SK ecoplant to produce steel bar alternative made of plastic bottles

SK ecoplant said Wednesday that it will begin producing glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars as an alternative to steel bars.

SK ecoplant will be the first to make GFRP bars made from elements extracted from used plastic bottles, which the company named “KEco-Bar.”

Manufacturing GFRP bars does not involve using scrap iron limestone, thus reducing carbon emissions by more than 50 percent compared to manufacturing steel bars.

GFRP bars do not get rusty when in contact with water, making them fit for use in building dams, marine oil production bases and bridges.

They are also two times stronger and 75 percent lighter than steel bars, meaning that they are easier to work with and transport, the company said.

SK ecoplant, in cooperation with local firms KCMT and C&Y, also applied for a patent of their technology to produce an impregnating agent from plastic bottles, an element needed to produce GFRP bars.

The trio is aiming to make an annual production of 40,000 metric tons of GFRP bars possible by 2024. They plan to augment production with an extra investment to produce up to 200,000 tons per year by 2027.

Making 200,000 tons of GFRP bars would require around 300 million recycled plastic bottles annually.

“KEco-bar, which is used for construction, is indifferent to color. Therefore, it is an innovative technology that enhances the recycling rate of plastic bottles since both transparent and colored plastic bottles can be used to make it,” an official from SK ecoplant said.

By Hong Yoo (yoohong@heraldcorp.com)