Technological watch

Plans to recycle marine waste with Netspa / Reclaiming fishing nets could cut emissions

Plans to recycle marine waste with Netspa / Reclaiming fishing nets could cut emissionsGoing green in more than just the colour of resin (Photo: LG Chem)South Korean chemicals and plastics group LG Chem (Seoul; www.lgchem.com) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with compatriot waste collector Netspa (Busan; http://netspa.co.kr) to establish a resource circulation system for recycling marine waste.
Reprocessed fishing nets and other once-discarded products, for example, could feed the pyrolysis oil plant that LG Chem is building at its domestic industrial park Dangjin, which is scheduled to begin operating in 2024.
LG Chem recently purchased shares in Mura Technology (London; www.muratechnology.com) and a license to use the companyâ??s chemical recycling process (see Plasteurope.com of 24.01.2022).
Some 50,000 t of marine waste is estimated to be generated annually. Collecting the material can be difficult and costly, LG said. Such waste can be hard to treat and up to now has generally been incinerated or just left lying around.
The chemical company and Netspa said their collaboration would help protect the marine ecosystem, and using reprocessed material could also reduce carbon emissions.Spending on sustainability continuesSince setting the goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050, LG Chem said it has been investing in sustainability, including eco-friendly bioplastics. Among other things, it has financed a biomass-fed power plant joint venture and is starting to use carbon capture to produce plastics.
Kug Lae Noh, president of LGâ??s petrochemicals arm, said the Korean company plans to â??further accelerateâ? the use of eco-friendly technologies and businesses for sustainable growth such as marine waste resource circulation.
In late 2020, LG agreed a long-term strategic pact with Finnish refiner Neste (Espoo; www.neste.com) to develop the global biopolymers market (see Plasteurope.com of 12.11.2020).10.02.2023 Plasteurope.com [252130-0]

Publication date: 10/02/2023

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This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 870292.