SuperBin completes plastic recycling factory in Seoul suburb

SuperBin, a South Korean startup reshaping the waste recycling ecosystem using Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, on Thursday said it had completed construction of its 'I Am Factory' in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, to produce recycled polyethylene terephthalate (r-PET) flakes.

The high-tech facility will churn out data on the quality and specifications of its processed waste products.

The eco-friendly plant minimizes wastewater and carbon emissions through a recycling process that is Korea's first to apply AI technology to a materials processing facility, SuperBin said. Data collected through digital technology will be used to track resources circulation.

Over the past few years, the company has installed its Nephron system, a nationwide network of automated machines for collecting discarded PET bottles and aluminum cans, to secure ultra-pure recycled raw materials and lay the foundation for stable mass production of recycled processed products.

With the adoption of regulations on the use of recycled plastics at designated rates, demand for r-PET is surging. SuperBin said it will lay the groundwork to develop a circular economy ecosystem by securing markets with domestic petrochemical and trading companies.

"I'm happy with the completion of the I Am Factory, the final button in the circular economy chain," said SuperBin founder and CEO Kim Jeungbin.

"This very timely milestone means that Superbin has finished all the needed value chains for resource circulation and integrated Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies all all values to innovate the waste market," he added.

SuperBin said it seeks to export recycling systems centered on robotics and AI technologies. For example, the company has installed Nephron machines on all floors of Korean web portal Naver's headquarters 1784 and integrated its waste management technology there.

Because Naver is mulling the export of 1784 management technology to the city of Neom, Saudi Arabia, sector analysts expect SuperBin can export its know-how in resource management technology for building interiors.

Write to Sang-Eun Lee at selee@hankyung.com