Kumho Petrochemical to recycle plastic waste with French partner

Kumho Petrochemical on Tuesday said it has concluded a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with French engineering service provider Technip Energies on business cooperation in waste polystyrene pyrolysis and recycled styrene monomers (RSM).

An eco-friendly raw material obtained through thermal decomposition of polystyrene waste, RSM is mainly recycled for use in synthetic rubber and resin in the petrochemical sector.

Under the MOU, Kumho Petrochemical, which announced its RSM project in August last year, will start full-scale implementation of the project through activities like the adoption of technology for polystyrene waste pyrolysis and plant construction. The commercial release of RSM products is slated from 2026.

Technip Energies holds the rights to sell the original technology for polystyrene waste pyrolysis held by the Norwegian company Agilyx, and will support Kumho Petrochemical in all tasks including license transfer.

The Korean company is also preparing to commercialize Eco-SSBR (Eco-SSBR uses the recycled material RSM instead of styrene, a core material for SSBR, gaining attention from domestic and foreign tire makers as an eco-friendly material.

Write to Ik-Hwan Kim at lovepen@hankyung.com