This photo provided by SK ecoplant Co. shows the company’s GFRP bars.
SEOUL, April 21 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean builder SK ecoplant Co. plans to produce a steel bar alternative using waste PET bottles as a raw material.
The company announced on Wednesday that it will make a joint investment to establish a production line for the glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) bar “KEco-bar” in collaboration with GFRP bar specialist KCMT and eco-friendly new material developer C&Y.
The new bar is made of GFRP instead of the steel commonly used in rebar.
Without using scrap iron and limestone during the production process, GFRP rebar can reduce carbon emissions by more than 50 percent compared to ordinary steel rebar.
In addition, unlike steel rebar, GFRP rebar has strong anti-corrosion properties and, therefore, does not get rusty.
It’s also two times stronger and 75 percent lighter than steel rebar, meaning that it is easier to work with and transport.
SK ecoplant plans to secure price competitiveness to compete with existing steel rebar through full automation of the entire GFRP rebar production process.
First, it will set up a total of 80 production lines, aimed at obtaining an annual production capacity of 40,000 tons by 2024.
Thereafter, it will ramp up the annual production capacity to 200,000 tons by 2027 through additional investments. Making 200,000 tons of GFRP rebar would contribute to recycling about 300 million PET bottles annually.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
