[Report] Visitors from the UK and Saudi Arabia Gather in Jeongeup, Korea: "Can You Really Extract Oil from Waste Vinyl?" 200 People Flock to the Site

Inside Urban Oil Extraction’s Wave Jeongeup Factory
World’s First Non-Combustion Low-Temperature Pyrolysis
Capable of Processing 6 Tons of Waste Vinyl at Once
Additional Joint Venture Plants Planned in Gangjin and Muan

Inside the non-combustion low-temperature pyrolysis equipment containing waste vinyl at Dosiyujeon Wave Jeongeup Factory. Photo by Heejong Kang

After driving about 15 minutes from Jeongeup Station in North Jeolla Province on the afternoon of the 18th, the Wave Jeongeup factory appeared in the middle of farmland. Normally a quiet rural village, the area was bustling that day with more than 200 visitors from across the country attending the completion ceremony of the Wave Jeongeup factory. There were also attendees who had traveled from overseas, including partners from the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia.

They did not come just to attend the ceremony. They wanted to see for themselves whether it was truly possible to extract oil from waste vinyl and waste plastic. Wave Jeongeup is a joint venture factory established by the venture company Dosiyujeon, which possesses the world’s first non-combustion low-temperature pyrolysis technology, and Woori Technology, with a 30:70 ownership split. The plant was built on a 7,458-square-meter (2,256-pyeong) site with an investment of 5.7 billion won.

In one warehouse at the factory, waste vinyl compressed into cubic shapes was stacked high. This waste vinyl is loaded onto large trays and automatically transported to the pyrolysis equipment by logistics machinery. When the waste vinyl enters the large cylindrical pyrolysis equipment, it is decomposed using non-combustion low-temperature pyrolysis technology, producing recycled fuel oil.

Lee Hyungkeun, Head of Urban Oil Extraction Division, is explaining the non-combustion low-temperature pyrolysis facility. Photo by Kang Heejong

Panels surrounding the inside of the pyrolysis equipment are fitted with ceramic balls. According to Dosiyujeon, when these ceramic balls are heated to about 300 degrees Celsius, they generate waves that break down waste vinyl and waste plastic.

This is similar to how a microwave can cook or heat food without fire. Because the process does not involve combustion, it does not generate environmentally hazardous substances such as dioxins.

Any residue that is not decomposed is left behind in the tray as blackened carbonized material. Lee Hyungkeun, Head of Urban Oil Extraction Division, explained, “We can process 6 tons of waste vinyl at a time, with a yield of about 70% for fuel oil.” Each processing cycle takes about 24 hours.

The pyrolyzed fuel oil is transferred in the form of oil vapor through pipes to the refining process. Here, after two stages of refining, three types of recycled feedstock oil are produced: ultra-light oil at naphtha level, light oil, and medium oil.

The products refined from recycled oil produced at the Wave Jeongeup factory are shown from the left up to the third item. Photo by Heejong Kang

Currently, Wave Jeongeup is equipped with four pyrolysis units, each capable of processing 6 tons of waste vinyl and waste plastic at a time. The facility can process 6,500 tons of waste vinyl and similar materials annually, producing up to 4,550 tons (approximately 5.4 million liters) of recycled feedstock oil.

There had been widespread skepticism about Dosiyujeon’s non-combustion low-temperature pyrolysis method. However, with the completion of the Wave factory, the technology has been validated. This technology has obtained all necessary domestic and international certifications, including Europe’s ISCC PLUS, the Process Safety Management (PSM) system from the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, and quality verification from the Korea Testing Laboratory (KTL).

With the completion of Wave Jeongeup, Dosiyujeon’s technological capabilities have been proven, leading to a surge of partnership inquiries. Dosiyujeon is now pursuing the construction of a second and third plant in Gangjin, South Jeolla Province, and a fourth plant in Muan, using the same joint venture model as Wave Jeongeup. The company is also in discussions with Taebaek City in Gangwon Province about establishing its own plant there.

Jung Younghoon, CEO of Dosiyujeon, told reporters that day, “Many local governments that are struggling with how to handle collected waste vinyl are showing interest in our technology.” The company is also working with an Australian firm to demonstrate technology that extracts oil from waste textiles such as used clothing.

Jung Younghoon, CEO of Dosiyujeon, is answering reporters' questions at the completion ceremony of the Wave Jeongeup factory held on the 18th. Photo by Kang Heejong

Dosiyujeon’s business model consists of two main approaches: providing equipment to locations that require low-temperature pyrolysis technology, and directly producing and selling recycled feedstock oil.

CEO Jung explained, “We expect to generate about 100 billion won in revenue next year through equipment sales. From 2027 onward, we anticipate that our own plants will consistently generate annual sales of 120 billion won by producing recycled oil.” Dosiyujeon is currently in talks with multiple venture capital firms to attract additional investment and is aiming for an initial public offering in the second half of 2027.