▲ Chemico / CEO Kim Hyo-sik

Due to cheap, rigid, transparent, easy to mould and good dimensional stability, polystyrene has been widely used in many things in our lives since its finding. However, it has become one of the main agents today to cause environmental pollution. It is un-recyclable and takes more than 500 years to be biodegraded. 

For this reason, governments are bringing up tough measures on using it while enterprising businessmen are looking for alternatives. South Korean government also joined this move and the government has planned to supply 28 million eco-friendly buoys in order to reduce plastic waste in the ocean by half until 2030.

A South Korean advanced materials company Chemico is attracting attention from the industry circles with development of eco-friendly coextrusion foaming equipment production original technology. It does not add chemical foaming agent but only gas into PP and PLA to produce Foam_Sheet. By using this, Chemico succeeded producing and commercializing 25 times multiple physical foaming PP and PLA Sheet. It means that Chemico has perfectly developed screw design technique and extruder temperature control technique. 

The reason Chemico's PP and PLA resin coextrusion foaming technique is unique is because it has low intrinsic viscosity and melt strength, and the window is very narrow and particular due to crystalization during the foaming process, and the foaming optimized core facilities, designs and production conditions are required. In other words, Chemico is a sole company which can foam PP and PLA with high magnification.

These innovative alternatives of Chemico is expected to alter PS and paper containers with high functional eco-friendly PP containers. These PP containers can also be used in car parts, buoy, high elastic cushion materials, wavelength buffer materials and stationery. 

Chemico obtained three patents for porosity plastic extruder and polypropylene foaming sheet extruder and other seven patents including eco-friendly propylene buoy production method and food container fabric are being in the process at the moment.

Chemico won the new technology prize at the Good Company Awards 2019, and the Trade, Industry and Energy Minister's prize at the Innovation Winner 2020 for development of eco-friendly polystyrene alternatives. 

Chemico has succeeded inviting investment from Wadiz and a major corporation. While the gun is loaded, and the technology proven, Kim Hyo-sik, CEO of Chemico, is pushing forward his entrepreneurship to the world over South Korea. PowerKorea ￫ powering Korean companies to the world!