LG Chem-Sampyo Cement-Hyundai Rotem Join Hands for Plastic Waste Recycling

On the 30th, LG Chem, Sampyo Cement, and Hyundai Rotem Participate
MOU to Establish a Resource Circular Economy Ecosystem for Waste Plastics

Resource Circulation Ecosystem Diagram for Waste Plastic. Photo by LG Chem

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] LG Chem is joining hands with engineering industry partners including Hyundai Rotem and Sampyo Cement to establish a resource circulation ecosystem utilizing waste plastics.

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

This collaboration is expected to open a new path 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 fuel.

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 cement preheaters, interfering with raw material transport and reducing equipment operation rates. LG Chem, Sampyo Cement, Hyundai Rotem, and others have decided to collaborate to overcome the limitations of existing treatment technologies for recycling chlorine dust.

According to the agreement, 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 improving the stability of cement manufacturing equipment. Chlorine dust treatment facilities and potassium chloride production lines will be supplied at Sampyo Cement’s Samcheok plant.

LG Chem will support process technology that combines chemical and physical methods to prevent chlorine from adhering inside the kiln and improve the stability of chlorine dust resource recovery facilities. By increasing the purity of potassium chloride produced through the chlorine dust resource recovery process, LG Chem plans to develop high value-added products such as potassium hydroxide (KOH) and potassium carbonate (K2CO3), which are used as semiconductor cleaning 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.

Sampyo Cement will actively use waste plastics as alternative fuel to bituminous coal and pursue zero landfill waste by optimizing the operation of the chlorine dust and carbon dioxide mineralization process from cement manufacturing and the evaporation concentration process for potassium chloride production.

The Korea Federation of Engineering Organizations will propose effective policies to promote resource circulation to the government, local governments, and public institutions. They plan to continuously promote the importance and necessity of resource circulation through lectures and other activities. The Korea Cement Association will expand the waste plastic resource recovery platform established this time to the entire domestic cement industry. They will secure the foundation necessary for business expansion through government policy proposals, including improvements to various regulations that hinder new business creation.

Lee Ho-woo, Executive Director of Sustainability at LG Chem’s Petrochemical Business Division, said, "We plan to create various business models by combining the strengths of each partner in the waste plastic resource recovery business."

Jong-seok Lee, CEO of Sampyo Cement, expressed his ambition, saying, "Through collaboration with top experts, we will establish an eco-friendly process to achieve both greenhouse gas reduction and manufacturing cost savings."

Jun-seok Oh, Executive Director of Hyundai Rotem’s Eco Plant Business Division, said, "We expect that applying chlorine dust resource recovery technology will lay the foundation for establishing a resource circulation ecosystem and strengthening ESG management such as carbon reduction."

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