SK chemicals, the first company in the world to successfully mass-produce chemically recycled materials, has embarked on establishing a comprehensive plastic recycling solution center in Korea. This center will encompass the production of circular recyclable raw materials, demonstration research, and material production.

The company announced that it will establish a Recycle Innovation Center (RIC) at its Ulsan plant where eco-friendly chemical materials are produced. The company 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 marks SK chemicals' first depolymerization technology-based recycling center in Korea.

The newly constructed depolymerization pilot facility will 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 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. BHET(r-BHET), an intermediate raw material for polyester-based materials such as PET and copolyester, is integral to SK chemicals' chemical recycling technology.

SK chemicals explained, "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. 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."

Completion of RIC is expected to accelerate implementation of SK chemicals' Closed Loop solution.