Naphtha Produced from Plastic Waste
Lotte Chemical announced on Sept. 28 that it has become the first company in Korea to commercially produce a petrochemical product using naphtha based on pyrolysis oil from plastic waste.
The company produced polycarbonate (PC), a high value-added synthetic resin that can resist impacts and endure heat well and features strong transparency. It is used for electric, electronic and home appliances and automobile headlamps among others.
Pyrolysis oil from plastic waste is an oil obtained by heating discarded plastics such as vinyl at high temperatures. It can be recycled as naphtha after going through a post-treatment step to remove impurities. Pyrolysis oil is a key technology for building a plastic recycling economy.
Lotte Chemical received pyrolysis naphtha from Hyundai Oilbank in October and put it into naphtha cracking centers (NCCs) in its plant in Yeosu. Its products will be supplied to customers along with ISCC PLUS eco-friendly certificates at the end of September. ISCC PLUS certification is the European Union’s renewable energy policy standard. It certifies that eco-friendly raw materials were used in a production process.
In July, Lotte Chemical earned ISCC PLUS certification for seven product groups of synthetic resins including PC produced from pyrolysis naphtha based on waste plastics.