Introduction
What is Airo-mrf?
Airo-mrf is an AI robot-based unmanned Material Recovery Facility (MRF) centered around 10 or more Atron units. It is designed to operate completely without human intervention, featuring circular conveyor belts, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) for loading and unloading, as well as magnetic, wind, and ballistic separators, enabling the production of high-quality r-PET flakes. As of September 2026, the flagship center is preparing for operation at the Gyeongseo Resource Recycling Special Zone in Seo-gu, Incheon.
Unmanned Sorting Facility
Where is the Airo-mrf unmanned sorting facility located?
Airo-mrf's Robot Resource Recovery Center is located in Gyeongseo-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon, inside the Gyeongseo Resource Circulation Specialized Complex, and is preparing for operations as of September 2026. All resident companies in the complex operate recycling businesses, and it is close to the Incheon Seo-gu Green Convergence Cluster where Aetech was founded.
Why did Airo-mrf settle in Gyeongseo-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon?
There are four reasons why Aetech chose Gyeongseo-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon as the location for the Airo-mrf robot resource recovery center. First, it satisfies the licensing and permission conditions as it is a complex approved for land use for resource circulation purposes. Second, as it is a newly constructed factory completed in 2020, they were able to secure a clean facility environment required as a robot company. Third, since it is directly adjacent to the highway, bringing in and transporting raw materials is easy. Fourth, being located within the metropolitan area, it is advantageous for securing waste subject to sorting.
What kind of equipment is installed in the Airo-mrf unmanned sorting facility?
In the Airo-mrf, the bale breaker unpacks the compressed incoming materials, the ballistic separator sorts them by weight and shape, and the label remover separates the labels from the PET bottles. In addition, the magnetic separator separates scrap metal, the wind separator separates paper and vinyl, and the circulating conveyor belt and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) handle transport and loading/unloading. Above this, Atron identifies the material and color for final sorting, which then goes through a washing line to be produced into flakes.
How does the Airo-mrf unmanned sorting facility secure waste to process?
Airo-mrf plans to utilize both compressed PET supplied from primary sorting facilities and volumes collected through transparent PET bottle collection campaigns conducted in partnership with local governments and administrative welfare centers. Supply commitments have already been secured from existing primary sorting facility clients, and the volume coming from collection campaigns is increasing year by year. With lower labor cost burdens, better conditions can be offered when securing raw materials.
Comparison
What is the relationship between the ballistic, magnetic, and wind separators and the AI robot Atron in Airo-mrf?
Ballistic, magnetic, and wind separators and the AI sorting robot Atron are not competing facilities, but rather equipment that divides roles within the same line. The ballistic separator separates by weight and shape, the magnetic separator separates scrap metal, and the wind separator separates paper and vinyl. Behind them, Atron identifies the material and color to select the final items. Airo-mrf is a configuration that combines all of these facilities into one.