SK Geo Centric's pyrolysis technology wins government approval

[Courtesy of SK Geo Centric]

SEOUL -- SK Geo Centric, a chemical company affiliated with South Korea's SK Group, has set the stage for the full utilization of its pyrolysis technology to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by securing government approval. South Korean research institutes, private companies and academics have joined hands to popularize pyrolysis recycling as a method to respond to climate change.

SK Geo Centric has launched a joint study with the Korea Research Institute on Climate Change to develop a methodology that contains procedures and standards for measuring carbon dioxide reduction in the post-treatment process of pyrolysis oil. "With the approval of our pyrolysis oil methodology, we have set the stage for continuously pursuing eco-friendly businesses for carbon reduction," an unnamed Geo Centric official said in a statement on May 5.

Pyrolysis is a chemical recycling process that can convert plastics into high-quality oil using extreme heat and pressure. Recycled oil is processed into medium crude and light oil to be used in the production of lubricants and fuels. Previously, pyrolysis oil has not been used as a raw material for the production of petrochemical products due to impurities and concerns over air pollution.

SK Geo Centric and its parent company, SK Innovation (SKI), have developed post-treatment technology to remove impurities. SK Geo Centric said its methodology can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 2.7 tons compared to incineration by recycling one ton of plastic waste into pyrolysis oil.

SK Geo Centric has partnered with Brightmark LLC, a San Francisco-based company that provides clean energy generation solutions, to build a pyrolysis plant capable of recycling 200,000 tons of waste plastics annually in the southeastern industrial port city of Ulsan.

Lim Chang-won cwlim34@ajunews.com

SK Geo Centric's pyrolysis technology wins government approval

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