Producing high-quality feedstock and oil from waste plastics and plastic film
‘Superbin’ I.M. Factory · ‘Urban Oilfield’ Wave Jeongeup
If discarded properly, it comes back to life. An I.M. Factory employee holds high-purity, high-quality ‘Repurium flakes’ made by crushing clear PET bottles with their product labels removed. The flakes become material for various plastic containers, including PET bottles. Hwaseong| Reporter Moon Jae-won
A war in the Middle East on the other side of the globe has shaken our lives. As crude oil supplies became unstable, fuel prices soared, and supplies of ‘naphtha’a substance obtained when crude is heated and refined, and a basic feedstock for chemical products such as plastics, synthetic fibers, and rubberwere also disrupted. A society dependent on chemical products like plastics was thrown into confusion: delivery containers, agricultural fertilizers, trash bags, automotive parts, and, ultimately, even medical syringes tied directly to life.
The darker the night, the clearer a single beam of light becomes. The clue to an alternative we have been searching for may lie within the problems we created. On April 29, at Superbin’s plant ‘I.M. Factory Hwaseong’ in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, sunlight streaming through a window illuminates discarded PET bottles. Hwaseong|Reporter Moon Jae-won
This crisis reminded us of an obvious truth: plastic, long derided as a main culprit of pollution and used and thrown away with ease, was in fact deeply embedded in everyday life. Environmental groups call for “de-plasticization,” yet the limits are clear when immediate substitution with other materials is not possible.
Discarded PET bottles collected nationwide through Superbin’s AI circular-resource retrieval robot ‘Nephron’ are stacked at the I.M. Factory Hwaseong plant. Hwaseong| Reporter Moon Jae-won
We visited two factories that turn plastic waste back into resources: Superbin’s ‘I.M. Factory,’ which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to sort waste PET bottles into high-quality recycled feedstock, and Urban Oilfield’s ‘Wave Jeongeup,’ which thermally decomposes waste plastic film and onion nets back into naphtha without burning.
Superbin. Video by Reporter Moon Jae-won
Superbin. Video by Reporter Moon Jae-won
On April 29 at Superbin’s plant ‘I.M. Factory Hwaseong’ in Gyeonggi Province. Compressed clear waste PET bottles are loaded onto the rail. Hwaseong|Reporter Moon Jae-won
We visited Superbin’s I.M. Factory in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi. The plant was cleaner than expected, and there was no foul odor. There was also an exhibition room on resource circulation for students and visitors.
A plant employee operates the rail carrying compressed clear waste PET bottles. Hwaseong|Reporter Moon Jae-won
Blocks of compressed waste PET bottles were stacked like bricks in the work area. When the bottles were placed on the rail, an AI machine sorted the plastics.
At ‘I.M. Factory Hwaseong,’ a plant employee checks the waste PET bottles after AI-based sorting. Hwaseong|Reporter Moon Jae-won
Colorful caps from waste PET bottles are being made into recycled PP feedstock. Hwaseong| Reporter Moon Jae-won
An employee gathers waste PET bottles that have fallen onto the shop floor. Hwaseong|Reporter Moon Jae-won
The biggest problem in recycling is contamination caused by mixed disposal. To address this, Superbin installed the AI unmanned collector ‘Nephron’ nationwidean automated machine that recovers clear PET bottles and cans.
On May 13, citizens insert clear PET bottles into Superbin’s AI circular-resource retrieval robot ‘Nephron’ installed near a large discount store in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon. Incheon| Reporter Moon Jae-won
A citizen rinses the inside with water before placing a waste PET bottle into Nephron. Incheon| Reporter Moon Jae-won
Bottles collected by Nephron are transported to plants in Hwaseong and Sunchang, where they are turned into flakes and pellets, high-quality recycled PET feedstocks.
Clear waste PET bottles gathered from across the country via Nephron arrive at I.M. Factory Hwaseong. Hwaseong| Reporter Moon Jae-won
Waste PET bottles have been made into ‘flakes,’ one type of recycled PET feedstock. Superbin’s flakes have earned Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certification; passed the Ministry of Environment’s suitability review for producing recycled raw materials for food use; and completed evaluation tests of testing methods for food-contact materials recognized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Hwaseong| Reporter Moon Jae-won
Yoon Young-jun, head of Superbin’s Solutions Business Team, explained, “Superbin’s circular economy connects citizen participation, technology, and industry into a system where waste returns to resources.”
On May 6 at the I.M. Factory Sunchang plant in North Jeolla Province. Large bulk bags filled with ‘flakes,’ recycled PET feedstock produced at the Hwaseong plant, are stacked. Here, ‘pellets,’ another recycled PET feedstock, are produced from the flakes. Sunchang| Reporter Moon Jae-won
A large share of PET bottles for food and beverages are mde from naphtha. Using recycled feedstock can not only ease naphtha supply instability but also reduce environmental pollution from producing new plastics. However, investment in production technology and processes is needed, and improvements in unit costs are urgently required.
At I.M. Factory Sunchang, an employee checks the production facilities via a monitor. Sunchang| Reporter Moon Jae-won
An employee observes the production facilities on a monitor. That day, Lee Seung-min, manager at I.M. Factory Sunchang, said, “Because of preconceptions about resource circulation, people sometimes misunderstand the plant as a backward environment, but most processes are run by AI systems and automation.” Sunchang| Reporter Moon Jae-won
‘Repurium pellets’ are being produced at the I.M. Factory Sunchang plant. Sunchang| Reporter Moon Jae-won
Kim Min-su, head of Superbin’s Super Armor Team, said, “We can feel the market moving now that mandatory volumes for using recycled feedstock have been introduced this year, but at the current 10% level it is difficult to form sufficient demand.” The target categories need to be broadened beyond food containers to other products such as cosmetics.
‘Repurium pellets’ produced at the I.M. Factory Sunchang plant pour into a large bulk bag. Sunchang| Reporter Moon Jae-won
An I.M. Factory Sunchang employee holds ‘Repurium pellets’ made from the high-purity, high-quality ‘Repurium flakes’ produced at the Hwaseong plant. The ‘pellets’ are high-quality recycled material applicable in diverse markets, including food containers, textiles, cosmetic containers, and automotive electronic components, and they have obtained recognition from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for recycled raw materials for food containers. Sunchang| Reporter Moon Jae-won
‘Wave Jeongeup’ of ‘Urban Oilfield’
Collected plastic film and onion-net waste undergo thermal decomposition at Urban Oilfield’s ‘Wave Jeongeup’ plant and are transformed into naphtha-grade recycled oil. Jeongeup| Reporter Moon Jae-won
We visited Urban Oilfield’s ‘Wave Jeongeup’ plant in North Jeolla Province. Although it is a plant that turns discarded agricultural plastic film and onion nets into naphtha, there was almost no smell of oil.
Urban Oilfield’s Wave Jeongeup. Video by Reporter Moon Jae-won
Urban Oilfield’s Wave Jeongeup. Video by Reporter Moon Jae-won
On May 7, onion nets discarded by farms are piled up at the raw-material storage facility at Urban Oilfield’s Wave Jeongeup in North Jeolla Province. Jeongeup|Reporter Moon Jae-won
Waste plastic film and instant noodle and snack packets are piled up in the raw-material storage facility. As the notion that they are always cheap and easily obtainable is shaken, it prompts a rethink of the weight of what we have been casually throwing away. Jeongeup|Reporter Moon Jae-won
On May 7 at Urban Oilfield’s Wave Jeongeup plant in North Jeolla Province, an employee controls the process while watching CCTV and monitors. Jeongeup|Reporter Moon Jae-won
Here too, many parts were controlled by automated systems.
Urban Oilfield’s Wave Jeongeup plant. The warehouse where waste plastic film and onion nets are gathered is designated the raw-material storage facility. Jeongeup|Reporter Moon Jae-won
Plastic film, once thought to be a nuisance that had to be buried or burned. At the raw-material storage facility, employees move waste plastic film with a crane. Jeongeup|Reporter Moon Jae-won
This plant extracts about 4,500 tons of high-quality recycled oil annually from roughly 7,000 tons of waste. It has the technology to restore more than 80% as oil, but because of mixed-in contaminants it typically yields about 60~70% oil.
On May 7 at the Wave Jeongeup raw-material storage facility, waste plastic film and onion nets are moved along an automated rail to the recycled-oil production facilities. Jeongeup|Reporter Moon Jae-won
Equipment that converts waste plastic film and onion nets into recycled oil prepares to start up. Jeongeup|Reporter Moon Jae-won
This non-incineration approach restores only the plastic to its original formoilwithout emitting dioxins. As microwaves shake food molecules to cook them, a special wave energy selectively reacts only with plastics and films.
For transformation into recycled oil, waste plastic film and onion nets are moved by automated rail into the equipment. Jeongeup|Reporter Moon Jae-won
Ham Dong-hyun, division head at Urban Oilfield, said, “The waste plastic film and plastic that are overflowing now are not garbage; they are raw materials that can be restored into oil.”
The plastic film we carelessly threw away turned out to be a ‘resource’and a drop of ‘oil.’ On May 14 at Urban Oilfield’s Wave Jeongeup, recycled oil extracted from waste plastic film and onion nets is visible through a transparent tube installed on the pipe. Jeongeup| Reporter Moon Jae-won
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