SK Ecoplant Produces Rebar Without Iron Using PET Bottles and Glass Fibers

원본보기 아이콘

For the world's first production of eco-friendly rebar substitute recycled from PET bottles, specialized company KCMT

partners with Carbon Fiber & Young

to jointly invest in a production line with an annual capacity of 40,000 tons

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] SK Ecoplant announced on the 20th that it will jointly invest in establishing the K-Ecoba production line together with KCMT, a company specializing in GFRP reinforcement bars, and Carbon Fiber & Young, an eco-friendly new material technology company.

GFRP reinforcement bars are reinforcement bars (rebar) commonly called rebar, made not of steel but of Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic (GFRP). Unlike steel rebar, the production process does not use scrap metal or limestone, resulting in more than 50% less carbon emissions. The three companies, including SK Ecoplant, have taken a step further by jointly filing a patent for technology that produces impregnation resin, one of the raw materials needed for GFRP rebar production, by recycling discarded PET bottles. The impregnation resin protects the glass fibers from environmental impact, maintains the fiber arrangement, and enables load transfer between individual fibers.

Unlike steel rebar, GFRP reinforcement bars have strong corrosion resistance and do not rust. They can enhance durability and safety in humid areas such as coastal regions, bridges, and dams, and facilitate maintenance of buildings after completion. Their strength is twice that of steel rebar, and their weight is one-quarter, making construction and transportation easier. Recognized for these advantages, GFRP rebar began to be used in the 1990s in countries such as the United States and Germany and is now expanding across all industrial sectors. Recently, China has emerged as the largest producer amid carbon reduction policies.

In Korea, since 2020, public institutions have started verifying the excellent performance of GFRP reinforcement bars, and specific design standards are currently being established. However, there are still few companies capable of producing high-quality products domestically, and due to higher costs compared to steel rebar, they have often been imported from overseas for use in special processes.

The new factory jointly established by SK Ecoplant, KCMT, which holds GFRP rebar production technology, and Carbon Fiber & Young, an eco-friendly resin research company, is expected to secure price competitiveness comparable to existing steel rebar through full process automation.

By establishing 80 production lines, an annual production capacity of 40,000 tons will be secured by 2024, and through additional investment, an annual capacity of 200,000 tons is planned by 2027. Since impregnation resin capable of producing 1 meter (760g) can be made from one 2L PET bottle, producing 200,000 tons of K-Ecoba in the future will enable recycling of approximately 300 million PET bottles annually.

Jung-sik Cho, Head of SK Ecoplant Eco Solution BU, said, "K-Ecoba is a revolutionary technology that can increase the resource circulation rate of PET bottles because, as a construction material, it is not affected by color, so both transparent and colored PET bottles can be used without problems," adding, "We will overcome the recent crisis in the construction raw materials market through innovative eco-friendly material development."

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.