MOSCOW (MRC) -- SK Global Chemical Co., a petrochemical subsidiary of SK Innovation Co., and chemical and textile heavyweight Kolon Industries signed a strategic partnership on 7 April to produce biodegradable polybuthylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT) plastic from the third quarter of this year, according to Kemicalinfo with reference to the two companies' statements.
SK and Kolon will manufacture 50,000 tons per annum of PBAT by 2023, the highest output of biodegradable plastic in South Korea.
PBAT is a biodegradable plastic that biodegrades in nature within six months through air, sunlight, heat and enzyme reactions, whereas a typical plastic material takes more than 100 years to biodegrade. PBAT also has an eco-friendly advantage over other biodegradable plastics, including polylactic acid (PLA) plastics, which unlike PBAT require certain soil conditions such as high temperature and humidity for degradation. The PBAT will be used in agricultural bags, disposable bags and fishing nets.
The two companies launched a research project last year to develop a biodegradable plastic material. Within a year of this joint effort, they are on the brink of the first mass production of biodegradable plastic in South Korea.
Under the deal, Kolon Industries will offer support regarding the mass-production process and facilities management, based on its nylon and polyester production know-how.
SK Global Chemical, as the only manufacturer and supplier of the base material used in PBAT production, will build on its technical expertise of eco-friendly packaging materials.
“This partnership will put us a step ahead of the competition in the biodegradable plastics market and in establishing an eco-friendly plastics ecosystem,” said SK Global Chemical CEO Na Kyung-soo.
As MRC reported previously, earlier this yeaar, SK Innovation Co Ltd, the owner of South Korea's top refiner SK Energy, said refining margins are expected to gradually recover this year on a pick-up in fuel demand as the impact of COVID-19 eases
We remind that the Korean energy and chemical firm SK Innovation, a subsidiary of SK Group, has recently announced its intention to build a plant in Wojewodztwo Slaskie, Poland that will manufacture Lithium-Ion Battery Separators (LiBS) and Ceramic Coated Separators (CCS), said Manufacturingglobal. Separators are the core material of electric vehicle (EV) batteries, with SK Innovation seeking to further bolster its offering to battery manufacturers.
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