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LG uses supercritical pyrolysis to achieve a closed-loop chemical recycling system. LG Chem has introduced a closed-loop chemical recycling solution that utilizes supercritical pyrolysis technology to convert waste back into basic raw materials. Plastic waste is one of the most serious environmental problems in the world. To improve the low recycling rate of plastic waste, countries are tightening regulatory requirements, mandating that plastics used in everything from packaging to vehicles contain recycled materials, and requiring the use of various types of post-consumer plastic materials to produce different recycled products. To realize the circular economy, which emerges as a solution to these environmental problems, LG Chem is overseeing the entire life cycle of plastics from production to recycling. Its goal is to provide customers with differentiated value by producing high-quality recycled plastics using various raw materials and recycling methods. For example, LG Chem produces post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials (ABS, PC/ABS, PO, PVC, PC) through mechanical recycling of plastics. To recycle composite plastics that are difficult to recover mechanically, LG Chem has invested in supercritical pyrolysis, which is the chemical recycling method with the highest production capacity in the industry. The company expects to begin commercial operations at a production capacity of 20,000 tons per year in the near future. Building on this production facility, LG Chem, as a global leader in the petrochemical industry, plans to take the lead in the global PCR market by overcoming the limitations of current plastic recycling methods, and to establish a circular economy for plastics. Converting waste into raw materials: Supercritical pyrolysis technology. Supercritical pyrolysis is a chemical recycling technique that uses supercritical water vapor to decompose mixed plastic waste under high temperature and pressure. Unlike other direct-heating pyrolysis techniques, it suppresses the formation of carbon deposits (soot) during the pyrolysis process, allowing it to operate continuously without additional intervention. The productivity of this pyrolysis technology is also the highest in the industry; approximately 8 tons or more of pyrolysis oil can be produced from 10 tons of plastic bags and plastics. The remaining 2 tons of by-product gas are reused as energy to operate the plant, including for producing supercritical steam. This system will not discard any waste plastic. LG Chem has built a commercial pyrolysis plant in Dangjin City, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea, using the supercritical pyrolysis technology (Hydro-PRT) developed by the British company Mura Technology, and is capable of producing 20,000 tons of pyrolysis oil per year. This supercritical pyrolysis technology can chemically break down waste plastics and convert them into basic raw materials, which can then be processed into plastics. This process can be repeated indefinitely without affecting quality, thereby accelerating innovation in sustainable development. Furthermore, since traditional mechanical recycling involves mechanically crushing materials, contaminated plastic waste cannot be recycled. However, chemical recycling can overcome this limitation of mechanical recycling.