Samyang Corp., a chemical and food affiliate of Samyang Group, announced on Dec. 28 that it has developed Korea’s first eco-friendly polycarbonate (PC) with the post-consumer recycled polycarbonate (PCR PC) content above 90 percent.
PC is an engineering plastic that is transparent and resistant to impact and heat, so it is mainly used for interior and exterior materials for automobiles and home appliances, soundproof walls, and parts for medical devices.
PCR PC is made through a compounding process in which a certain ratio of recycled PC raw materials and new PC raw materials are mixed, which requires high-level technology and know-how. In producing PC, flame retardants, reinforcing agents, dyes and others are added to polymer synthetic resins to enhance performance and aesthetic effects. But these additives are deformed in the process of melting at a high temperature, weakening the physical properties of PC.
For this reason, PCR PC developed by Korean companies previously had a recycled PC raw materials content of below 85 percent. Most PCR PC products sold on the market contain 30 to 50 percent of recycled PC raw materials.
Samyang Corp. began developing PCR PC in 2021 and succeeded in developing PCR PC whose recycled PC raw materials content is above 90 percent.
Because PCR PC can reduce plastic waste, it is environmentally friendly and has the effect of reducing carbon emissions thanks to a cut in energy consumption. “The PCR PC developed this time has the effect of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 6,200 tons based on production of 1,000 tons compared to general PC,” a Samyang official said. This emission volume is equivalent to the amount of carbon emitted by 3,200 cars.
Samyang Corp. obtained an Environmental Claims Validations (ECV) certification from Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a U.S. safety standard development and certification agency. ECV is an environmental mark granted by verifying the validity of a product’s eco-friendliness, such as the rate of use of reusable and recyclable materials.
Samyang Corp. plans to apply PCR PC to small home appliances such as laptops first, expanding its scope of applications to electronic products and interior products in the future. It will also continuously expand its scope of applications by applying PCR PC to various plastic resins such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene or ABS and polybutylene terephthalate or PBT.
