8 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 03/25 www.petpla.net ABSOLUTE MEASURMENT PERFECTION Want to find out? Scan to access our FREE guidebook Industrial Physics is lifting the lid on PET bottle testing. How can you ensure the absolute quality of your beverage packaging? Featuring real world data SK chemicals to establish waste plastic recycling innovation center in Korea SK Chemicals has successfully massproduced chemically recycled materials and started to build a comprehensive centre for plastic recycling solutions in Korea. This centre will include the production of circular recyclable raw materials, demonstration research and material production. The company announced on February 18 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. The newly constructed depolymerisation pilot facility will produce recyclable plastic raw materials (r-BHET) from waste plastics. This facility will validate commercialisation 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 fibres, 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 fibres such as cotton, as well as various accessories like buttons. The depolymerisation pilot facility is scheduled to begin operations in 2026 with an annual production capacity of 50 t. 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 will 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 depolymerisation to demonstration research, polymerisation, and mass production will be organically integrated at one location. This is supported by a polymerisation pilot that produces a circular recycled PET and a commercial production facility capable of mass-producing circular recycled copolyester. www.skchemicals.com Axens and Sorema sign partnership for providing advanced plastic recycling integrated solutions Axens, a leading technology licensor in the field of plastics circular economy, and Sorema, an international technology and equipment provider for sorting, cleaning and mechanical treatment of plastic waste, announced their cooperation for providing integrated solutions for advanced (chemical, physical) recycling of plastic wastes. Through this collaboration, Axens and Sorema aim to provide their clients with integrated and optimised solutions, maximising the yield and revenues from the waste feedstock to the recycled plastic. Axens is transforming the recycling of hard-to-recycle plastics by offering a suite of de-risked commercial technologies (TAC Process developed by Plastic Energy, followed by Axens’ Rewind Max and Rewind Mix processes) to produce a recycled naphtha equivalent to petrochemical naphtha through the proven pyrolysis pathway, thus enabling the production of food-grade recycled polyolefins (polyethylene, polypropylene). Additionally, Axens markets the Rewind PET process, which can reliably recycle all types of PET waste into a high-quality, virgin-like, recycled PET, suitable for all PET applications including food contact packaging or textiles. Sorema’s expertise in all the mechanical treatment operations of plastic waste allows to optimise feedstock preparation for advanced recycling units designed by Axens. Axens and Sorema are globally active, offering their integrated solutions from basic engineering design to the delivery of prefabricated modular units, empowering customers to efficiently execute their plastic recycling projects. www.sorema.it www.axens.net
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