Development of PBAT prototypes in the first half of this year
Official launch of fully biodegradable PBAT products in Q3
2023 domestic largest scale annual production exceeding 50,000 tons
[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] Kolon Industries and SK General Chemicals announced on the 7th that they will collaborate to launch PBAT (Polybutylene Adipate-co-Terephthalate), an eco-friendly biodegradable plastic product that decomposes well, in the third quarter of this year.
PBAT is an eco-friendly plastic product that rapidly decomposes in nature through reactions with oxygen, heat, light, and enzymes. While conventional plastic products are known to take nearly 100 years to decompose naturally, PBAT products decompose naturally within six months when buried, leading to a rapid increase in usage recently.
Kolon Industries and SK General Chemicals announced on the 7th that they signed a strategic partnership at the SK Seorin Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, to commercialize eco-friendly biodegradable plastic products. The two companies, which have been cooperating on the development of eco-friendly biodegradable plastic materials since last year, are approaching the product commercialization stage just one year after starting joint research and development.
Kolon Industries and SK General Chemicals will combine their long-accumulated plastic product manufacturing process technologies to officially launch high-quality PBAT products within the third quarter of this year. To this end, both companies plan to complete biodegradability certification, domestic and international patent applications, and prototype development of PBAT products by the first half of this year.
Kolon Industries will share PBAT production technology and facility operation know-how based on its top-tier domestic nylon and polyester product manufacturing technologies. SK General Chemicals, as the only domestic producer and supplier of PBAT raw materials, will fully leverage this advantage and integrate its accumulated technologies in eco-friendly packaging materials to further upgrade the production technology of high-quality PBAT products.
Na Kyung-su, President of SK General Chemicals (left in the photo), and Jang Hee-gu, CEO of Kolon Industries, are holding a jointly developed PBAT sample at the strategic partnership agreement ceremony for the development of eco-friendly plastic materials on the 7th. Kolon Industries will produce PBAT by stably receiving raw materials from SK General Chemicals, and by adding SK General Chemicals’ know-how such as optimal temperature and material mixing ratios during the process, they will create high-quality PBAT products. The two companies aim to secure an annual production capacity of over 50,000 tons, the largest scale in Korea, by 2023 to proactively address the plastic waste problem and actively respond to the increasing demand for biodegradable products in the future.
Following the Ministry of Environment’s declaration of 'carbon neutrality by 2050,' and with plastic usage regulations tightening worldwide, the market for biodegradable plastic products is expected to expand exponentially. PBAT, which the two companies plan to commercialize, is evaluated as an effective alternative to plastic waste problems because it can replace plastic products such as agricultural films, single-use bags, and fishing nets that are difficult to recycle, as well as contaminated waste plastics that cannot be recycled. PBAT is an important material for making eco-friendly plastics, with the advantage of naturally decomposing in ordinary soil.
Meanwhile, Kolon Industries and SK General Chemicals plan to continuously expand their portfolio of eco-friendly biodegradable plastic products. They also plan to jointly complete a plastic circulation system by promoting a business cooperation model that produces recycled products using waste plastics as raw materials.
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