'Bio-Plastic' to Solve the 'Garbage Mountain' Problem Is Coming [Reading Science]

Commercialization Expected Domestically Within 2-3 Years, 100% Natural Decomposition Possible Within 1 Year

Plastic 'Polylactide' (PLA) manufactured using 100% biodegradable plasticizer lactide oligomer developed by the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Recycling waste plastics has emerged as an essential task for resource conservation, environmental pollution reduction, and achieving carbon neutrality. According to the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, approximately 7,000 tons of plastic waste are generated daily in South Korea as of last year. In particular, the recent spread of delivery culture amid the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a sharp increase. However, more than 50% of this waste is simply incinerated or landfilled, leading to resource waste as well as environmental pollution. Notably, incinerating or landfilling 1 ton of plastic emits 9 tons of carbon dioxide, making eco-friendly treatment essential. To address these plastic issues, technologies are being researched to manufacture and use biodegradable bioplastics or to recycle plastics through mechanical and chemical decomposition. Research to find microorganisms that can break down plastics is also ongoing.

First, bioplastics refer to plastics that are biodegradable using biomass such as corn, sugarcane, microorganisms, and starch. For example, in 2019, the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology developed a biodegradable yet strong and tough plastic bag, which is nearing commercialization. Recently, they also developed biodegradable mask filter materials. According to Samsung Securities, the bioplastics market is expected to grow rapidly, with a 36% increase forecasted by 2025 compared to last year. Particularly, the market for biodegradable plastics that decompose within one year is expected to surge from 1.23 million tons last year to 1.8 million tons by 2025. Among domestic companies, LG Chem and SKC have entered bioplastics production and are expected to enter the market within 2 to 3 years.

Research on mechanical and chemical recycling to convert waste plastics into resources is also active. Especially in South Korea, after the Ministry of Environment announced measures to solve plastic problems in December last year and set a goal to increase the proportion of recycled raw materials to 30% by 2030, the market has been rapidly forming. Plastic recycling is divided into the 'mechanical method,' which manufactures recycled plastics through mechanical processes such as crushing, washing, sorting, and mixing used plastics, and the 'chemical method,' which refines plastics, depolymerizes polymer aggregates, or converts them into chemical raw materials. Mechanical recycling is already commercialized, with low entry costs and energy consumption, resulting in excellent carbon dioxide reduction effects. However, its drawbacks include quality degradation with repeated recycling and difficulty in recycling when recovered plastics are contaminated or hard to sort by material. Accordingly, chemical recycling methods that can overcome these drawbacks are rapidly gaining attention. As of last year, the global plastic recycling market size was 12.9 million tons, with chemical recycling accounting for only 900,000 tons. However, due to its advantages, it is expected to surge to 4.1 million tons by 2030. Among global companies, BASF announced the first commercial chemical recycling project in 2018.

Hwang Dong-won, head of the Carbon Resource Research Group at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, said, "If plastic use is an unavoidable choice for us, we must return plastic waste to its original materials to maintain the benefits of plastics while minimizing environmental pollution and ecological threats," adding, "Addressing plastic waste requires policy support, industry efforts, and public action to reduce plastic use."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.