Doosan Heavy Industries to Produce 'Hydrogen' from Waste Plastic and Waste Vinyl

Hydrogenation Process Diagram of Waste Plastic

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyewon] Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction is embarking on the development of hydrogen production technology using waste plastics and waste vinyl (hereinafter referred to as waste plastics). To this end, Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction announced on the 6th that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Ribotech, a company specializing in continuous pyrolysis of waste plastics.

Ribotech produces gas by continuously pyrolyzing waste plastics, and Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction plans to develop the core equipment and processes to reform the pyrolysis gas into hydrogen. The continuous pyrolysis technology applied this time allows for continuous production by continuously feeding raw materials, making it easy to scale up processing capacity and secure economic feasibility.

Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction plans to develop a hydrogen reformer capable of producing about 0.3 tons of hydrogen per day by the end of this year, install it at Ribotech located in Mungyeong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and operate it. Subsequently, through demonstration projects, the technology will be commercialized to produce more than 3 tons of hydrogen per day from waste plastics.

At the 'Business Agreement Ceremony for the Development of Waste Plastic Hydrogenation Technology' held at Bundang Doosan Tower, Doosan Heavy Industries Vice President Song Yong-jin (left) and Libotech CEO Hwang Byung-jik are posing for a commemorative photo after signing.

Song Yongjin, Vice President of Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction, said, "More than 8 million tons of waste plastics are generated annually in Korea, and this technology can be applied to about 4 million tons of waste plastics that are landfilled, incinerated, or used as raw materials for solid recovered fuel (SRF)." He added, "Hydrogenation of waste plastics will contribute to resource circulation and carbon neutrality, and the produced hydrogen can later be used for fuel cells, hydrogen gas turbines, and more."

Strengthening its eco-friendly energy business, Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction is expanding its hydrogen business in various ways. It is constructing the country's first hydrogen liquefaction plant within its headquarters factory in Changwon, scheduled for completion in 2022, and is producing green hydrogen through water electrolysis linked with wind power generation on Jeju Island.