SK Chemicals in promoting the recycling of plastics.

The core of the recycling innovation center is the newly built depolymerization pilot facility, which is scheduled to be operational in 2026 and will have an annual capacity of 50 tons. The facility will use advanced chemical decomposition technology to depolymerize waste plastics to produce recycled bis-2-hydroxy ethyl terephthalate (r-BHET). This intermediate feedstock is a key component in the production of polyester-based materials such as PET and copolyesters, and is at the heart of SK's Chemicals chemical recycling technology.

It is worth mentioning that the depolymerization technology Chemicals by SK will be able to process many types of low-quality waste plastics, including fibers, films and automotive parts that are difficult to recover by traditional methods. Especially for the challenging area of textile recycling, SK Chemicals technology that will be able to cope with the complexities of mixing multiple forms and types of materials in one garment.

With the construction of RIC, SK Chemicals will build a complete research and production system from recycled raw materials (r-BHET) to recycled materials in the Ulsan plant. From disaggregation, empirical research, aggregation, and mass production, all processes are organically integrated into one site to form an efficient, synergistic whole. The establishment of this comprehensive system will strongly support the continuous innovation and rapid development of SK Chemicals in the field of plastic recycling.

SK Chemicals has made great achievements in the field of plastic recycling. The company is the first company in the world to commercialize recycled copolyester using chemically recycled raw materials (2021) and provides recycled PET for the first time in South Korea (2022). In addition, SK Chemicals has also established a solid production base for recycled waste plastics business by acquiring shares in Chinese company Shuyue Environmental Technology and establishing SK Chemicals Shantou.

the complex plastic recycling challenges required by different industries, SK Chemicals said that it is essential to have the technology and ability to quickly verify and commercialize the depolymerization and material production processes tailored to each industry. With the establishment of RIC, SK Chemicals will be able to provide faster and more flexible solutions for various industries based on its basic technology, and promote the continuous development and innovation of the plastics recycling industry.

In general, the establishment of SK Chemicals Recycling Innovation Center not only marks the company's leading position in the field of plastic recycling, but also injects new vitality and impetus into the development of the global plastic recycling industry.