A collaboration between Thailand’s National Innovation Agency (NIA) and Israel Innovation Authority (IIA) has led to an innovation of a superoxide process using which polyvinyl chloride (PVC) waste can be recycled into Naphtha fuel.
The process, developed by Israeli plastic upcycle startup Plastic Back and Thai petrochemicals giant SCG Chemicals, aims to solve the challenges in dealing with PVC waste, offers an alternative to fossil fuel and promotes circular economy.
Israeli ambassador to Thailand Orna Sagiv said, “I strongly believe that this innovation will be the beginning of more collaborations in the future.” She added that the collaboration would benefit citizens of both countries.
NIA executive director Krithpaka Boonfueng said the project would enhance the innovation potential of both countries. She said, “This project is the first success since the signing of the innovation collaboration in 2018.”
Suracha Udomsak, chief innovation officer of SCG Chemicals suggested that the superoxide process can be adopted by small factories to recycle large quantities of PVC waste and added that their company would also adopt this process to deal with plastic waste.
“This collaboration would drive Thailand towards a circular economy, which is in line with the company’s plan to drive a low-carbon society,” he added.
Tal Cohen, co-founder and CEO of Plastic Back, said the collaboration with SCG Chemicals would enhance the recycling of PVC waste and lead to further partnerships.