On November 5, 2021, Mrs. Warawan Tippawanich, Executive Vice President, Corporate Strategy (STG), Associate Professor Dr. Anan Thongra-aa, President of the Suranaree University of Technology, along with a working group, attended a follow-up meeting on the “Study Project on Plastic Waste Management and Adding Value to Contaminated Plastic Waste,” a collaboration involving GC and the Suranaree University of Technology.

STG has continually followed up on the results of separating contaminated plastic waste at the source, converting plastic waste into oil and further distilling it into commercial oil. This includes visiting the project's 10 pilot waste bin sites in the area of the university as well as a plastic transformation plant to convert plastic waste into oil using prototype pyrolysis technology with a capacity of 4,000 liters per day. Assistant Professor Dr. Weerachai Archharn, Director of the Center of Excellence in Biomass at the Suranaree University of Technology, and a group of researchers joined to present the project’s progress and led a tour of the research work.

This research and development project at the commercial-based factory model level aims to study the waste management process to make it a complete alternative energy option. This includes creating a model to separate the contaminated plastic waste from the source, identifying solutions and the technical feasibility to create added value for contaminated plastic waste and waste fuels by converting it into oil and distilling it into commercial oils, such as diesel and gasoline that is ready to be tested on various types of engines. A parallel effort analyzes the environmental impact, economic value, and ways to expand the results in the future under the principles of the circular economy. In this regard, the project will add value to waste as energy using renewable materials in various industries while supporting environmental sustainability and the continued promotion of waste and renewable energy management policies at the national level.