LG to Assess Environmental Safety of Glass Powder Material... Signs MOU with Korea Water Forum

Signing of MOU for Low-Carbon Pilot Project
Verification of Water and Electricity Savings During Laundry with Self-Developed New Material "Mineral Wash"

LG Electronics, together with the National Water Industry Cluster Project Group and the Korea Water Forum, will assess the human and environmental safety of its self-developed glass powder material, "Mineral Wash."

On June 26, LG Electronics will sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a low-carbon Mineral Wash pilot project aimed at achieving water positivity at the Global Business Center of the National Water Industry Cluster in Daegu. The signing ceremony will be attended by Baek Seungtae, Executive Vice President and Head of Kitchen Solution Business Division at LG Electronics; Lee Jewon, Head of the National Water Industry Cluster Project Group; and Kwak Kyulho, President of the Korea Water Forum.

Water positivity refers to a company's contribution to sustainable water management by returning more water to nature than it consumes. Activities include reducing water usage, reusing wastewater and sewage, and restoring rivers.

Under this MOU, LG Electronics, the National Water Industry Cluster Project Group, and the Korea Water Forum will verify the water and electricity savings effects by measuring consumption when laundry is done using detergent containing Mineral Wash. They will also compare the washing performance of mineral-based detergent with conventional detergents. In addition, they will analyze the pollution level of the water discharged after washing and the amount of detergent residue left on the laundry to evaluate human and environmental safety.

A shot depicting the act of washing using mineral wash. LG Electronics.

Mineral Wash, developed by LG Electronics, is a water-soluble glass powder that releases mineral ions when it comes into contact with water, thereby enhancing washing performance. The mineral ions are alkaline and break down contaminants such as oil, fat, and protein on fabrics, while also reducing the size of water molecules, allowing them to penetrate between the fabric and dirt for effective separation.

Using Mineral Wash does not produce foam, which reduces the number of rinse cycles needed and also decreases water and electricity consumption. LG Electronics has also confirmed, through tests commissioned to the Korea Conformity Laboratories (KCL), that Mineral Wash is safe for humans and the environment.

LG Electronics expects that, if the effectiveness of Mineral Wash is verified through this MOU, business opportunities will expand in the laundry detergent raw material market for both household and commercial applications.

Glass powder, when combined with various components, can exhibit special functions such as antibacterial, antifungal, and pollutant-decomposing properties, giving it the potential to expand into multiple industries. LG Electronics first applied functional glass powder to ovens released in North America in 2013. The company developed the "Easy Clean" function by coating the metal surface inside the oven with functional glass powder, making it easier to clean.

Since then, LG Electronics has continued to broaden the application of glass powder through ongoing research and development. Earlier this year, the company decided to apply "Purotech," a glass powder that suppresses bacteria and mold, to salmon farms. Last month, LG Electronics launched a marine ecosystem restoration demonstration project using "Marine Glass," a glass powder that dissolves in water to supply nutrients to seaweed and microalgae, thereby supporting marine ecosystem restoration and carbon reduction.

LG Electronics sees the new materials business as a promising new B2B (business-to-business) growth engine. To date, the company has filed 420 patents related to glass powder and has established production facilities with an annual capacity of 4,500 tons at its Smart Park in Changwon, Gyeongnam Province.

Executive Vice President Baek stated, "We will continue to research functional new materials such as glass powder to discover new business opportunities."

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