Jeonju City Selected for Ministry of Trade Project to Establish Carbon Composite Materials Infrastructure

Aiming to Establish a Full-Cycle Platform
for Recycled Carbon Fiber Composite Materials

Jeonju City in North Jeolla Province has been finally selected for a public project by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, enabling the city to take the lead in establishing an innovative infrastructure for the domestic carbon composite materials industry.

Jeonju City Hall exterior. Provided by Jeonju City

On July 4, the city announced that it has been chosen for the "Demonstration and Infrastructure Development of Core Manufacturing Technologies for High-Performance Thermoplastic Composites (CFRTP) Based on Eco-Friendly Recycled Carbon Fiber" project, which is part of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's "Materials and Components Industry Technology Development Infrastructure Project."

This project, with a total investment of 11.5 billion won to be made by 2028, aims to establish a foundation for reusing scrap materials generated during the production of carbon fiber products and discarded carbon composites after use as recyclable high-performance composite materials.

The city plans to proactively respond to changes in domestic and international environmental policies, such as carbon neutrality initiatives and the ban on direct landfill of waste, and to promote the localization of related technologies.

In addition, Jeonju City will collaborate with the Korea Carbon Industry Promotion Agency, DYETEC Institute, FITI Testing & Research Institute, Jeonju University, and the Korea Carbon Nano Industry Association to establish an integrated full-cycle platform covering the manufacturing, molding, testing and evaluation, and reliability verification of recycled carbon fiber.

To build this integrated full-cycle platform for recycled carbon fiber, the city will introduce a total of nine types of advanced equipment, including manufacturing equipment for thermoplastic nonwoven fabrics and intermediates based on recycled carbon fiber, reliability evaluation equipment for thermal and humid environments, and flow measurement equipment for thermoplastic composites based on recycled materials. Moving forward, the city will also promote the transition to smart manufacturing and the advancement of quality.

The city expects that this project will lay the foundation for developing eco-friendly and lightweight materials that can be used in high-value-added industries such as hydrogen energy, defense, and eco-friendly mobility. Jeonju City also plans to serve as a hub for demonstration and business support in the field of recycled carbon materials, while strengthening its connection with the national carbon materials industrial complex.

Lim Sookhee, Director of the Economic and Industrial Bureau, said, "We expect this project to serve as a strategic turning point for the localization of recycled carbon materials and the creation of a sustainable carbon materials industry ecosystem," adding, "We will do our best to enhance the competitiveness of Korea's carbon composite materials industry and contribute to the realization of a carbon-neutral society."

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