South Korea: SK Chemicals to Establish Waste Plastic Recycling Innovation Center
Korean company SK Chemicals announced in February this year that it will establish a Recycling Innovation Center (RIC) at its Ulsan plant where eco-friendly chemical materials are produced.
According to the company, it will invest in new pilot facilities for the chemical decomposition of waste plastics to produce recycled BHET (r-BHET), linking them with existing commercial copolyester production facilities. This would mark SK Chemicals’ first depolymerization technology-based recycling center in Korea.
The newly constructed pilot facility is to produce recyclable plastic raw materials (r-BHET) from waste plastics. “This facility will validate commercialization technology for various types of low-quality waste plastics that were previously difficult to recycle using conventional methods, expanding beyond typical transparent bottles to include fibers, films, and automotive parts. In particular, the recycling of textiles is known to be a highly challenging field due to the diverse forms and types of materials mixed in a single garment. This includes not only polyester yarn but also other fibers such as cotton, as well as various accessories like buttons.”
The depolymerization pilot facility is scheduled to begin operations in 2026 with an annual production capacity of 50 tons, the Korean company informed. “BHET(r-BHET), an intermediate raw material for polyester-based materials such as PET and copolyester, is integral to SK Chemicals’ chemical recycling technology.” With the construction of the RIC, SK Chemicals would establish an integrated research and production system at its Ulsan plant, covering everything from circular recycled raw materials (r-BHET) to circular recycled materials. “All processes from depolymerization to demonstration research, polymerization, and mass production will be organically integrated at one location.” This is supported by a polymerization pilot that produces a circular recycled PET and a commercial production facility capable of mass-producing circular recycled copolyester.
“Since different industries such as automotive, electronics, and fashion have varying types of waste plastics and require different plastic qualities and properties, it is crucial to have the technology and capability to quickly validate and commercialize depolymerization and material production processes tailored to each industry,” SK Chemicals explained. “With the establishment of the RIC, we will be able to provide faster and more flexible solutions to the complex challenges demanded by various industries based on our foundational technology.”
By its own account, SK Chemicals has a strong track record of innovation in recycling: It was the first globally to commercialize circular recycled copolyester using chemically recycled raw materials (2021); the first in Korea to supply circular recycled PET (2022); and has established a solid production base for recycled waste plastic business by acquiring a stake in the Chinese company Shuye Environmental Technology and establishing SK Chemicals Shantou.
(Published in GLOBAL RECYCLING Magazine 1/2025, Page 22, Photo: SK Chemicals)
