SK Chemical Extracts Recycled Materials from Plastics in Textile and Car Parts as Well

Raw Material Production, Demonstration Research, and Material Manufacturing
Establishment of a Comprehensive Recycling Solution Center
Operation Scheduled for Next Year... Annual Production Capacity of 50 Tons

SK Chemicals is establishing a comprehensive plastic recycling solution center in Korea that covers the production of circular recycled raw materials, demonstration research, and material production. The scope of recycling, which was previously limited to certain waste resources such as transparent PET bottles, will be expanded to extract recycled raw materials from low-quality plastics used in textile products and automotive parts.

On the 18th, SK Chemicals announced that it will build a pilot facility at its Ulsan plant to chemically decompose waste plastics and produce recycled raw materials (r-BHET·recycled BHET). r-BHET is an intermediate product of polyester-based materials such as PET and copolyester, and is a key component of the 'plastic circular' system. The pilot facility is planned to be constructed with an annual production capacity of 50 tons, targeting operation in 2026.

Recycling processing facility within the Seoul Songpa-gu Resource Circulation Park. Photo by Moon Ho-nam

SK Chemicals plans to connect the pilot facility with its existing copolyester production facilities to create the 'Recycle Innovation Center (RIC).' This will allow the immediate verification of the practical feasibility of technologies developed at the pilot facility by introducing them into the production process. SK Chemicals' Chinese subsidiary, SK Santou, produces 100,000 tons of r-BHET annually, but the recycling target is mainly limited to PET bottles. The new domestic facility will conduct research on recycling various low-quality waste plastics. At RIC, commercialization technologies to obtain r-BHET by inputting textiles, automotive parts, and other materials will be verified. Textiles are known to be a challenging field for recycling because they contain various materials mixed together, such as polyester yarns, other fibers, and buttons.

Jae-Hyun Ahn, CEO of SK Chemicals, said, "Through close cooperation with companies in industries such as food and beverage, automotive, electrical and electronics, and fashion, we will design a complete resource circulation system for each industry group."