Sampyo Cement Establishes Resource Circulation Ecosystem Utilizing Waste Plastic

Collaboration with Hyundai Rotem, LG Chem, Korea Cement Association, and Korea Engineers Federation

Circular ecosystem for waste plastic resources.
[Photo by Sampyo Cement]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] Sampyo Cement is joining hands with partners in the chemical and engineering industries to establish a resource circulation ecosystem utilizing waste plastics.

On the 30th, Sampyo Cement announced that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) titled "Establishing a Resource Circulation Ecosystem through the Use of Waste Plastics as Alternative Fuel for Cement" together with Hyundai Rotem, LG Chem, the Korea Cement Association, and the Korea Engineers Federation.

Through this MOU, a new path is expected to open where byproducts generated after incinerating waste plastics can be transformed into raw materials for eco-friendly, high value-added products. Currently, most cement companies use bituminous coal as their main fuel. Recently, waste plastics, which have a high biomass content and can help solve waste problems, are increasingly being used as alternative fuels.

When waste plastics are combusted, a byproduct called chlorine dust is generated. Chlorine dust is classified as waste and is difficult to recycle, so it is mainly disposed of in landfills, causing environmental burdens and costs. The chlorine component also adheres to the inner walls of the cement preheater, hindering raw material transfer and reducing equipment operating rates. Sampyo Cement, Hyundai Rotem, LG Chem, and others have decided to collaborate to overcome the limitations of existing treatment technologies for recycling chlorine dust.

According to the agreement, Sampyo Cement will actively use waste plastics as an alternative fuel to bituminous coal and pursue zero landfill waste by optimizing the operation of the carbon dioxide mineralization process generated during cement manufacturing and the evaporation concentration process for producing potassium chloride.

Hyundai Rotem will apply resource recovery technology secured through cooperation with environmental equipment specialist Anitech Co., Ltd. to convert chlorine dust into potassium chloride (KCl), a fertilizer raw material. This resource recovery technology utilizes carbon dioxide emitted during the cement manufacturing process to reduce greenhouse gases and solve the chlorine adhesion problem, thereby enhancing the stability of cement manufacturing equipment. Sampyo Cement plans to supply chlorine dust treatment facilities and potassium chloride production lines to its Samcheok plant.

LG Chem will support process technology that prevents chlorine from adhering inside the kiln by combining chemical and physical technologies, as well as technology to improve the stability of chlorine dust resource recovery facilities. Through the chlorine dust resource recovery process, the purity of potassium chloride produced will be increased to develop high value-added products such as potassium hydroxide (KOH) and potassium carbonate (K2CO3), which are semiconductor cleaning raw materials, contributing to the localization of materials. Currently, potassium chloride, the raw material for potassium hydroxide and potassium carbonate, is difficult to localize and is entirely imported.

The Korea Cement Association will expand the waste plastic resource recovery platform being established this time to the entire domestic cement industry. It will secure the foundation necessary for business expansion through government policy proposals, including improvements to various regulations that hinder new business creation.

The Korea Engineers Federation will propose effective policies to promote resource circulation to the government, local governments, and public institutions. It plans to continuously promote the importance and necessity of resource circulation through lectures and other means.

Lee Chang-gi, Vice Chairman of the Korea Cement Association, said, "The problem of treating chlorine dust, which was an obstacle to waste plastic fuelization, will be resolved with the signing of this MOU," adding, "The necessity and safety of recycling circular resources will be further recognized, greatly contributing to establishing a stable foundation for carbon neutrality in the future."

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