SK's Reverse Thinking... Producing Electricity and Hydrogen from Carbon Dioxide

[Asia Economy Reporter Park So-yeon] SK Innovation is developing technology to reduce carbon by producing electricity and hydrogen from carbon dioxide, the main culprit of air pollution and the worst environmental factor in industries such as petrochemical plants, through a reverse thinking approach.

SK Innovation Ulsan CLX announced on the 21st that it will jointly carry out a carbon dioxide reduction system demonstration project with UNIST (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology).

Through this, internally, SK Innovation will secure core technology for the success of its strategic direction 'Green Balance 2030,' which aims to make environmental negative impacts zero (0), fundamentally reducing carbon dioxide.

In particular, it was reported that the company will further expand 'responsible investment,' which strengthens ESG (Environmental, Social Responsibility, Governance) management. Externally, it will drastically reduce carbon dioxide, the main cause of air pollution, and recycle it as a resource.

The two sides will verify the scalability and commercialization of the 'metal carbon dioxide battery system,' developed for the first time in the world by Professor Kim Geon-tae's team from the Department of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST. The core of this system is producing electricity and hydrogen by utilizing carbon dioxide. Professor Kim's team has already completed technology verification at the research stage.

When carbon dioxide is introduced into water, an electrochemical reaction removes carbon dioxide, the main cause of climate change, and produces electricity and hydrogen. The water in which carbon dioxide is dissolved becomes acidic due to an increase in hydrogen ions (H+), and electricity is generated as electrons move during this process.

Additionally, hydrogen is produced in this process, achieving a twofold effect. When using this system, the conversion efficiency of carbon dioxide reaches about 60%, which is very high.

SK Innovation Ulsan CLX decided to participate in the industry-academia-research joint research corporation established by UNIST and others in the form of investment for the demonstration project. To this end, the two sides have been continuously discussing related matters since early this year. The industry-academia-research joint research corporation is currently applying for the 'Public Research Institute Big Leading Model Project,' which supports public technology commercialization consortia aimed at fostering new regional businesses and creating jobs.

The two sides will test the possibility of reducing air pollutants such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur oxides in flue gas generated during the production process of SK Innovation Ulsan CLX in the future. If commercial viability such as continuous process commercialization is confirmed here, they plan to consider jointly promoting the project.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.