SK chemicals to establish recycle innovation center in South Korea
SK chemicals announced that it will establish a Recycle Innovation Center (RIC) at its Ulsan plant in South Korea, encompassing the production of circular recyclable raw materials, demonstration research, and material production.
Aerial view of SK chemicals' Ulsan plant where the Recycle Innovation Center will be constructed.
“Establishing an integrated research and production system from recycled raw materials to recycled plastics will be a crucial turning point in accelerating innovation in the plastic ecosystem's circular recycling,” said Ahn Jae-hyun, CEO of SK chemicals.
The newly constructed depolymerization pilot facility will produce recyclable plastic raw materials (r-BHET) from various types of low-quality waste plastics, from typical transparent bottles to fibers, films, and automotive parts. This marks SK chemicals' first depolymerization technology-based recycling center in South Korea.
The depolymerization pilot facility is scheduled to begin operations in 2026 with an annual production capacity of 50 tons. BHET, an intermediate raw material for polyester-based materials such as PET and copolyester, is integral to SK chemicals' chemical recycling technology.
By leveraging RIC, SK chemicals strengthens its cooperation with the beverage, cosmetics, electronics, and automotive sectors to secure waste plastic resource circulation infrastructure and stable waste resource supply chains.
