A New Horizon for Building Materials
Posco Steelion is accelerating the realization of a circular economy by successfully developing innovative color steel plate technology that utilizes waste resources.
Recycled carbon black extracted from waste tires (left) and color steel plate, recycled protective film (right).
On April 16, Posco Steelion announced that it had succeeded in developing color steel plates using "recycled carbon black" pigment extracted from waste tires.
This achievement follows last year’s development of color steel plates using waste plastics and biomass materials, further demonstrating Posco Steelion’s technological capability to transform discarded resources into high-value-added steel materials.
It is estimated that approximately 300,000 to 400,000 tons of waste tires are discarded annually in Korea. Posco Steelion has transformed these waste tires into high-performance pigments by shredding and pyrolyzing them to obtain combustion residues, which are then refined and processed through the company’s proprietary methods to produce recycled carbon black.
Carbon black pigment is a key component in determining the color and appearance of color steel plates. It must meet high quality standards, including deep black color expression, excellent ultraviolet resistance, and superior pigment dispersion.
After extensive efforts, the company succeeded in achieving a uniform color quality and stable coating performance equivalent to existing products by designing a precise blending ratio, even though recycled materials were used.
The newly developed recycled carbon black color steel plate was first applied to the architectural polyester product line. During the trial production conducted in April, it was confirmed that no delamination occurred during 2T bending processing.
In addition, it successfully passed stringent physical property standards required for construction materials, such as coating adhesion and a 500-hour weather resistance test.
Furthermore, the company succeeded in developing a "recycled protective film" using recycled materials for the film applied to protect the surface of color steel plates, and completed adhesion evaluations.
A Posco Steelion representative stated, "Going forward, we will expand the application of recycled carbon black pigment technology to various fields, including home appliances and gravure printing inks. We will also continue research and development for various auxiliary materials required in subsequent processes such as distribution and processing, thereby continuing our efforts to realize a circular economy."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
