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lgchemitopia — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 00:50:39 +0000

LG Chem’s new employee voluntary service since 2023, ‘Green Class Employee Volunteer Team.�?Today, we hear from Senior Lee Solji who planned this program.

What is Green Class Employee Volunteer Team?

‘Green Class�?is a social contribution activity that teaches our future generation about climate, environmental, and social issues that they will have to face. The program is mostly operated online, but with hope to meet students face-to-face, we established the employee volunteer team. Since last year, our employee teachers have been visiting elementary schools and care centers to run the class. The team is composed of LG Chem employees who provide students with 2 weeks of environment education, along with career mentoring.

Last year, employees from LG Chem headquarters successfully finished the pilot program. This year, it has been expanded to 5 business sites: headquarters, Magok, Yeosu, Iksan, and Osan in Korea.

How Green Class Employee Volunteer Team Works!

Our volunteer team makes two visits to one organization. On our first visit, we provide environment education. Students learn about biodiversity through Green Class education materials and videos, followed by a craft session of decorating their own mood lamps using a kit with endangered species drawn on it. Seeing young students raise their hands to ask questions and make their unique lamps, we always wish we had more time.

The second visit is a career mentoring session. Our employee teachers share their process of growth, deciding their paths, and their hard works. Based on the mentoring, students set their own goals and think about their own future while filling in the Mandal-Art chart. Since it’s the second visit, students feel more familiar with the teachers. As we listen to their dreams, we can’t help the smiles on our faces.

LG Teachers! Please come again!

Since expanding the program to five business sites, 68 employees have visited 24 organizations to meet about 700 students, having meaningful time of studying biodiversity and discussing their careers.

In particular, this year at Yeosu plant, our volunteer team visited a small branch school on an island, with only 11 attendees. Normally, Green class targets at upper grades only. However, in this case, the whole school participated in the class. At the end of the class, the students shouted “LG Teachers! Please come again!�?School teachers also thanked our volunteer team, saying, “We were sorry that we couldn’t provide various activities, due to the small size of the school. Thank you for visiting such a small island, and we hope to have more of these opportunities.�?/p>

The employees who participated also commented, “It’s hard to take part in a volunteer service besides my job, and it was a fun experience to prepare for this class and meet children. I enjoyed it so much that I forgot it’s a volunteer service, and while introducing my job to those children, I gained motivation for the role again.�?/p>

Green class employee volunteer team is having a break, as schools have entered their summer vacations. Coming up in the second half of the year, the team plans to become employee teachers once more to meet more students. Next year, we will add more topics and diverse activities to restructure the program.

Please keep your support for the CSR Team, as we practice the company’s social responsibility and plan various social contribution programs to coexist with the local community.

* This article is based on the contribution published by Professional Lee Solji of LG Chem CSR Team.

LG Chem’s ‘Green Class�?is a program of developing and distributing educational videos and workbooks to schools and care centers, so that teenagers can understand the upcoming climate crisis and environmental problems. ‘Green Class Employee Volunteer team�?visits educational organizations as special lecturers to communicate with students through the class and mentoring sessions.

LG Chem, together with the volunteer team, will continue to help teenagers become global citizens who can actively deal with social and environmental problems. We call for your attention and support for LG Chem’s employee volunteer team!

The post The Day We Become Teachers, Green Class Employee Volunteer Team appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 00:50:29 +0000

With the growth of LG Chem’s business and expansion of their products, the company’s greenhouse gas emissions are expected to increase. In that context, LG Chem became the first player in Korea’s chemical industry to announce their sustainability strategy in 2020, known as �?050 Carbon-neutral Growth,�?which provides differentiated and sustainable solutions to the customers, society, and environment. Since then, the company has been carrying out various carbon reduction activities, both internally and externally. This brought about many positive changes, and LG Chem made this a steppingstone to propel the introduction of new processing methods, conversion to eco-friendly raw materials and fuels, and extended use of renewable energy.

In July 2024, LG Chem issued <2023 Sustainability Report>, which reflects their efforts to realize Net Zero* through partnerships with other groups. The report introduces LG Chem’s strategies and practices to achieve Net Zero through different partnerships, and to excavate opportunities for sustainable growth. According to the report, LG Chem has chosen five core missions with the goal of ‘providing innovative and differentiated sustainable solutions for the environment and society�? Climate action, Renewable energy transition, Circular economy, Environmental protection, and Responsible supply chain.
Today, we will review the ESG outcomes that LG Chem accomplished by putting this sustainability strategy into practices.
*Net Zero: An initiative to make greenhouse gas emissions from human activities 0 (zero) by reducing the amount of emissions and absorbing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

Greenhouse Gas Reduction

In order to reduce greenhouse gas, LG Chem is targeting at carbon-neutral growth by 2030, followed by NET Zero, or zero(0) carbon emissions, by 2050.

In 2024, LG Chem signed a long-term contract to secure wind-power renewable energy on a grand scale. Starting from 2026, the wind farms in Yeongdeok and Yeongyang of South Korea will supply up to 615GWh of wind-power energy for 20 years. This partnership takes the form of 3^rd party Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) and Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) sales contract. By reinforcing their renewable energy supply chain, LG Chem aims to lead eco-friendly energy transition in the petrochemical industry. As the company secures the eco-friendly energy supply chain, they will be able to lead carbon neutrality and provide differentiated customer values.

Manage Product Carbon Footprints and Protect the Ecosystem

In 2023, LG Chem established the ‘Carbon footprint Analysis and Management Platform (CAMP),�?aiming at completing evaluation of all domestic and global products. Furthermore, they expanded the application of carbon footprint analysis, which identifies the amount of carbon emissions from raw material to production, to their research tasks. Carbon reduction became the core criteria that determines the priority of LG Chem’s research and development tasks. The company has completed carbon footprint analysis of all domestic and global products, and is now securing the baseline for environmental effect evaluation and improvement.

In addition to this, LG Chem intends to make zero landfill waste in order to protect the local ecosystem. Four of their business sites have acquired platinum or gold in the international ‘Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWTL)�?certification, and they are striving to maintain these levels. Besides this, LG Chem is also committed to protecting the marine ecosystem through their research of restoring seagrass colonies in the sea of Yeosu, Korea. By transplanting seagrass in empty spaces to connect different seagrass colonies, LG Chem succeeded in widening the colony to the size of four soccer fields, allowing visitation of various marine animals including seahorses. Such passionate movements will hopefully bring positive impacts to the sustainability of the marine ecosystem.

Environment, Health, and Safety

LG Chem is also making a significant progress in Environment, Health, and Safety. As for Safety, the company targets at becoming the global top-tier. In fact, in 2023, they achieved ‘Zero�?serious disaster in their entire business sites. On top of that, LG Chem has been investing average $150 million into environmental safety for 3 years, and is now converting high risk facilities to a ‘Digital Safe Factory.�?Based on the law, a petrochemical plant has to stop operation every 2 or 4 years for maintenance of its facilities. During this process, laborers are exposed to a high risk while working from a high or sealed place. Recently, automated machines are replacing their works, such as high-performance test drones and high-pressure cleansing devices, which contribute to both the efficiency and safety of the process.

Sustainable Management of the Supply Chain

LG Chem not only cares about their own ESG, but also the ESG of their supply chains. For a sustainable management of their supply chain, the company has built a new organization specializing in the ESG task and is striving to improve their partners�?ESG competencies through supply chain ESG evaluation, actual inspection, etc. Moreover, they are carrying out various discussions with related departments on ESG evaluation, securing carbon footprint data, and responding to customers and partners. Through these efforts, LG Chem seeks to respond flexibly to crisis or changes, and to not just establish an eco-friendly supply chain, but also coexist with their partners. The company has developed a behavior standard to be complied by their partners, and is asking them to submit written pledges. So far, LG Chem has received the pledges from 96% of their 1,900 partner groups filtered through their internal standard. To create a sustainable future value, LG Chem is continuing their efforts to establish a transparent supply chain based on their social responsibility.

Above was an overview of LG Chem’s ESG Outcomes. LG Chem will continue to lead the decarbonized supply chain ecosystem, connecting their customers and partners, through reinforcement of their ESG supply chain management capacity and global collaborations. Please keep your support for LG Chem as they improve their environment indications and build a sustainable industrial environment.

The post The journey towards carbon neutrality, sharing LG Chem’s ESG outcomes in 2023! appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 00:50:02 +0000

The post [Invisible] How to Live Green with Invisible Sustainability appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 00:50:25 +0000

An essential component of an electric vehicle, lithium-ion battery! A key material that makes up a lithium-ion battery is the ‘anode binder.�?An anode binder plays an important role in mechanical stabilization of the anode active materials and heightening the battery efficiency. Today’s FOCUS ON looks into the anode binder, the key player that enhances the capacity and efficiency of a lithium-ion battery.

Anode Binder Serves as an Adhesive

Before we get onto the anode binder, let’s understand what a ‘Binder�?is. As the term tells you, a binder ‘binds,�?‘ties,�?or ‘puts two things together.�?In Chemistry, binders serve the role of attaching ‘active materials (involved in the electrode reaction of an actual battery)�?and ‘conductive materials (facilitate the movement of electrons)�?to a thin layer known as the ‘collector.�?Here, collector is the part that lets electrons in and out of the active materials to facilitate electrochemical reactions when batteries are charged or discharged. When active and conductive materials are blended and attached to the collector uniformly, it stabilizes the battery capacity. To put it simply, a binder is an additive material that helps blend and apply the active and conductive materials evenly, plus maintain the mechanical properties like interfacial bonding and internal binding of the electrodes.

A binder is a non-conductive insulator, which varies by types depending on its application, such as in cathode or anode. The most common types are Line Contact PVdF (Poly-Vinyli-Dene Fluoride), Point Contact SBR (Styrene Butadiene Rubber), and Point Contact CMC (Carboxymethyl Cellulose). PVdF is a non-aqueous binder, whereas SBR and CMC are aqueous binders. Non-aqueous binders are not soluble in water and must be collected after disposal, generating environmental costs. However, aqueous binders use water as their solvent, reducing both environmental impacts and costs. What’s more, Point Contact binders SBR and CMC have better fixation than Line Contact binder PVdF. In most cases, non-aqueous PVdF is applied to the cathode, while aqueous SBR and CMC are applied to the anode. This is because cathode consists of materials whose volumes do not expand much, such as nickel, cobalt, and manganese, but anode is composed of materials with a larger variation of volumes.

Recently, an increasing number of cases use silicone as an anode material in place of graphite, which can expand the battery capacity by about ten times. Yet, silicone can swell up severely when the battery is charged or discharged, eventually shortening the battery lifespan. To solve this problem and complement the weaknesses of existing batteries, LG Chem has applied Carbon Nanotube (CNT) to their conductive materials, and also used a stronger binder.

When a binder has a poor bond, the electrodes expand during charging and discharging, creating a distance between the active materials. As a result, the number of electrons decreases, whereas they take more time to pass through.

To tackle this issue, LG Chem has optimized the composition and structure of the binder particles, and minimized the clumping between binders through a specially-designed functional monomer. Thanks to this change, there are more contact points with the active materials, improving the adhesion efficiency and bonding between the conductive and active materials. In addition, by preventing the binder from moving to the top of the electrode during its drying process, the binder could be evenly distributed within the electrode, enhancing its bonding with the active materials and collector. LG Chem’s anode binder boasts high electrochemical stability and excellent cycle when the battery is operated, whereas the battery’s internal resistance stays low. Furthermore, LG Chem is Korea’s largest producer of Carbon Nanotube (CNT) for the conductive materials that are applied to binders and silicone anode materials.

Anode binder’s application centered on batteries

LG Chem’s anode binders are applied to various batteries. It is found in the lithium-ion battery of an electric vehicle, or the ESS (Energy Storage System). ESS batteries are made both for homes and electrical grids. ESS battery for homes is connected to the solar panels to save energy at daytime and use that energy to provide electricity at nighttime. As for the ESS battery for grids, it is installed at wind or thermal power plants and substations, etc.

Today, we introduced the anode binder that enhances the capacity of a lithium-ion battery. With rising attention to electric vehicles and their power source, the lithium-ion battery, companies are investing much on R&D of technologies that heightens the capacity and efficiency of a battery. Keep your support for LG Chem, as the company continues to reinforce their strength in battery materials and produce a maximized-capacity of lithium-ion batteries.

The post FOCUS ON: Anode Binder appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 00:50:21 +0000

LG Chem ranked 4^th in ‘Global Top 50 Chemical Companies 2024,�?announced by C&EN (Chemical&Engineering), a media that specializes in the chemical industry. Before that, the company’s highest record was 7^th in 2021. That is three huge steps in just three years. Today, we introduce how LG Chem stepped up as the 4^th leading global chemical company.

C&EN is a weekly magazine published by the ACS (American Chemical Society), delivering specialized/technical information in the fields of chemistry and chemical engineering. Every year, the media collects and analyzes the sales and business profits of chemical companies, evaluates them based on various records and performances, and announces the list, known as ‘Global Top 50 Chemical Companies.�?This year, LG Chem occupied 4^th in the list. In 2018, the company entered Top 10 of the same list, first time for a Korean chemical company. After 6 years, their position escalated to Top 5.

LG Chem could climb up to a higher position, thanks to the company’s diverse performances. Amid the slump of global chemical companies due to the oversupply issue, LG Chem’s sales recorded $42.3 billion, increasing by 6.5% compared to 2022. Furthermore, the company’s strategy of expanding their new business based on eco-friendly raw materials and reinforcing their strategy in battery materials had positive impacts on the evaluation.

Strategic expansion of new business based on eco-friendly raw materials

LG Chem signed a contract with Italia-based ENI to establish a production plant for HVO, a next-generation bio oil. By 2026, the two partners plan to construct an HVO plant within LG Chem Daesan site, Korea, with the production capacity of annual 300,000 tons.

HVO is a hydrogenated vegetable oil produced by adding hydrogen to plant-based raw materials such as waste cooking oil. Frost-proof in low temperatures, it is used as an eco-friendly fuel in automotive and aviation. LG Chem is targeting at internalizing HVO so they can use it to produce bio SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer), bio ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), and bio PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride).

In addition, LG Chem has signed an HOA (Heads Of Agreement) with CJ Cheil Jedang to establish a joint business that produces and sells eco-friendly nylon based on bio raw materials. The two partners will produce bio nylon, which is a plant-based bio raw material using corn or sugarcane. The material can be used in various industries, including automotive, electronics, and fabrics. With heat-resistance and durability similar to conventional nylon, plus a high carbon-reduction effect, it is attracting the eyes of many companies. While CJ Cheil Jedang produces bio raw materials, LG Chem will use these to produce and sell bio nylon. Based on this partnership, LG Chem will continue their business based on eco-friendly, low-carbon raw materials, leading the industry’s reduction of carbon footprints.

Next, LG Chem has signed an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Korea’s GS Caltex for a collaborated business of 3HP (3 Hydroxypropionic Acid). The MOU is in continuance of the JDA (Joint Development Agreement) signed by the two partners in 2021 and 2023 construction of 3HP Demonstration plant in GS Caltex’s Yeosu plant, Korea.

3HP is an eco-friendly material produced by microorganism fermentation processing of plant-based raw materials. It is applied to various products, including biodegradable plastic, diapers, paints, adhesives, coating agents, and carbon fiber.

When LG Chem’s global-top level 3HP fermentation technology meets GS Caltex’s advanced technology of processing and facilities, we can expect a stronger synergy effect. The collaboration will bring positive effects in various fields, such as carbon-neutrality and resource circulation. Through this opportunity, the field of eco-friendly materials will develop as a future technology that can protect both the environment and society.

Finally, we cannot leave out LG Chem Dangjin Plant, Korea. Scheduled to complete construction by 2024, LG Chem Dangjin plant boasts the size of 32 soccer fields, including Korea’s first supercritical pyrolysis plant and next-generation insulation material, aerogel plant. For the first time in Asia, we can break down waste plastics using pyrolysis oil and synthesize them to produce recycled plastics. Pyrolysis oil is a raw material made by heating up waste plastics that have limitation in mechanical recycling, which is utilized in the production of new plastics. Through this process, waste plastics can also generate the energy required to operate the plant.

Dangjin plant also produces aerogel, a material composed of gas. Thanks to its lightness, high heat-resistance, and low density, it is used as a thermal-resistance and insulation material. By producing pyrolysis oil and aerogel at Dangjin plant, LG Chem intends to take one step closer to the eco-friendly future business, preparing a sustainable future.

Reinforcing strategy in the battery materials field

LG Chem is also reinforcing their strategy in the battery materials business. First, the company has signed an MOU with the State of Tennessee, the US, to construct a cathode plant. LG Chem plans to build a cathode plant in the 1.7 million m³ site in Clarksville, Tennessee, with annual production capacity of 120,000 tons. This is the largest scale in the US, enough to produce 1.2 million high-performance pure EV batteries. Considering the many EV battery and OEM companies situated in the same state, the company has secured a locational advantage to import raw materials and supply products to their customers.

Tennessee plant will be operated by 100% renewable energy. By signing a partnership with a local electricity supplier, LG Chem will receive a stable supply of electricity. After that, the electricity company will cover renewable energy equivalent to the amount of electricity supplied to LG Chem. Starting from Tennessee plant, LG Chem seeks to provide a differentiated value to their customers, taking a leap as North’s America’s top cathode supplier.

Also having significance is the contract with GM (General Motors) to supply a large scale of cathode materials. LG Chem has signed a partnership with GM to supply over 500,000 tons of cathode materials by 2035, which can create 5 million EV batteries. LG Chem’s Tennessee plant will provide the cathode materials to Ultium Cells, GM’s joint corporation.

With the news of LG Chem occupying 4^th in C&EN’s ‘Global Top 50 Chemical Companies 2024,�?we looked at the factors of LG Chem receiving positive evaluation. Please keep your support for LG Chem as they continue to grow and develop in various fields, including new businesses based on eco-friendly raw materials and battery materials.

The post LG Chem Ranks 4th in Global Top Chemical Companies 2024 appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 00:50:30 +0000

We meet materials developed by LG Chem in every corner of our lifestyles. ‘Automobiles,�?an indispensable part of our lives, is of no exemption. LG Chem produces the materials for various automotive parts, from adhesives to car seats, interior/exterior materials, and EV batteries. Here are the case stories of LG Chem’s products applied to cars.

Participate in Decarbonization Project of EV Brand

LG Chem is taking part in the decarbonization project run by a European premium EV brand. The project aims at producing climate neutral cars by 2030. From material production to development of parts, processing, and delivering the final product to customers, the goal is to make carbon emissions ‘zero (0)�?across the whole process.

Through this project, LG Chem plans to develop and supply eco-friendly plastics that will later be applied to the EV brand’s automotive parts, such as the interior/exterior. The two partners will conduct long-term meetings to analyze the material development, manufacturing process, and energy used, etc. to seek means of reducing their carbon footprints.

By 2025, LG Chem will partner with not just the EV brand, who is at the center of the project, but also other groups to find solutions to carbon reduction. By 2027, they plan to run a pilot project focused on automotive materials and supply chain. Finally, by 2030, the company aims to secure the production facility where they can mass-produce climate neutral cars.

To make this project a success, LG Chem is willing to take the lead in carbon reduction, based on their decades of know-how in materials R&D and technologies related to eco-friendly materials. Adding to this, the company plans to expand their eco-friendly material solutions.

Supply Heat-resistant ABS to Korean Automotive Company

The vehicle in above image has been used to explain automotive parts, with no relation to the content.

LG Chem’s Heat-resistant ABS will be supplied to a Korean automotive company, first time in the country. Heat-resistant ABS is a material that boasts excellent processability and painting properties, realizing a sophisticated and stylish design of a car. Lighter than the conventional PC/ABS, it enhances fuel efficiency and cuts down carbon emissions, contributing to making a sustainable environment. Furthermore, it has high heat-resistance and optimal balance of the physical properties, offering durability that can satisfy its users.

LG Chem’s Heat-resistant ABS is applied to the trunk lid garnish and back panels of many automotive brands. By switching their material to LG Chem’s Heat-resistant ABS, this Korean brand has improved the defects in painting and molding, which were some of the quality issues they had regarding their products. This helped them reduce the loss cost by lowering their defect rate. To do this, LG Chem used the same material as existing automotive parts for a thorough comparison/analysis of their Heat-resistant ABS, verifying the improved results with a quantitative 3D scanning value. The result proved that using Heat-resistant ABS could improve over 10% of the painting defect rate compared to the conventional material.

In the automotive industry where OEM registration is critical, LG Chem’s supply of heat-resistant ABS holds significance by laying a foundation of further application to new and other cars. Not only LG Chem, but also the automotive company is expected to provide improved products and services to their customers.

Sign Contract for Supplying Films to Automotive Sunroof Brand

The vehicle in above image has been used to explain automotive parts, with no relation to the content.

LG Chem signed a contract to supply SGF (Switchable Glazing Film) to a leading global company who produces automotive sunroof systems and is chosen as world’s Top 100 electric parts supplier. SGF is a film that can control light and heat penetration through electric signals, usually applied to automotive glass, such as the sunroof. Its original color is opaque, but it turns transparent when voltage is applied. By using SGF in a car, we can divide the glass into transparent and opaque sections. This means we can shade certain parts of the window, ensuring privacy in the car. Recently, an increasing number of premium cars and EVs are applied with SGF.

LG Chem possesses more than 200 domestic and international patents for SGF, with technologies and know-hows they have accumulated in the field of electronic materials, including display and semiconductors. Compared to its competitors, LG Chem’s SGF shows weaker light interference, offering a clear view from whichever direction. Moreover, LG Chem has procured the SGF production facility enough to cover annual 3 million cars.

This is not the end, for LG Chem is targeting at developing next-generation SGF with a vivid black color and quick response speed, and expanding the application of SGF to front and side glasses.

Today, we introduced LG Chem’s product used in diverse automotive parts. Please look forward to LG Chem’s future as they foster the mobility materials business, one of the future growth fields, based on the company’s technologies in electronics including display and semiconductors.

The post LG Chem in Automobiles! Introducing the status of automotive materials development appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 00:50:42 +0000

Welcome to LETZero Encyclopedia, an introductory series to LG Chem’s eco-friendly brand LETZero and its products. Our latest episode looked into OBP, a recycled material which uses marine waste as its raw material. Today, we zoom into the features and usages of LG Chem’s sustainable compostable materials solution, COMPOSTFUL�?

Plastic decomposed within a few months, COMPOSTFUL�?/h2>

COMPOSTFUL�? LG Chem’s sustainable compostable materials solution, is a bioplastic that decomposes within 6 months to 2 years under certain conditions. The name reflects its intention to ‘quickly decompose and become the basis of sustaining fertile land.�?All customers, regardless of their background of chemistry, can instinctively understand the characteristics of the product by reading its name.

To make COMPOSTFUL�? we first need to produce compostable products like PBAT and PBS through a polyester polymerization technology. By compounding these products with bio-based compostable materials such as PLA (Polylactic Acid), starch, etc., we complete COMPOSTFUL�? Through this process, we can provide various materials that suit our customers�?needs and applications. With high flexibility, COMPOSTFUL�?is applied to film products like agricultural mulch films and disposable bags. When compounded with PLA, starch, etc., it offers processability and strength similar to those of existing plastic materials like PE and PP.

Characteristics of LG Chem’s COMPOSTFUL�?/h2>

LG Chem not only holds the technology and infrastructure to produce raw materials for COMPOSTFUL�? but also offers stability in terms of quality and supply, thanks to decades of research and development in the field of plastics.

For COMPOSTFUL�? LG Chem develops customized compostable plastic recipes and runs an in-house biodegradation simulation, such as observing how long it takes for the material to decompose. This simulation suggests the possibility for certification, as the broad data accumulated through LG Chem’s years of research and development enables prediction of the speed and duration of biodegradation in just 2~3 months. As a result, COMPOSTFUL�?modeling significantly shortens the time required to develop compostable plastic products. Once they are made, the products go through an evaluation based on various standards. This confirms whether the product decomposes over 90% within 6 months to maximum 2 years, enables plants to grow when it is blended with composts after decomposition, and is safe to be applied to food packaging, etc. After the evaluation, it finally becomes COMPOSTFUL�? a compostable plastic.

Furthermore, COMPOSTFUL�?provides a customized technical service to its customers. We can prevent various customer pain points by prior simulation and verification. Through this process, LG Chem has acquired a number of global biodegradation certifications. We also comply with global food contact regulations (Korea, Europe, China), making our products more reliable for the consumers.

Finally, LG Chem can produce various products that suit customers�?needs based on our patents and compound formulation technology. We hold the technologies and infrastructure to make not just compostable plastics like COMPOSTFUL�? but also various plastic raw materials. We have obtained production efficiency by internalizing the raw material process.

Applications of COMPOSTFUL�?/h2>

COMPOSTFUL�?is applied to various parts of our lives. It can make food packaging, coffee capsules, coating for paper cups, agricultural mulch films, delivery packaging, and other disposable products.

In particular, agricultural mulch films and food packaging made of COMPOSTFUL�?were displayed in Chinaplas 2024. Visitors that came to the booth could take a piece of food packaging film with them, enjoying the chance to experience our product in person. (Related post: A throwback to Chinaplas 2024 and NPE2024!)

The era that we live in is more than just ‘eco-friendly.�?It’s rather a time of ‘Green survival.�?With the expansion of global regulations for disposable products, there is a rising demand for compostable plastics around the world. The market of compostable plastics is expected to replace disposable plastics and continue its growth. From our first development of containers blended with compostable starch in 1992 to COMPOSTFUL�?in 2023, LG Chem has continued our R&D efforts for compostable products. Please keep your support for LG Chem as we carry on with researches of sustainable materials and sustainable future.

Today, we looked into LG Chem’s COMPOSTFUL�? The next LETZero Encyclopedia will come back with the story of PLH.
The post LETZero Encyclopedia: COMPOSTFUL�?– Sustainable compostable materials solution appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 00:50:59 +0000

A new material used in pharmaceuticals, automobiles, aviation, and semiconductors! From battery conductive materials to sports equipment like hockey sticks and golf clubs, shielding plastic for electronics, and improving the durability and strength of automotive components, CNT (Carbon Nano Tube) comes useful in all industries! Today’s FOCUS ON will look thoroughly into the next-generation material, CNT.

CNT, a material of our dream,
surpassing the features of existing materials

CNT, short for Carbon Nanotube, was first discovered in 1991 in Japan by Dr. Sumio Ijima of NEC Research Lab. Its diameter is a nm (nanometer) scale, but it has been dubbed ‘the new material of our dream�?for its high electric conductivity and heat conductivity.

CNT is an allotrope* of carbon, possessing a cylinder-shaped nano structure. It gained its name from the tube-shaped Graphene film that consists of carbon atoms. Depending on at what angle the Graphene film is rolled into a tube shape, nanotubes come with different shapes and diameters, which determine their use in metals or semiconductors.

*Allotrope: a substance whose molecules or crystals are made of atoms of the same element, but with different arrangement of the atoms

CNT’s strength is 100 times that of steel, which makes it the strongest material that has ever been discovered. Also, its electric conductivity is equivalent to that of copper, and heat conductivity similar to diamond. Its lightness and flexibility, owing to the tube shape and hollow space inside, make it stand out even more. As the material is composed entirely of carbon, it is stable in chemical reactions and easy to synthesize with other materials. Yet, its thickness is only a nanometer scale, which is 1/10,000 of a piece of hair. Thus, we can secure excellent electric conductivity at minimal input.

Applications of CNT

CNT is known as an essential material of EV batteries. Not only that, it is also used in automotive exterior (side mirrors, car seats, heated handles), aviation, secondary batteries, semiconductors, etc. With excellent electric conductivity and elasticity, it makes a great material for the exterior and wheels of automobiles, airplanes, and space crafts. Moreover, CNT is found in electronic devices, particularly in conductive substrates and semiconductor circuits, and various other fields including semiconductor, flat display, super-strong fiber, biosensors, and so on.

CNT is also applied to secondary batteries, both in cathode and anode. When CNT is used as a conductive additive* in the cathode, it embodies higher conductivity than the conventional conductive additive made of carbon-black. This means we can use less conductive materials and fill the space with anode, maximizing the battery capacity and lifespan. High conductivity contributes to battery charging speed, increased safety, and battery lifespan. LG Chem supplies CNT for conductive additives to battery players such as LG Energy Solution. There, CNT is used to maximize battery capacity and lifespan by helping the electric and electronic flows.

CNT is also used in the anode, which contains silicon active materials. CNT enhances the cell lifespan by maintaining the strong conductive network amid the expansion and contraction of the silicon active materials. While silicon anode gains attention as a next-generation anode material, the role of CNT is becoming more important.

*Conductive additive: a substance which stimulates the transfer of electrons between electrode active materials

LG Chem’s CNT business reaching out to the world

LG Chem has developed high-conduction and high-disperse CNT which heightens the material’s performance, and is now expanding their business to the global markets, including Japan, China, America, and Europe. While maintaining their research to make CNT’s conductivity more efficient, the company obtained over 550 CNT patents. Currently in operation are 3 CNT plants in Yeosu, Korea, and have commenced construction of the 4^th CNT factory in Daesan.

LG Chem’s 4^th CNT plant is expected to have annual 3,200 tons of production capacity. With the completion of the CNT4 plant, the company will secure annual 6,100 tons of CNT, which is more than twice of the current production capacity. Needless to say, it is the largest CNT plant in Korea, which will prepare the company for a high-speed growth of the global CNT market.

Today, we focused on the next-generation material, CNT. With active development of EV and its rising demand, the demand for battery materials is also increasing. In line with the trend, R&D of CNT for EV batteries is also in full swing. Please keep your support for CNT, which will continue to improve.

The post FOCUS ON: CNT (Carbon Nanotube) appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:50:23 +0000

Welcome to LETZero Encyclopedia, an introductory series to LG Chem’s eco-friendly brand LETZero and their products. Last time, we focused on PEC made with recycled raw materials.

OBP, a recycled material which protects the marine ecosystem

Every year, over 12 million tons of marine wastes flow into the ocean. 80% of these wastes come from land. Plastic wastes generated near the shore may flow into the ocean due to rain, wind, tide, flow of river, and flood. These wastes are called OBP (Ocean Bound Plastic). OBP refers to plastic wastes of all sizes that are discarded within 50km of the shore region.

OBP, plastic waste flowed into the ocean, can be recycled through the process of selecting, sorting, and washing. Also, we can preemptively prevent plastic from flowing into the ocean and becoming marine waste. This way, we can protect the marine life and ecosystem.

To protect the marine ecosystem, LG Chem produces recycled plastic using fishing nets and PET bottles discarded within 50km of the shore. Let’s take a look at how LG Chem collects and recycles OBP.

In order to recycle OBP, we first need to collect plastic wastes discarded within 50km of the shore. These wastes mostly consist of fishing nets (PA) and bottles (PET). Then, the wastes are sorted by material, color, etc. After crushing and washing, we remove the contaminants remaining in the fishing nets and PET bottles. The material cleansed through this process is made into pellets and blended with the raw material applied with LG Chem’s proprietary technology, until we obtain the complete OBP.

As OBP is made by collecting plastic waste that might flow into the ocean, it helps protect the marine ecosystem by preventing the generation of marine waste. One advantage of OBP is that it recycles fishing nets and PET bottles that take the biggest portion of marine waste to produce various products like PET, OBP PA, etc. Also, the entire supply chain of OBP, from collection of waste plastic in the ocean to management, recycling, and final production, gains verification from an eco-friendly certification and evaluation organization.

The raw materials of OBP are classified into three categories by the range of where the waste plastics are collected: Shoreline OBP, Waterways OBP, and Potential OBP. Shoreline OBP refers to wastes floating in the sea within 200m from the shore, and 100m at a low tide. Waterways OBP are wastes collected within the 200m range that stretches from the riverside to inland. Finally, Potential OBP refers to the wastes that remain unmanaged within the 50km range from the ocean to inland. LG Chem recycles the third group of OBP, that is, Potential OBP.

Products applied with OBP

OBP collected from the sea is combined with different engineering plastics through LG Chem’s proprietary technology. It is then applied to various industries from the interior and exterior materials of electronics to automotive parts.

In specific, waste fishing nets can be recycled to create smart watches and switches, while waste PET bottles can make the material for diverse electronic devices. Furthermore, both fishing nets and PET bottles can turn into automotive interior and exterior materials.

So far, we took a look at OBP. The next LETZero Encyclopedia will come back with the story of COMPOSTFUL^TM.

The post LETZero Encyclopedia: OBP – Recycled material made up of marine waste appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 05:00:17 +0000

The post What You Threw Away Has Been Reborn as a Bag! LG Chem X Nukak | Re∙Up Second Chance appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 00:50:01 +0000

A lithium-ion battery is composed of cathode, anode, separator, and electrolyte. If you refer to the previous ‘FOCUS ON�?where we addressed �?a href=" title="새창" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">high-nickel single-crystal cathode,�?cathode was introduced as the energy source of a battery, which determines the battery’s efficiency and capacity. Today, we focus on the separator, a main component of a lithium-ion battery, that prevents the contact between cathode and anode.

Separator, a safeguard that prevents
the contact between cathode and anode

A separator is essential for the battery safety. Lithium-ion batteries charge and discharge by the chemical reaction occurred when lithium-ion passes through the cathode and anode. Yet, direct contact between cathode and anode may cause short circuit, which can lead to safety accidents like fires. Serving as a safeguard that blocks the physical contact between cathode and anode is the Lithium-ion Battery Separator (LiBS).

While preventing the cathode and anode contact, it’s important to secure the lithium-ion passage for a battery to charge and discharge without a problem. To do this, a separator comes with microscopic pores (air holes). These pores let lithium-ion pass through, except when the battery’s internal temperature rises to a certain extent or there is a flow of an overcurrent, when they automatically close down to block the lithium-ion passage and prevent overheating. A separator also requires high insulation so that it does not react with lithium-ion inside the battery.

Types of separator according to its manufacturing method

The materials used to make a separator are Polyethylene (PE) and Polypropylene (PP), etc. PE and PP are manufacturable at a low cost, easy to process, offer excellent chemical stability and mechanical properties, and are light in weight.

Depending on the manufacturing method, separators are divided into dry and wet types. Dry separators create the pores by pulling and stretching PE and PP films in one direction. Unlike wet separators, they skip the process of removing the solvent, making the manufacturing process comparatively simpler. It is also eco-friendly, since it does not emit harmful substances. Yet, there is a challenge of making the sizes of pores even. Plus, dry separators have weaker mechanical strength and are thicker than wet separators, which limits their application to batteries with low energy density, such as Energy Storage System (ESS), electric city buses, etc.

On the other hand, wet separators create the pores by mixing PE and PP with paraffin oil at a high temperature, slowly hardening the sheet extruded at a high temperature · pressure, and extracting the oil filled in between the gaps of the films. Wet separators have a complex manufacturing process, and require a lot of materials to produce them, resulting in higher cost. However, the sizes of pores are even. Plus, they come with higher mechanical strength and are thinner than dry separators, securing higher energy density. Thus, they are mostly applied to fields that need high capacity · power batteries, such as small batteries like mobile phones and laptops, and electric vehicles.

The future of separators,
heading towards sustainable growth

Owing to the electrification trend of the automobile industry and countries making policies to regulate internal combustion engine cars to achieve Net Zero, the transition to electric vehicles is prospected to continue. With the rising demand for EV batteries, companies are striving to overcome the limitation of existing separators that lose their durability at temperatures over 130�? and produce separators that can maintain their stability even at high temperatures.

LG Chem has developed the ‘Safety Reinforced Separator^® (SRS^®)�? which can withstand heat of over 200�?by coating ceramic particles and polymeric binders on the surface of the separator. Since its first mass-production in 2009, LG Chem has continued to enhance their production speed, securing world’s highest coating production capacity.

Today, we looked into separators, an essential component that secures a battery’s safety. Even at this moment, companies are continuing their efforts to develop separators with high heat-resistance, along with researches to create thin separators that secure high energy density, which is a direct factor affecting an EV’s mileage. Please keep your support for the bright future of separators, as they make further improvements.

The post FOCUS ON: Separator appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Fri, 21 Jun 2024 00:50:36 +0000

Welcome to LETZero Encyclopedia, an introductory series to LG Chem’s eco-friendly brand LETZero and their products. The last episode introduced PCR PVC, a material made by utilizing recycled raw materials. Today, we take a look at the features and usages of PEC, a next-generation eco-friendly plastic material made by capturing carbon dioxide, known to us as the major cause of global warming.

PEC, an eco-friendly material from its creation to destruction

While the whole world makes collective efforts to cut down carbon dioxide, the major cause of global warming, various technologies have recently been introduced that not only reduce carbon emissions but also utilize the carbon dioxide that is emitted into the air. One of these technologies is CCU (Carbon Capture and Utilization).

PEC (Polyethylene Carbonate) is a next-generation eco-friendly plastic material obtained through the CCU* technology. It is made by utilizing carbon dioxide captured at factories, along with Ethylene Oxide. By using carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, as a plastic raw material, it contributes to carbon neutrality and instant carbon reduction compared to conventional fossil-fuel based plastics.
*CCU (Carbon Capture and Utilization): a technology of capturing carbon dioxide both in the atmosphere and generated during an industrial process to utilize it as a resource

PEC is an eco-friendly material across the whole process, from manufacture to disposal. The process is as follows. First, we capture the carbon dioxide generated during a petrochemical process. By converting this carbon dioxide directly into a polymer, we make the PEC material. When converting the carbon dioxide into a polymer, LG Chem does not take a separate conversion process, but directly input carbon dioxide to obtain PEC polymers. By omitting the additional process, LG Chem can keep down the loss of carbon dioxide, producing PEC of maximum 50% carbon dioxide content. The PEC produced through this process is utilized in packaging, films, and eco-friendly enhancers. PEC maintains its eco-friendly feature until its lifespan ends and is disposed. Unlike conventional fossil-fuel based plastics, PEC is incinerated without generating soot, contributing to the air pollution reduction.

Normally, carbon dioxide is known as a stable material that is difficult to convert into another material. LG Chem has developed a proprietary material and processing technology to convert carbon dioxide into a plastic, securing the highest productivity among existing CO�?plastics.

PEC boasts excellent physical properties, even when compared with PLA or PBAT that are widely known as eco-friendly materials. LG Chem’s PEC features superior oxygen and moisture barrier than PLA and PBAT. Plus, it has higher flexibility than PLA, and higher transparency than PBAT. Furthermore, LG Chem’s PEC can be combined with fossil-fuel based materials and other eco-friendly materials. Based on its excellent compatibility* with PLA, LG Chem’s PEC has improved its brittleness** and barrier features while maintaining its transparency.

*Compatibility: When two or more substances have affinity for each other, forming a solution or homogeneous mixture when combined.
**Brittleness: Brittleness or embrittlement, meaning that it can be broken easily

Applications of PEC

As mentioned before, PEC has high compatibility, meaning that it can be combined with various materials including PLA, an eco-friendly material, and HDPE, a fossil-fuel based material, and more. PEC blended with other materials comes with high barrier properties and transparency. It can have various applications, from flexible and soft materials to solid materials. By combining PEC with different eco-friendly and fossil-fuel based materials, we can use it to produce cosmetic containers, food packaging, water bottles, PET bottle caps, two-way stretch films, artificial leather, and shoe outsoles.
Today’s LETZero Encyclopedia took a look at PEC. The next episode will come back with a story of OBP.

The post LETZero Encyclopedia: PEC �?Eco-friendly plastic made of carbon dioxide appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Fri, 14 Jun 2024 00:50:31 +0000

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The post Nervous yet exciting, vlog of a 4-day business trip to Chinaplas 2024 appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 00:50:31 +0000

In 2024, LG Chem is focusing more on ‘customers�?to improve their inconveniences and provide them with a more satisfying service. ‘We Hear from Our Customer’s Shoe�?is a series through which we look at the actual cases and efforts of customer service improvement. Today, we invite Professional Kwak Jihyeon (LG Chem Life Sciences Company, Specialty Care Department, Marketing 1 Team) to hear about ‘EuDi,�?an application (thereafter ‘app�? that manages the intake of LG Chem’s child short stature treatment.

Hello, please introduce yourself.

Hello, I’m Kwak Jihyeon from Life Sciences Company, Specialty Care Department, Marketing 1 Team. We are a team responsible for the marketing of drugs related to children’s growth. My role in particular is the marketing of a child short stature treatment.

I heard you developed an app to manage the intake of a child short stature treatment.
What exactly is child short stature disorder?

If your child’s height falls under the lower 3% of children in the same gender and age group, or is over 10cm shorter than the average height of the age group, we call it child short stature disorder.

There are different factors of child short stature. The child might have been born small, failing to have a ‘Catch up growth, or Compensatory growth*.�?Or, he or she might possess GHD** (Growth Hormone Deficiency). At times, short stature may appear without a special disease. This includes ‘familial short stature�?caused by genetic factors or ‘constitutional growth delay.�?/p>

*Catch up growth, Compensatory growth: When the health condition deteriorates due to nutritional deficiencies or illnesses, causing weight gain to stop or slow down. Once factors that inhibit growth disappear, growth may recover according to the original growth curve or even accelerate.
**Growth Hormone Deficiency: When the amount of growth hormone secreted by the pituitary gland is insufficient, resulting in a growth rate below average and a decrease in metabolic effects.

What inconveniences did the patients and guardians encounter
during the treatment of child short stature?

Once diagnosed with child short stature, the patient receives prescription of a growth hormone treatment from the hospital. The growth hormone treatment is a drug taken at a certain time of the day when growth hormones are secreted to support the patient’s growth. It is self-injected at home every day, which was a great burden to both the patients and guardians.

Children especially have a lower self-motivation for such a treatment. They know the importance of receiving the treatment, but in many cases, they would often reject the injection due to fear of shots and tiredness of repeating the process every day. Parents could only try to coax and comfort their child, and their hearts would grow weak, watching the child cry in front of them.

Injection therapy was indeed, a burden to the guardians. Of course, LG Chem has been providing on/offline education to support them with the self-injection. However, not many of them have experienced self-injection in their lives before. After all, the guardians are not professional medical personnel, and they often appealed that they are ‘afraid and worried of giving injections to their children.�?/p>

Self-injection sounds like a tough job.

Of course. Growth hormones have to be injected at a fixed amount and fixed time every day. Keeping the exact time itself is a challenge, and keeping the same amount is another. It would be helpful if the amount of dose stays the same, but it changes according to the child’s weight. We even use a different needle depending on how thin the child is. In another word, guardians are required to pay extra-close attention to their children in the journey of the treatment.

That’s not it. The drug is injected to different parts of your body every day, taking turns with your left and right arms, hips, and thighs. As the body part changes daily, patients easily got confused of its order. Saying that the injection follows a 7-day cycle, patients usually take the shot for 6 days and rest on the last. During the break, they often forgot which part of their bodies they had ended with.

Another inconvenience occurred due to the time. Growth hormone is mostly injected between 9~10PM right before the child goes to sleep. Hospitals are closed at this time, and it’s a pain when the child gets a sudden fever before taking the shot, since the parents cannot ask anyone about whether to give the shot or not.

Were there inconveniences for the medical personnel as well?

Child short stature requires over 2 years of consistent treatment. To make it most effective, it’s important that both the patient and guardian keep their motivation and steadily manage the intake according to the plan. Yet, it’s hard for them to keep the self-injection in track, and there was no way the medical personnel could check if the treatment plan is being kept at the patients�?homes.

Please introduce EuDi, the app for managing the intake of child short stature treatment.

EuDi is an app that accompanies the A to Z of growth hormone treatment. From ‘Injection therapy education,�?which is the very beginning of the treatment, to ‘Intake management�?that helps patients follow the plan, ‘Growth management�?which analyzes the effect of the treatment, and making requests of items and consultation needed to keep up with the treatment, EuDi app can deal with the whole process of curing child short stature.

How was EuDi made?

The birth of EuDi dates back to 2016. Even before the development of EuDi app, LG Chem had been striving to monitor and solve the customers�?pain points. One of the efforts was providing ‘growth note�?to child short stature patients and their guardians. It was a hand-written notebook to lessen the difficulties of self-injection treatment and give guidelines for a proper intake management.

It was then when our team manager visited an overseas conference and heard about ‘improving a patient’s intake experience through Connectivity,�?where he gained a hint of EuDi app. At that time, using digital technology to improve a patient’s intake experience was a global topic. After checking out the global trend at the conference, the team began their discussions about digital healthcare in earnest.

In 2017, a customer survey was conducted. Trainee nurses who were parts of LG Chem visited the patients and guardians in person to hear their pain points, and the basic functions of EuDi app were designed based on this survey. It took 2 more years until the official launch of EuDi in 2019. Soon after the launch, coronavirus pandemic broke out, hindering offline injection educations. This brought a sharp increase in the number of EuDi app users starting in 2020.

What are some functions of EuDi that helped improve customer pain points?

The basic functions of EuDi include injection education, intake management, growth management, and request items or consultations. All of these started from improving our customers�?pain points. To introduce one of key functions, there is a tool to help motivate the patients and check the effect of the intake.

‘My character�?is a function to help motivate the patients. We’ve developed a EuDi character, hoping that the treatment can be of an enjoyable memory for our young patients. 4 types of characters appear with the names of ‘Eutae,�?‘Trudy,�?‘Romina,�?and ‘Pendel.�?According to the number of intakes, each character takes a number of steps to grow up as a musician, scientist, athlete, and a cook. This was a medium to show that we are growing along with these characters.

‘EuDi�?badge is another device to help the patients�?motivation. When the children take injections based on the prescription schedule, they can input a record on the app and receive badges. By acquiring these badges, they can feel a sense of achievement. To share a behind story of how this function was created, we got a hint from the badge that we receive by recording our workouts on a smart watch. I guess all smart watch users would relate to this. Every day, your smart watch rewards you with a badge when you accomplish the workout goal you’ve set. Though it’s trivial, this function helps motivate your exercise. We added a EuDi badge mission, hoping that our young patients, too, could feel a sense of motivation during the treatment.

There is also a ‘cheering message�?function, which lets parents send their children, and the children send other patients a message of support. It is a tool to help parents and patients form a bond of sympathy and share their supports for each other. It is another way of using EuDi to motivate our patients during the treatment.

What was the initial response from the customers (patients and guardians) towards EuDi?

EuDi is the first system to be introduced in Korea that supports child short stature treatment. As a pioneer, it received positive evaluation from the patients and guardians since its first launch. The EuDi characters, which were developed to make the app more familiar to children, gained good response. In the initial survey, about 80% of the users replied that they were satisfied with the app. Again, 2 years after its launch, 84% of the respondents showed satisfaction with the app.

I heard that recently, EuDi received the main prize for customer experience at iF Design Award,
known to be one of the world’s Top 3 design awards. What made EuDi win such a prize?

EuDi is an app that offers great functions, along with entertainment that suits the eye level of young patients. We’ve planted motivational factors here and there so that children can have an enjoyable intake experience until they finish their long journey of the treatment. I believe we got a good result in iF Design Award since we did not stop at developing functions required by the customers, but stuck to the entertainment points to help motivate our patients.

We’re proud that EuDi was acknowledged for its strengths. At the same time, once again, we realized that EuDi must pursue the direction of ‘putting on our customers�?shoes to understand their feelings.�?/p>

The birth of EuDi is a case of customer experience innovation.
What should we do to think from our customers�?perspectives?

I think it’s important that we have the right attitude and view about our work. If we limit our jobs to drug marketing, it’s hard to think from our customers�?perspectives. If we switch to thinking that the essence of our job is to ‘help children grow up healthy,�?this naturally helps us listen to our customers�?voices with an open heart. That’s why I often remind myself not to limit my job.

Finally, what do you hope EuDi becomes for its customers?

I hope EuDi remains as a ‘friendly app�?for both patients and guardians. Later when the children grow, they could reflect their childhood and say ‘EuDi had been my good partner.�?I also wish that EuDi can expand its domain. Now, EuDi focuses on the patients and guardians of child short stature disorder. My hope is that it could become an app to provide information about children’s growth in general, and approach to future customers who are still considering getting the treatment. Let’s say, we could create a ‘EuDi app light version�?(Laugh). It will be great if I can meet a broader group of customers through EuDi.

EuDi app walks together in the journey of child short stature treatment. As Professional Kwak Jihyeon said, LG Chem hopes that EuDi can be remembered by the patients as a partner who accompanied their childhood’s growth. We will come back with another case of putting on our customers�?shoes and improving their pain points.

The post EuDi, Accompanying the A to Z of Child Short Stature Treatment! �?We Hear from Our Customer’s Shoe appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Fri, 31 May 2024 00:50:29 +0000

From April 23^rd to 26^th 2024, LG Chem visited Shanghai, China to take part in ‘Chinaplas 2024,�?Asia’s largest global plastic and rubber exhibition. Occupying all 15 exhibition halls at National Exhibition Convention Center (NECC) in Hongqiao, Shanghai, this year’s Chinaplas recorded over 380,000m² in exhibition size, welcoming more than 4,000 leading plastic and rubber producers from around the world including LG Chem. The event gained unprecedented attention from the public, and the number of visitors was totaled at 322,000.

Meanwhile in Florida, ‘NPE2024: The Plastic Show�?was held from 6^th to 10^th of May. NPE (National Plastics Exposition) is considered world’s Top 3 plastic exhibitions, along with Chinaplas. Same as in China, LG Chem met a large number of customers in the United States and introduced their diverse eco-friendly products. Check out how LG Chem played in the two largest plastic exhibitions, Chinaplas and NPE, in China and the United States.

See Chinaplas 2024

The major keywords of Chinaplas 2024 were ‘Circular Economy & Sustainability,�?‘Digitalization,�?‘Innovative Materials,�?etc. In line with these topics, LG Chem arranged a booth with various themes, introducing their automotive, home appliances, and core materials. Occupying the largest exhibition size among Korean companies (400m²), LG Chem divided the booth into three separate zones: LETZero* Zone, Mobility Zone, and Living Zone, displaying their eco-friendly and high-value-added strategic products.
*LETZero: A compound word of ‘Let�?and ‘Zero (0),�?meaning ‘Zero harm to nature, Zero net-increase of carbon emissions.�?As LG Chem’s leading ‘global eco-friendly material�?brand, LETZero symbolizes innovative and sustainable solutions.

At the center of the booth was installed the ‘LETZero Zone,�?where visitors could experience diverse items, from Bio-based products based on vegetable raw materials, such as Bio-PA and PLA, to Bio-Circular Balanced SAP diapers made with Renewable Feedstock extracted from waste cooking oil.

Not only bio products, but LG Chem also displayed their food packaging materials (produce bags, food wraps) and agricultural mulch films** made of COMPOSTFUL�? the company’s compostable material that is scheduled to start official mass-production in May. In particular, the booth was arranged so that visitors could come and grab a piece of produce bag with them. By offering the visitors with a hands-on experience of the company’s products, LG Chem succeeded in gaining much attention from the public.
** Mulch film: A film used to cover the surface of the soil while cultivating plants. It is one of the important measures of managing soil.

Displayed at the Mobility Zone were ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) used in automotive interior/exterior, BR (Butadiene Rubber) and SSBR (Solution Styrene Butadiene Rubber) applied to tires, CNT (Carbon Nanotube) with world’s best quality based on LG Chem’s proprietary technology, EV battery packs and charging station applied with Engineering Plastics (EP), etc. Also drawing attention were touch pads and transparent OLED monitors that allowed the visitors to check out detailed information of the products exhibited within the zone.

Finally, the Living Zone displayed materials that are widely used in daily-use home appliances such as ABS, POE (Polyolefin Elastomer), a plastic made from carbon dioxide, so-called PEC (Polyethylene Carbonate), and 3HP (3-Hydroxypropionic acid) obtained through an eco-friendly fermentation processing. The exhibition included various products that actually utilize these materials, including water purifiers, furniture sheets, solar panels, and so on.

Besides the exhibition zones, ‘LETZero Café�?provided beverages to those who visited the booth. For a smooth communication, a meeting lounge and 9 meeting rooms were installed in the 1^st and 2^nd floors of the booth.

See NPE 2024

Same as in Chinaplas, LG Chem arranged a 334m² wide (the largest scale among Korean companies) booth in America, which was again divided into three main sections. In order to promote eco-friendly, high-value-added strategical products to the American market, over 40% of the products displayed at LG Chem booth consisted of eco-friendly items, and the booth included a lounge and 6 meeting rooms for the convenience of the visitors.

Other than compostable and bio materials, the LETZero Zone featured a special exhibition of Circular Pyrolysis Oil made through LG Chem’s ‘Supercritical pyrolysis technology,�?which switches waste plastics back to the initial raw material stage. Included in the display were Circular Balanced PE/PP, ABS, and PVC pellets based on the oil, which attracted the eyes of many customers.

While the world is making collective efforts for a better environment and sustainable future, LG Chem could see with their own eyes the rising demand for recycled and eco-friendly materials by participating in two exhibitions, Chinaplas and NPE 2024. Please keep your support for LG Chem as they carry on their steps as a global chemical leader.

The post A throwback to Chinaplas 2024 and NPE2024! LG Chem’s continuous efforts for sustainability appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Fri, 17 May 2024 00:50:36 +0000

Plastic is dubbed ‘the greatest invention in the history of humanity,�?or ‘the gift from God.�?This plastic, despite the convenience it brought to our lives, has now turned into a nuisance. According to UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), of the seven billion tons of plastic waste generated globally so far, less than 10% has been recycled. We can say that there is an increasingly important need for plastic recycling. LG Chem is continuing their research efforts for plastic recycling, and has developed PCR (Post-Consumer Recycled) ABS and PCR PC by recycling waste plastic discarded by end consumers. Furthermore, the company intends to reinforce their eco-friendly materials business, aiming to expand its sales from $1.5 billion in 2022 to $6.2 billion by 2030. In order to utilize recycled materials, LG Chem has invested $221 million into constructing a pyrolysis oil plant that utilizes waste plastics within the Seongmun National Industrial Complex in Dangjin, Chungnam, Korea. Let’s peek at LG Chem’s preparations for a sustainable business centered on recycled plastics.

Converting the troublesome marine waste into recycled plastic!

In January 2023, LG Chem signed an MOU with NETSPA to establish a resource circulation system through marine waste recycling. With this partnership, LG Chem secured the raw material for their pyrolysis oil plant in Dangjin, which will begin operation in 2024. While NETSPA selects and processes plastic collected from marine wastes, LG Chem will reproduce it into a recycled plastic material.

The current amount of marine waste is estimated at 75~199 million tons. However, a majority of this has been neglected or incinerated due to a high disposal cost and difficulty of handling it. LG Chem and NETSPA are looking forward to reducing marine wastes as the two partners utilize them as a raw material for recycled plastic. At the same time, it can hopefully reduce carbon emission by 3 times that of existing fossil-fuel based products.

Through the resource circulation partnership with NETSPA, LG Chem is aiming to catch two birds with one stone, that is, protecting the marine ecosystem and reducing carbon emissions. At the same time, the company plans to continue their research of recycled plastics using marine wastes, keeping up the efforts for resource circulation.

At last, recycling of waste vinyl!

In April 2024, LG Chem partnered with Ansan-si of Korea and signed an MOU to activate waste vinyl recycling and establish a circular economy society. Of the domestic waste generated at Ansan-si, waste vinyl takes up about 15,000 tons, and the amount is increasing every year. After collection, waste vinyl has been handed over to Solid Refuse Fuel (SRF) producers with a cost. Through this partnership, Ansan-si will provide a certain proportion of waste vinyl generated within the city to LG Chem, which will secure the company the raw materials needed to run their pyrolysis oil plant in Dangjin, which is scheduled to begin operation in 2024.

This partnership is expected to provide a model case of public and private cooperation, walking toward a sustainable future together. In line with this, LG Chem plans to accelerate their business that can contribute to resource circulation.

Reusable packaging wraps instead of one-off use

LG Chem signed an MOU with Korea’s biggest Logistics player, CJ Logistics, to recycle the packaging wraps discarded at distribution centers. CJ Logistics will collect and deliver the packaging wraps from their distribution centers around Korea, which will be processed into recycled wraps with LG Chem’s PCR technology and provided to CJ Logistics again. Recycled wrap is the thin plastic vinyl wrap used in distribution centers and industrial sites, mostly made of polyethylene (PE). Its purpose is to wrap and fix items on a platform carrier when they are stacked up and transported. Generally, these packaging wraps are fully discarded after the shipment. The packaging wraps discarded by CJ Logistics alone adds up to 2,000~3,000 tons a year. In April 2023, LG Chem provided 1,000 rolls of recycled wraps to CJ Logistics. The company plans to continue and expand the supply of their recycled wraps, using packaging wraps collected from CJ Logistics.

The eco-friendly collaboration project between LG Chem and CJ Logistics reflects the two partners�?hope to reduce the amount of shipping wastes that is rapidly increasing. By utilizing the existing Logistics network, the two players will effectively recycle the packaging wraps discarded at each distribution center, establishing a recycle ecosystem.

Eco-friendly cosmetic container developed with LG Chem’s PCR ABS!

In June 2023, LG Chem signed an MOU with Cosmax to develop cosmetic containers using recycled plastic. Cosmax is world’s number one original development manufacturer (ODM) who provides everything from product development to complete products to over 1,000 global customers including L’Oreal. Beginning with the supply of a recycled plastic, PCR ABS, LG Chem plans to propose various eco-friendly materials and collaborate with Cosmax across the entire process from development of cosmetic containers to marketing.

Cosmetics have a much shorter replacement cycle than products in other industries, resulting in a large amount of plastic use and disposal. Therefore, it is essential that we transfer to eco-friendly materials like recycled plastics. Recently, as the environmental legislations are strengthened around the world, for instance, EU’s introduction of carbon border tax, a lot of global cosmetic players have announced to expand the use of recycled plastics by attaching the carbon footprint on their products by 2030.

By collaborating with Cosmax and supporting the development of eco-friendly products, LG Chem plans to continue their commitment to reinforcing the resource circulation system of the cosmetics market.

Like this, LG Chem is making earnest efforts to develop various products using their mechanical∙chemical recycling technologies in order to create a 100% virtuous cycle of plastic resources. Mechanical recycling is the process of crushing waste plastics and turning them into a raw material again, which is the current method of plastic recycling. The packaging wrap collected by CJ Logistics and recycled materials supplied to Cosmax are processed by the mechanical recycling method, creating brand-new recycled plastic materials.

Chemical recycling is the technology of breaking down waste plastics using high-temperature/high-pressure supercritical vapor. For those plastics that cannot be mechanically-recycled, we can put them in a high-temperature container and heat them up, filtering out the contaminants in the liquid and gas, which provides us the raw materials for a new plastic. In December 2024, LG Chem’s supercritical pyrolysis oil plant will be completed, securing 20,000 tons of annual pyrolysis oil production. Here, LG Chem plans to produce recycled plastic products using marine wastes supplied by NETSPA and waste vinyl collected from Ansan-si.

The size of recycled plastic market is prospected to reach $77 billion by 2028. Based on their mechanical∙chemical recycling technologies and competencies, LG Chem intends to expand their product lines in order to target the recycled plastic market. Starting with the launch of eco-friendly remote control and set top box applied with LG Chem’s PCR ABS and PCR PC, we can look forward to finding LG Chem’s recycled plastic materials in a more variety of products like packaging wraps and eco-friendly cosmetic containers. Please keep your support for LG Chem’s recycled plastic products!

The post LG Chem is committed to plastic recycling! Our efforts for resource circulation appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Fri, 10 May 2024 00:50:52 +0000

Welcome to LETZero Encyclopedia, an introductory series to LG Chem’s eco-friendly brand LETZero and their products. The latest episode introduced Bio-Circular Balanced SBS, an eco-friendly special resin which holds the properties of both plastic and rubber. Today, we focus on the features and usages of PCR PVC, a material developed from recycled raw materials.

PCR PVC made by recycling waste plastics

First, let’s learn about PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride). PVC is a typical thermoplastic widely used in our daily lives. PVC is a material of many advantages, including excellent durability, corrosion resistance, and chemical resistance. It has high transparency and tintability, making it easy to embody the color you want in various items. Also, it is highly processable, which explains its popularity in diverse fields from construction materials to daily necessities.

Depending on the type of plasticizer used in its development process, the features of PVC such as its solidity or durability, etc. can vary. When applied with a plasticizer or stabilizer, PVC comes with a softer, more flexible properties, gaining the name ‘Flexible PVC.�?On the other hand, PVC without the application of plasticizers have a hard, easily-broken texture, and is called ‘Rigid PVC.�?While flexible PVC is used in soft products such as raincoats, shower curtains, and greenhouses, rigid PVC is used in harder products like pipes, windowsills, and floor materials.

PCR PVC (Post Consumer Recycled PVC) is an eco-friendly PVC material applied with LG Chem’s mechanical recycling technology, using waste plastics discarded by end consumers. What process does the production of PCR PVC follow? First, we separate PVC from waste plastics. Next, the PVC is crushed and cleansed to get rid of contaminants. This state of PVC is called ‘Flakes.�?After that, the flakes are melted into a ‘pellet�?form, similar to a grain of rice, ready to be used as a plastic raw material. Now, the pellets are blended with virgin raw materials with LG Chem’s exclusive recipe and relevant proportion, completing the PCR PVC.

PCR PVC obtained by this process maintains quality equivalent to virgin plastics. Moreover, it contributes to the reduction of carbon emissions. As a response to the rising demand for eco-friendly materials and requests from customers, LG Chem has acquired a global eco-friendly certification for their PCR products. Including UL ECV (Environmental Claim Verification), TUV (German Technical Inspection Association), and GRS (Global Recycled Standard), LG Chem is acquiring verification for their PCR content from different institutions.

Products made of PCR PVC

Living up to the name of world’s 5-most-widely-used plastics, PVC can be found in every corner of our daily lives. Same goes with PCR PVC, which is applied to wherever traditional PVC is used.

Let’s start with construction materials. Since PCR PVC is rigid, light, and durable, it is used in piping materials, windowsills, wallpapers, and flooring materials. Plus, it is flame retardant and has a superior electrical insulation, suitable for wire clothing. PCR PVC is also popular in healthcare products. Thanks to its cost-efficiency and excellent chemical resistance, it is used to create medical product packaging, surgical gloves, and fluid bags. In daily life, PCR PVC is usually spotted in waterproof items. With excellent corrosion resistance and water resistance, and processability, it is applied to not just raincoats and shower curtains, but also items such as tubes, rafting boats, and beach bags. Besides that, it is also found in various places such as automotive and electronic parts, synthetic leather, play mats, gym balls, etc.

So far, we took a look at PCR PVC. The next LETZero Encyclopedia will come back with a story of PEC.

The post LETZero Encyclopedia: PCR PVC �?Recycling the typical thermoplastic appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Fri, 19 Apr 2024 00:50:24 +0000

Welcome to LETZero Encyclopedia, an introductory series to LG Chem’s eco-friendly brand LETZero and their products. The previous episode addressed Bio-Circular Balanced SSBR, an eco-friendly rubber material used in green/high-functional tires. Today, we take a look at the characteristics and usages of Bio-Circular Balanced SBS, an eco-friendly special resin applied with renewable bio raw materials.

Bio-Circular Balanced SBS made of renewable raw materials

First, let’s skim through what SBS (Styrene Butadiene Styrene) is. SBS is a thermoplastic elastomer made by polymerizing two monomers: Styrene and Butadiene. Depending on the type of coupling agent* used, SBS can come with a linear or radial structure. In general, products with lower molecular weight have a linear structure, whereas those with higher molecular weight have a radial structure. The most notable feature of SBS is that it holds the properties of both rubber and plastic. At room temperature, it shows excellent elasticity similar to rubber. At a high temperature, it can melt down, just like plastic. SBS boasts outstanding mechanical properties such as tensile strength, elongation, and elasticity. Moreover, it offers high adhesiveness, recyclability, and processability. Thanks to these features, SBS can be applied for various usages, including shoe outsoles, compound in PS modifying agents, asphalt modifying agents, and solvent-based/hot-melt adhesives.

*Coupling agent: A substance used to strengthen the bond between two different materials

Bio-Circular Balanced SBS is an eco-friendly bio SBS material applied with LG Chem’s biomass balance technology. While utilizing the existing infrastructure for petrochemical production, it uses raw materials that are more environmental than traditional materials. Bio-Circular Balanced SBS is produced with an input of plant-based raw materials, such as waste cooking oil and plant byproducts, instead of traditional fossil-fuel based raw materials. Using bio raw materials in place of fossil-fuel based materials can significantly cut down the carbon emissions. This not only applies to raw materials. The production process of Bio-Circular Balanced SBS also involves the use of renewable energy, such as hydro and solar power generated at an eco-friendly plant, in order to lessen the burden on the environment.

LG Chem’s Bio-Circular Balanced SBS has acquired ISCC Plus, a verification of the product’s sustainability. ISCC Plus is an international certificate which corresponds to EU (European Union)’s Renewable Energy Directive. Known for its transparent examination guidelines and strict procedure, ISCC (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification) has become an authority of eco-friendly certification, gaining public trust.

Products made with Bio-Circular Balanced SBS

With high elasticity, recovery from deformation, and processability, Bio-Circular Balanced SBS is used in various products such as asphalt modifying agents, compounds in shoe outsoles and PS modifying agents, and glues/adhesives. In particular, it is receiving attention as an effective asphalt modifying agent. Let’s learn about what asphalt modifying agent is, and what role SBS plays in it.

Asphalt modifying agent is a substance used to boost up the performance of an asphalt. General asphalt (unmodified) is easily deformed by heat, or exposed to cracks at a low temperature. Polymer Modified Asphalt (PMA) is a product which provides a better quality by complementing the heat-resistance and durability of general asphalt and improving its strength, elasticity, and flexibility. To make this modified asphalt, we add up to 5~10% of SBS into the product.

A distinct feature of LG Chem’s Bio-Circular Balanced SBS is the reduced particle size through the company’s exclusively-developed catalyst system. Thanks to its high resilience, when applied to asphalt modifying agents, it can minimize the deformation and improve the physical properties of asphalt at both high and low temperatures. In fact, modified asphalt can extend the lifespan of a road pavement up to twice that of general asphalt. Since it improves the thermo-sensitivity* of asphalt and cuts down 40% of the maintenance cost of general asphalt, the global demand for modified asphalt is prospected to rise continually. According to the market research group, Business Research Insights, the global SBS modified asphalt market size was valued at USD 7267 million in 2020 and is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 3.8%, reaching USD 11069.51 million by 2031.

*Thermo-sensitivity: The extent to which the properties of asphalt change depending on external temperature. Higher thermo-sensitivity means asphalt is highly affected by the temperature.

So far, we looked at LG Chem’s Bio-Circular Balanced SBS. The next LETZero Encyclopedia will come back with a story of PCR PVC.

The post LETZero Encyclopedia: Bio-Circular Balanced SBS �?Eco-friendly special resin holding properties of both plastic and rubber appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 00:50:48 +0000

Working in isolation is not our style; instead, we thrive as a team. Through collaborative brainstorming and discussions, we refine our solutions. Only when we work as a team, not by ourselves, can we jump over the hurdles. Countless ‘We’s have gathered to build up LG Chem, a company proud to have a diversity of teams. ‘We are One Team�?is a series where we meet different teams that form LG Chem and hear their journeys and the driving force of their work.

Today, we interview the Color Development Team of LG Chem’s Engineering Materials Company. It’s a team that researches and realizes various colors we find in engineering materials. Who are the people that form the Color Development Team, and how do they work?

A color that reflects the feelings of its viewer

Hello! What is the main job of Engineering Materials Company?

Hi! Our main job is to develop colors of engineering plastics (EP) and respond to issues related to the colors of different EP materials. We are a team of 3 engineers who deal with color issues and colorant evaluations, and 1 designer who supports color development/approval, develops effect colors based on customer requests, and gives color suggestions to customers. Also, we have 1 representative who registers the developed color solutions on our system and transfers the real specimen, and 5 field engineers who actually develop the colors. Finally including our team manager, it’s 11 people working together.

I suppose you have to follow a series of steps to develop the colors.

Color development starts when our sales representative inputs a customer request on the color development inquiry system (Color.com). Based on this request, we examine the feasibility of the development. If there isn’t any issue, we select a colorant that can best realize the color with the material requested by our customer. We make the color solution, measure the amount of colorant, mix it with the material, and go through an extrusion and injection process. Once we get the specimen, we measure the data through our CCM (Computer Color Matching) device. After that, we cross-check with our naked-eyes that it does not have a defect and send the final version to our customer. Through a series of process from technology review, measurement of materials and colorants, mixing, extrusion and injection, CCM colorimetry, and naked-eye inspection, we finally complete the development of a new color.

What are the challenges of developing a color?

A color is more than just what we see from our eyes. It takes into consider what material is applied, condition of the material’s surface, and the feelings of its viewers. These things are a challenge of developing a new color. We make efforts such as preparing as diverse colorants as possible, objectifying the color through data on a CCM device to provide the optimal color that satisfies our customers’ needs.

Reproducing the sunset of Han River, the color of Seoul

I heard that your recent project was to develop and apply
the color of Seoul to Soban made of recycled plastics.

SkyCoral was selected as the �?024 color of Seoul.�?It’s a color extracted from the sunset of Han River sky. Our team was assigned with the project of applying SkyCoral to RE:SOBAN, for which we collaborated with Designer Ha Jihoon. Since RE:SOBAN is made of recycled plastics, it tends to have a slightly darker color than traditional plastics. Therefore, our greatest focus was on finding the colorant that can embody a color of high chroma, like the color of Seoul, in a recycled plastic material. Through a number of sample tests, we finally discovered the colorant we wanted, and proceeded with the development of the color of Seoul.

You had challenges during the procedure?

We could embody SkyCoral on the sides without a problem, but it wasn’t as visible on the front. If we raised the content of the special colorant to brighten the front color, the side color would be different from what we intended. For several times, our teammates gathered around for brainstorming, which gave us the idea to ‘add another fluorescent colorant.�?By adding an existing fluorescent colorant to the special colorant that we’d developed, we could successfully realize SkyCoral not just on the sides, but also on the front.

How did you feel when you saw RE:SOBAN SkyCoral edition?

It’s the most rewarding moment when the color we developed with much effort is applied to actual products. Our teammates were overjoyed to see RE:SOBAN tinted with our own color. We hope to see more products that involve color development, especially for LG Chem’s eco-friendly brand ‘LETZero.�?One day, customers will notice by just looking at the logo ‘LETZero�?that it’s an eco-friendly product developed by LG Chem. I’m positive that our team will play a crucial role in bringing this dream to life.

The source of teamwork, a culture that rejects sense of distance

What are the strengths of the color development team?

Each member of our team has a high sense of pride regarding the color development job. We believe that sales starts from color development. We’re a department that supports the company’s sales by developing colors, but unlike other supporting teams, our job involves direct communication with our customers when it comes to color approval. Being able to hear the customer’s voice and catch their needs definitely makes our team strong.

Another strength is the teamwork. Our members come from various age groups and positions. Despite the differences in gender, age, and position, we don’t feel a sense of distance between each other, thanks to our team culture. At the end of each month, we hold a meeting to share important projects or results, and discuss things that require further improvement. Not only that, but we also use this opportunity to celebrate each other’s birthday or enjoy entertainments altogether. This close and friendly atmosphere owes to a culture of helping and leading each other at difficult times, even though we all have different professions like engineering, design, or development.

How did you create this culture?

First of all, our team manager approached us regardless of our position or age. When we experience challenges in our tasks, the manager notices first and asks ‘if we have any trouble,�?to give whatever support possible. Another Senior with long work and life experience also gives much care to us. Seeing this leadership, we learned to switch our eyes from not just doing our own works but to helping each other in what we can. We all face challenges at some point of our work, and we’ve overcome the difficulties by discussing the matters together and helping each other based on our different experiences.

The color development team of Engineering Materials Company paid tribute to the team atmosphere as their driving force. It was impressive to see their close, friendly teamwork. Hopefully, the team will create more diverse colors based on this strong bond. Please keep your support for a bright future of the color development team!

The post Replicating the pinkish-blue color of Han River sky! LG Chem Engineering Materials Company, Color Development Team | We are One Team appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 00:50:18 +0000

Have you heard of the lightest solid in the world �?Aerogel? Today’s ‘FOCUS ON�?zooms into Aerogel, gaining attention as a next-generation material!

Solid that is transparent and light?
Promising next-generation material, Aerogel!

Composed of over 95% air, aerogel enjoys the fame of being the lightest solid in the world. It consists of silicon dioxide (SiO�? silica) 1/10,000 the thickness of a string of hair. Thanks to its nano-structure which resembles tangled string, aerogel can withstand 2,000 times its own weight and over 1,000�?of heat, turning it into an excellent soundproofing and insulating material. Aerogel’s light yet strong properties enable it to bear extreme conditions, thus it is often used in building spacecraft, spacesuit, and arctic clothes. These days, its demand is rising to be used as a thermal shielding material in EV batteries.

How Aerogel is produced

The term aerogel is a compound word of ‘Aero (air)�?and ‘Gel (solidified liquid).�?In order to produce aerogel, we must create a silicon dioxide (SiO�? silica) gel that combines oxygen and silicon.

The gel obtained from this process is similar to jellies that we commonly enjoy. Like jellies, gel has the shape of a solid, yet its inside is composed of liquid. To get rid of this liquid, it is required to take the ‘Supercritical Drying�?method. Unlike evaporation or other drying methods, the interfacial tension of supercritical drying is close to zero (0), which allows removal of liquid without damaging the structure.

*Interfacial tension: The tension between two substances with a different state (solid, liquid, and gas) that tends to contract the area of the interface

Once you put gel, which includes liquid (solvent), in a pressure vessel and let flow supercritical* carbon dioxide that is in a high-temperature and high-pressure state, the liquid (solvent) within the gel is replaced with carbon dioxide. Then, as you gradually lower the pressure, the carbon dioxide evaporates in a gas form, letting the air in the atmosphere enter. This produces porous aerogel with over 95% of porosity.

*Supercritical: The state of a substance which exists under the temperature and pressure that exceed the critical point where liquid and gas are separated

LG Chem’s Aerogel advances to the global market,
with construction of a supercritical pyrolysis plant

LG Chem has developed aerogel based on their proprietary technology, which is divided into high-and-low temperature industrial aerogel blankets and thermal barriers for EV batteries. LG Chem’s aerogel is used in the pipes and facilities of industrial sites as a thermal insulating material to minimize loss of heat and block battery thermal runaway.

LG Chem intends to invest a total of $238 million (KRW 310 billion) by 2024 to construct Korea’s first supercritical pyrolysis and aerogel plants in Seongmun Industrial Complex, Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, Korea. The construction site is expected to stretch across 240,000�?(equivalent to 32 soccer fields), becoming the home-ground for their eco-friendly future business. (See related content: Beginning construction of pyrolysis oil and aerogel plant!)

Prospects are that the aerogel market will grow at an average of 30% per year, with rising demand for transportation∙storage of eco-friendly energy (liquid hydrogen) and thermal shielding materials. The demand for industrial thermal insulating materials (space, mobility, energy, battery, etc.) are also increasing, making aerogel a more promising next-generation material. With completion of the aerogel plant in Dangjin, LG Chem plans to step up as the global mecca of eco-friendly materials and lead the universal objective – sustainable development and carbon neutrality.

The post FOCUS ON: Aerogel appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 00:50:09 +0000

Welcome to LETZero Encyclopedia, an introductory series to LG Chem’s eco-friendly brand LETZero and its products. Our latest episode addressed Bio-PA, an engineering plastic made of renewable raw materials. Today, we focus on Bio-Circular Balanced SSBR, a synthetic rubber made with renewable raw materials, and its applications.

Bio-Circular Balanced SSBR applied with renewable raw materials

Today, let’s look at SSBR (Solution Styrene Butadiene Rubber). SSBR is a high-functional synthetic rubber made through solution polymerization using lithium (Li) as a catalyst. It is a copolymer of styrene and 1, 3-butadiene produced via an anionic polymerization in a solution process. SSBR possesses characteristics that make it apt for eco-friendly/high-functional tires. It has excellent mechanical physical properties including tensile strength and elongation, as well as viscoelasticity which contributes to the brake performance and fuel efficiency when applied to tires. Furthermore, it boasts outstanding wear-resistance, minimizing the abrasion loss while driving.

Then, what is Bio-Circular Balanced SSBR? The term Bio-Circular Balanced is given to eco-friendly bio materials developed through LG Chem’s biomass balance technology. Bio-Circular Balanced SSBR is an eco-friendly bio material that replaces the fossil fuels used in traditional SSBR partly with plant-based raw materials such as waste cooking oil and plant byproducts. By minimizing the use of fossil fuels and utilizing plant-based oils, it creates a carbon reduction effect. Also, it is produced at eco-friendly plants using hydroelectric and solar powers, lessening burden on the environment.

LG Chem’s Bio-Circular Balanced SSBR has acquired the ISCC PLUS certificate, verifying the product’s performance, as well as sustainability. ISCC PLUS is an international certification authority that proves a product’s eco-friendliness across its production process, based on the Renewable Energy Directive suggested by the European Union (EU).

Application of Bio-Circular Balanced SSBR

Bio-Circular Balanced SSBR is widely used in tires, industrial rubber, cables, and shoes. In particular, it exhibits its true qualities when it comes to eco-friendly, high-functional tires. Bio-Circular Balanced SSBR is an eco-friendly material that minimizes fuel consumption and reduces the release of carbon dioxide. As tires have direct effect on the fuel efficiency of a vehicle, choosing an eco-friendly tire made of Bio-Circular Balanced SSBR can improve the fuel efficiency of your car.

LG Chem’s Bio-Circular Balanced SSBR is not only characterized as eco-friendliness, but also improved silica-affinity. Silica is one of the 6 raw materials that make up a tire, which creates a cushion between rubber particles to prevent the tire from being deformed. Since silica is incompatible with rubber, the technology to disperse silica evenly within the rubber is essential. LG Chem produces eco-friendly, high-functional SSBR with improved silica-affinity, raising the coherence between rubber materials.

With increasing demand for eco-friendly/high-functional tires, the demand for SSBR is also expected to grow. According to Future Market Insights, a global market research institution, the global green tire market is poised grow at an average of 9.8% per year and surpass USD 85.8 billion by 2033. Please look forward to LG Chem’s Bio-Circular Balanced SSBR, as it shines its product power in the eco-friendly/high-functional tire market.

So far, we took a look at Bio-Circular Balanced SSBR. The next LETZero Encyclopedia will come back with the story of Bio-Circular Balanced SBS.

The post LETZero Encyclopedia: Bio-Circular Balanced SSBR �?A synthetic rubber applied with bio raw materials appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Fri, 08 Mar 2024 00:50:48 +0000

There are countless cases where LG Chem put customers first and dealt with their inconveniences. ‘We Hear from Our Customer’s Shoe�?is a new series through which we look at the cases of improving customer complaints and how we solved them. Today, we invite Specialist Eom Yoon-sik, representing the foreign sales team of LG Chem’s Life Sciences Company. Specialist Eom will introduce a specific troubleshooting case related to Euhib, a vaccine that prevents cerebral meningitis.

Hello! Please introduce yourself and the product you’re in charge of.

Hello! I’m Eom Yoon-sik from the foreign sales team of Life Sciences Company. I’m in charge of Euhib, a vaccine that prevents invasive diseases (cerebral meningitis, etc.) caused by type B hemophilus influenza. These diseases can attack various organs of a human body, and the most common types are cerebral meningitis, epiglottitis, pneumonia, pyogenic arthritis, and cellulitis, which bring symptoms such as fevers, headaches, and chills.

In Korea, newborn babies take a mixed vaccine (combining more than two types of vaccines) for cerebral meningitis, along with DTaP and polio, at 2, 4, and 6 months after their birth. After that, they must take a single cerebral meningitis vaccine again between 12~15 months. Euhib is the single vaccine injected at the latter stage. Without Euhib, infants in their 12~15 months wouldn’t be able to get their vaccine to prevent cerebral meningitis.

Euhib is an essential vaccine to protect our children from cerebral meningitis,
but I heard its production was at risk of ceasing.

Euhib was a part of NIP (National Immunization Program), a vaccination supporting project run by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KCDC). However, with decline of the birth rate and the low purchase price despite increasing production costs, there was concern of a huge deficit. We were skeptical whether we could continue its production.

It was such a bad time that the production could have been stopped at any time, and I’m sure the KCDC had concerns about it. Yet, we firmly believed in continuing the production of Euhib amid the uncertainties. This is because, without Euhib, there would be no other single vaccine to protect infants from cerebral meningitis. It was the sense of duty that pushed us to carry on with producing Euhib. LG Chem is a company connecting science to life to bring a better future for humanity. In the same way, Life Sciences Company pursues ‘science and innovation that save lives.�?Putting this mission at our core, we try to make choices from our customers�?perspectives, and to benefit the society, humanity, and future, rather than focusing on the short-term gains.

Fortunately, you found a way to solve the production issue.

Communicating steadily with the KCDC about this situation definitely had its effect. The main problem was the low purchase price and high production cost. We tried to put on our customers�?shoes and maintain transparent communication with the agency. Through a long-term discussion, we could understand the difficulties faced by the agency and suggest an optimal solution that would help our customers. As a result, we succeeded in raising the purchase price gradually until it met our target. At the same time, we also pondered on ways to lower the production costs. We found the solution by visiting hospitals and directly hearing from our customers.

As we talked to the workers in charge of the actual vaccination, we learned that biopharmaceuticals like vaccines require cold storage at 2-8�? This was a sensitive issue, since failing to keep the appropriate temperature would result in expiration of the whole stock. Our customers appealed to us that it’s inconvenient to store the bulky Euhib in the limited space of the cold storage. The previous packaging contained 10 injectors and 10 bottles of Euhib, and the volume of the package had to be huge. Most of the customers I met talked similarly of the inefficiency of this packaging. To get rid of the inconvenience experienced by customers, our marketing team, along with the production and regulatory affairs department, began discussing and pondering over the matter. Eventually, we developed an individual packaging which is half the volume of the previous packaging. During this process, we also tried automating the packaging, cutting down the production cost by 20%. Meanwhile, the KCDC contributed by gradually raising Euhib’s purchase price, forming an environment where we can product Euhib steadily.

It must have been a special experience for you.

At first, I only thought of it as an activity to improve our business performance and keep producing Euhib. But as I look back on the experience, I realize that the answer came from our customers. Mitigating our customers�?inconvenience naturally led to an improvement in our business situation, which was a whole-new experience. On top of that, we used to feel nervous that infants born in Korea would no longer have a vaccine for cerebral meningitis, but now I take pride in being able to provide Euhib to them.

How do we think from the customers�?shoes?

It’s important to meet the customer in person to hear and feel their difficulties. When you try to listen to your customer actively, rather than passively, you can experience and empathize with their inconvenience yourself. This way, you can catch what challenges they were facing. The case of Euhib particularly left me with a lesson that mitigating our customers�?inconvenience naturally leads to a solution to our own problems.

What are your future hopes for Euhib?

Euhib may not be the greatest delicacy, but it is a product as essential as salt. I hope this single cerebral meningitis vaccine can be a product that consistently contributes to infants�?health. Euhib changed my view about working, as well. As we pursue our career, there comes a time when we jump over a barrier that we thought we would never overcome. To me, accomplishing Euhib’s management goal was such an experience. And there’s no way I could have done it alone. It was thanks to the customers who gave us frank feedback on the current issue, and related departments who openly-listened to the complaints and worked to solve them together. I would like to express my gratitude for those customers and my co-workers for overcoming the barrier together. Well done and thanks to everyone!

How did you like the story of Euhib, the case of making high business performance by improving customers�?inconveniences? We hope Euhib will give steady help to infants�?health and be cherished for a long time. We will come back with another case-story of LG Chem as we put customers first and deal with their inconveniences.

The post Defending Euhib, a single vaccine for cerebral meningitis �?We Hear from Our Customer’s Shoe appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 00:50:45 +0000

There’s a change of wind in the battery industry. Consistent efforts are being made to overcome the weaknesses and limits of traditional batteries. ‘FOCUS ON�?takes a close look at one product at a time. Today’s focus will be Single-Crystal High-Nickel Cathode, which is gaining recognition as a next-generation battery material with improved battery capacity, lifespan, and production costs.

Cathode is the energy source of a lithium-ion battery, which determines the efficiency and capacity of a battery. To learn more about cathode, refer to the ‘LG Chem, a leader in the market for battery materials! Find out how the company built a plant to produce 120,000 tons of cathode materials each year�?/a> content.

Single-Crystal High-Nickel Cathode,
Proportional change (high-nickel) + Structural change (single-crystal)

What is a Single-Crystal High-Nickel Cathode? Let’s look at the term ‘High-Nickel�?first.

Cathode is subdivided into NCM, NCMA, NCA, and LFP, depending on which cathode active material it contains. Among these types, EV batteries commonly use NCM, which consists of Nickel (Ni), Cobalt (Co), and Manganese (Mn). High-Nickel Cathode gained its name by lowering the proportion of cobalt and raising the nickel content to over 80%. For instance, NCM811 is a High-Nickel Cathode that contains Nickel, Cobalt, and Manganese by 8:1:1 ratio.

While Manganese and Cobalt determine the safety of a Cathode, Nickel is a metal that determines its capacity. The higher the Nickel content, the bigger number of lithium cells can enter through the lithium layer compared to other metals. Therefore, high nickel content brings raised energy density, improving the battery capacity.

Another great advantage that High-Nickel cathode offers is the reduced production cost. Cobalt has the highest cost of all battery raw materials. By lowering the cobalt content, we can hedge against the fluctuation in raw material costs and secure cost competitiveness.

Next, what is a Single-Crystal Cathode? It refers to a material that contains different metals, such as Nickel, Cobalt, and Manganese, formed into One-body. Also called Single-Particle Cathode, it is counted on as the game-changer to solve the issues of battery lifespan and capacity, which are the core tasks of next-generation batteries.

Conventional Cathode had a Multi-crystal (Multi-particle) structure made by joining small metal particles. However, as it kept recharging and discharging, gaps were formed between each particle, generating gas and losing its battery lifespan. At times, it also caused battery swelling.

Single-Crystal Cathode, however, is made by joining numerous metal particles into One-body. Since it generates less gas, it has higher safety and battery lifespan lengthened by 30%. On top of that, it has over 10% increased capacity, since Single-Crystal Cathode has higher density compared to conventional materials. For example, let’s say an EV that has conventional cathode runs 500km per charge. With a same-sized and same-weighted battery made of Single-Crystal Cathode, the range is increased to over 550km.

In short, Single-Crystal High-Nickel Cathode is a next-generation battery material with improved battery capacity and lifespan, which maximizes Nickel content out of all metals that form a cathode (Proportional change: High-Nickel). Also, these metals are formed into a One-body structure (Structural change: Single-Crystal).

LG Chem’s Single-Crystal High-Nickel Cathode Makes its Way to the world

In June 2023, LG Chem began Korea’s first mass-production of Single-Crystal High-Nickel Cathode. At the initial stage of production which takes place in Cheongju, Korea, we plan to produce Single-Crystal Cathode and conventional cathode by a 2:8 ratio and gradually switch to 100% Single-Crystal Cathode production. The application will also start from a pouch-type product and diversify to 4680 cylindrical battery (diameter 45mm·length 80mm), etc.

Today, we focused on the next-generation battery material, Single-Crystal High-Nickel Cathode. Please keep your support for LG Chem and the Single-Crystal High-Nickel Cathode, as we expand our leadership in the global battery materials market.

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lgchemitopia — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 00:50:29 +0000

First founded in 1971, the World Economic Forum (WEF) is a platform where global leaders and experts gather to discuss global issues. Also known as the Davos Forum, named after the town in Switzerland where it is held, the forum seeks to improve the world by engaging leaders of society from politics, business, and academia, to shape global, regional, and industry agendas.

This year, LG Chem CEO Shin Hak Cheol was formally selected as a member of the WEF’s International Business Council (IBC*), after receiving official invitations from both the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee. At this year’s forum, held from January 15^th to 19^th, CEO Shin met with global clients and partners to discuss collaboration strategies for managing the global supply chain, and potential solutions for overcoming the climate crisis. In addition, as a global leader in the chemical industry, he authored an article that reflects on the changes in the industry and its future. Today, we present his insights into 2023 and the outlook for 2024.

*IBC (International Business Council): A consultative body composed of approximately 100 representatives from various sectors of the economy. It is recognized as an advisory body driving the World Economic Forum and a gathering of the most influential leaders in the economic sphere.

Looking back on 2023

Recently, the IMF announced the global economic growth rate to be 3% for 2023. The global economic downturn continues, even though many countries declared an end to COVID-19 in the first half of 2023. The post-pandemic global economy is still falling short of pre-pandemic levels.

And this is just a sliver of a complex and rapidly changing external environment, which we have not seen in the past decades. Inflation, geopolitical conflict, and a deepening climate crisis are constantly looming as threats to the world. All this made 2023 a difficult year for companies in the sector.

Trouble trio: Low growth, high inflation, high interest rates

The global economy was predicted to recover in the first half of 2023 since the pandemic was finally over and China’s post-pandemic reopening was expected to boost consumption growth. We see now that China’s reopening didn’t have a significant effect on the world economy, and that the global economic downturn seems to continue, with a worsening real estate crisis and manufacturing slump. Even though interest rate hikes continue in the US, inflation has not been resolved. It seems likely that the triple whammy of low growth, high inflation, and high interest rates will be ongoing.

In this context, chemical companies are finding it difficult to recover their operation rates due to sluggish consumer demand and have difficulty finding operation cash due to high interest rates. The response? Pre-emptive downsizing of assets that are less competitive and have uncertain future growth potentials. We saw a few of these moves in 2023.

Turning global supply chains into localized operations

We witnessed geopolitical conflicts intensifying around the world and saw prices of many raw materials soaring due to regional geopolitical and geoeconomic disputes �?from oil and natural gas, through agricultural products, to key minerals. This is in parallel to an accelerated restructuring of global supply chains which has been illustrated as a resilience-building move.

Incentive programs and/or regulations announced in the US and Europe such as Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors and Science Act (CHIPS), and the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) have been rolled out to foster domestic industries. In response, China has implemented export controls on key minerals such as gallium and germanium and is actively pursuing local investment to boost internal demand and build a self-reliant supply chain. Of particular interest is the aggressive expansion in the petrochemical industry pursued by China to increase its self-sufficiency rate in base oil which, for example, is expected to exceed 100% in basic oil within the next 2-3 years.

In response to measures understood as protectionist and the fencing of economic blocs, companies re-examined their strategic directions, especially global supply chain strategies. Their continuous review of risk hedging strategies through establishing various partnerships or localization has seen a boost through 2023.

ESG and sustainability under threat

Through 2023 there were signals of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and the broader sustainability agenda partially losing momentum due to the global economic turndown. For example, last summer Italy, Portugal, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania called for postponing the retirement period for internal combustion engine vehicles from 2035 to 2040, while regulations on carbon emissions kept advancing towards their standardization in major economies such as the EU and the US. Consumers were increasingly vocal about the environmental sustainability performance of products and practices in their daily lives.

Nevertheless, 2023 brought the industry to a new level in regulation for sustainability with (for example) the announcement of ISSB* sustainability disclosure standards and its inclusion of Scope 3 emissions. This entails companies disclosing not only direct or indirect emissions (Scope 1 and 2), but also Scope 3 emissions (all carbon emissions excluding indirect emission sources corresponding to Scope 2). It marks the first time that major global standard-setting bodies have demanded Scope 3 emission reporting, setting a precedent for other institutions or regulatory programs to follow suit. The CBAM**/EU Battery Act also brought an expanded scope of carbon emissions management by subdividing carbon emissions regulations down to the product level. Regulations on recycling have expanded to include the mandatory use of Post Consumer Recycled (PCR) and the introduction of a plastic tax.

In the new(ish) context defined by 2023, companies declare carbon neutrality goals and find themselves more self-reliant in achieving them. Their responses are now pointing at re-establishing business portfolio strategies to align with demands for increased ESG and sustainability. What is different? The need to balance them with “growth�? This balancing act has become a delicate management challenge and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future.

*ISSB: International Sustainability Standards Board
**CBAM: Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism

Accelerating electric vehicle expansion

The expansion of electric vehicles (EVs) has become an unstoppable trend. Major regions and countries, including the EU, the US, and China are announcing bills banning the internal sales of combustion engine vehicles. These are illustrations of how market dynamics, policy action, and megatrends couple to fuel innovation and investment.

According to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) released earlier this year, EV sales in 2023 are expected to be about 14 million, an increase of 4 million compared to the previous year. This is about 18% of the total vehicle sales. The EV market is expected to grow even more rapidly as technology develops since the market will reach the volume segment in the coming years. The proportion of EVs is expected to expand to 50-55% by 2030. In this way, the transition to eco-friendly energy will be gradually accelerating, while the demand for mobility oil will be decreased, making the peak oil* visible. Although the growth rate has moderated in 2023 due to consumers’ appetite for more affordable volume-segment EV options and high-interest rates, this seems to be a temporary moderation in growth rate and the overall trend will not fundamentally change.

*Peak Oil: The point at which oil production reaches its maximum level. After reaching the peak of oil production, there is a rapid decline.

A defining moment

One change process with great impact on the industry has gained traction in 2023, partly in response to the above fundamental changes in the business environment: oil majors and oil refineries expanding their businesses into their adjacent downstream area (petrochemicals). Competition within the chemical industry is intensifying especially in basic building blocks pushing further traditional chemical companies into seeking high growth/high added value to secure a competitive edge.

Each of these external environmental changes is serious enough to have a significant impact on business, and they are occurring simultaneously. With the current economic situation worsening the business environment for companies, even the most competitive companies may face a serious crisis if they do not accept changes and boldly approach them in new ways.

In the end, companies have two options for survival: to overcome or to accept the current crisis. This is a difficult situation for everyone, but also an excellent opportunity to improve corporate value and grow further, for those who continuously implement differentiated strategies for the future.

Today, we delved into the shifts and prospects of the chemical industry as envisioned by LG Chem CEO Shin Hak Cheol. 2023 posed various challenges for the chemical industry. However, amidst economic uncertainties, climate change, and sustainability regulations, new opportunities emerged. Even in these challenging times, LG Chem remains committed to preparing for the future with flexible strategies and differentiated approaches, striving for sustainable growth.

The post LG Chem CEO’s Insights: Changes in the Chemical Industry in 2023 and Outlook for 2024 appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 00:50:38 +0000

Welcome to LETZero Encyclopedia, an introductory series to LG Chem’s eco-friendly brand LETZero and its products. Our last episode focused on Bio-Circular Balanced Acrylates, the raw material for acryl, fabric, and paint. Today, we take a look into Bio-PA.

Bio-PA is a Bio-Based plastic which takes plants such as corn, sugarcane, and rice straw as its raw material. By obtaining bio monomer from fermented plants, we can create various types of plastics. Thanks to their contents, Bio-Based materials can cut down the carbon emissions during their production process. Then, what is Bio-PA?

Bio-PA, a plastic that can most effectively replace metal

Before we get onto Bio-PA, let’s see what PA (Polyamide) is. PA is a thermoplastic resin, which means we can always reshape its form by applying heat to it. It is an engineering plastic with high solidity and low density. Also, it has excellent impact resistance, durability, and low coefficient of friction (the force that keeps objects from moving against one another). Engineering plastics are known for their lightness and strength, as well as physical properties such as impact resistance, durability, cold resistance, chemical resistance, and electric insulation. They are used in diverse fields, including daily necessities, electronics, and secondary structural materials for aircrafts.

PA is one type of engineering plastic. It serves as a material for automotive parts or industrial valves that require high solidity and heat resistance. Compared to other engineering plastics, PA boasts superior chemical resistance, flame retardancy, and friction/abrasion resistance. It is light and easy-to-process. Plus, it can be processed into composite materials with strong mechanical properties, when blended with inorganic substances like glass fiber.

LG Chem’s Bio-PA is a material which cuts down carbon emissions during its production process. By using bio monomer extracted from plant-based raw materials such as corn, sugarcane, and rice straw, this eco-friendly material effectively reduces the carbon emissions, and has much lower fossil-fuel based raw material content.

LG Chem extracts starch from plant-based raw materials such as corn and sugarcane, which is broken down and fermented to give chemicals like alcohol and amine. By blending these chemicals, we produce Bio-Based raw materials for various plastics. Later, the materials go through additional processing, including compounding, to reinforce their physical properties and be used for various purposes. Bio-PA takes the exact same steps.

Products made of Bio-PA

LG Chem’s Bio-PA is also known as eco-friendly LUMID*, which boasts excellent mechanical properties such as heat resistance and impact resistance that are comparable to widely-used PA66. Based on these physical properties, Bio-PA goes through additional processing to replace Virgin PA66 parts used in traditional automotive and Electrical and Electronic (E&E) industries. It can be made into various automotive parts, including brake pedals that is closely related to the driver’s safety, an anchorage for spare tires, and head covers for engine cylinders, etc.

*LUMID: An engineering plastic made by compounding PA (Polyamide), a nylon resin, as its base material

So far, we looked at the major characteristics and applications of Bio-PA. The next LETZero Encyclopedia will come back with a story of Bio-Circular Balanced SSBR!

The post LETZero Encyclopedia: Bio-PA – Engineering plastic made from plant-based raw materials! appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 00:50:27 +0000

Until the joyous arrival of a new life, the journey to parenthood may demand extra effort for some. LG Chem is here to support couples struggling with infertility until the cherished moment of new life comes. LG Chem’s Specialty Care business department, under the Life Sciences company, carries out their business covering 3 disease areas. Infertility (From pregnancy to delivery), Vaccine (Compulsory vaccinations after delivery), and Growth Hormone. These 3 areas can be considered as one big cycle, from pregnancy to the baby’s growth. Today, we introduce the starting point of this cycle, which is the infertility treatment.

You do not fight infertility alone.

Countless couples around the world suffer infertility. According to the published by WHO in April 2023, about 17.5% of adult population have experienced infertility in their lives. As WHO defines, infertility is a disease that causes failure of pregnancy after 1 year of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse. Infertility affects not just the couple, but also the families and local society around them. Along with low birth rate and aging, infertility is perceived as no longer an individual problem but rather a social one. With the rise of infertile population, the global infertility treatment market is also expecting a rapid growth. According to Markets and Markets, the sales of global infertility treatment market was estimated at $1.5 billion in 2021, and is expected to grow at average 8.1% per year until it reaches $2.2 billion in 2026.

The price of medicine varies by country; thus the market size is estimated by the number of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatment cases. In 2019, about 3 million cases were reported around the world. 39 European nations took up 30% of the total cases, another 30% reported in China, followed by 25% in America and Japan, and the remaining 15% came from other nations. As of 2023, LG Chem is carrying out direct and indirect infertility treatment business in 15 countries including Korea.

Follitrope, LG Chem’s infertility treatment

In 1993, LG Chem marked the start of their business by launching 2 types of infertility treatment. At that time, there was a challenge of converting complex protein into the form of medicine, and only 2 to 3 companies in the whole world could develop or produce infertility treatments. Even now, considering that only 3 global companies are developing and supplying infertility treatments, we can assume that LG Chem had a high level of R&D capacity from the initial stage of the business.

Since launching the first treatment, so far LG Chem has launched 7 products. In 2021, Follitrope, the company’s key brand, completed its registration and began its sales in China, who occupies 30% of the global infertility treatment market. Follitrope is a Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH), which induces superovulation to develop numerous follicles. Currently, Follitrope is preparing to accelerate its growth in the Chinese market, through activities including academic marketing such as clinical research and reinforcing networks with the local Key Opinion Leaders (KOL).

Constant strengthening of business competence

To strengthen their infertility treatment business competence, LG Chem is enlarging their portfolio to meet the latest treatment trends and also attempting overseas expansion.

Under the infertility sector, where the company is currently focusing on, LG Chem intends to provide a Total Solution to customers by enlarging their portfolio. IVF treatment includes injection of various medicines within a short period of time. In the past, the biggest purpose of this procedure was to collect numerous eggs, and medicines were used mostly to induce superovulation. Later, researches proved that implantation of fertilized eggs and pregnancy maintenance were also important factors of a successful pregnancy, which led to rapid development and use of related medicines. In line with such latest treatment trends, LG Chem has started R&D in order to expand and strengthen their portfolio, not just focusing on superovulation but also to include pregnancy maintenance. Furthermore, the company is improving the usability and safety of existing products, as well as improving the production·quality. LG Chem plans to enter the Korean market in 2025, and proceed to advanced markets including the United States.

Leap to be a Global Top Player in Women Healthcare

LG Chem is examining ways to enhance their Global Market Presence, not just strengthening the competence of their existing business but also preparing for the future.

LG Chem intends to strengthen the existing products and portfolio within the infertility treatment sector, and keep enlarging the business. Based on this, the company has set up a long-to-mid-term vision of expanding their business into Women Healthcare, and entering global advanced markets including the United States. Women Healthcare is a broad field which covers various diseases across women’s whole life cycle. Based on the connectivity with LG Chem’s existing infertility business and needs of patients and specialists, the company has set the direction of expanding their business targeted at uterine diseases. Since there is no treatment that directly targets at uterine diseases, and the global demand for such a treatment is high, LG Chem’s move is expected to have positive impacts on the market.

In 2023, LG Chem received advice from experts and carried out Scrum activities for 4 months with the research center and 12 teams from the relevant departments. This was to explore candidate products that can drive future growth. The company excavated 9 tasks under 3 main categories �?“Develop products with improved performances,�?“Develop/introduce treatments targeted at causes of diseases,�?and “Develop innovated medicines that can suggest new treatment directions�?�?and is establishing plans to get these tasks into action successively.

Through this year’s Scrum activities, LG Chem learned that the company’s directions reflect the needs of medical specialists, and confirmed the possibility of realizing those plans based on their research capacities. During the discussion, specialists expressed their high expectation for LG Chem, with comments such as, “We could see that LG Chem is not confining themselves to the existing market, but differentiating their directions and goals in depth,�?or “LG Chem is different from other companies.�?Hearing customers�?high expectations led to higher motivation and a strong sense of duty.

LG Chem is preparing to take a leap as Global no.1 company in Women Healthcare. Until our plans are implemented and realized, we will keep up the efforts to make better lives for our customers, based on our technology and sense of duty.

*This article is a contribution from Choi Seong-deok (Leader of Marketing 3 team of Specialty Care).

The post LG Chem’s infertility treatment: LG Chem supports couples until the cherished moment of new life comes. appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 00:50:01 +0000

Welcome to LETZero Encyclopedia, an introductory series to LG Chem’s eco-friendly brand LETZero and its products. Our last episode focused on Bio-Circular Balanced BR, a synthetic rubber material used in eco-friendly tires. Today, we’d like to introduce Bio-Circular Balanced Acrylates.

Unlike traditional acrylates, Bio-Circular Balanced Acrylates is produced by adding renewable vegetable oil. By replacing part of fossil fuels with plant-based raw materials, it contributes greatly to carbon reduction. Holding excellence in various chemical reactions, it is selected as the main raw material for acryl, fiber, and paint. Now then, let’s examine the major features and applications of Bio-Circular Balanced Acrylates.

Main raw material for plastic and resin production,
Bio-Circular Balanced Acrylates

Before we jump into the details of Bio-Circular Balanced Acrylates, let’s clarify what Acrylates is. Acrylates is a chemical which belongs to the ester group*, usually formed by chemical reactions between acrylic acid or methacrylic acid and alcohol. Possessing intramolecular double bond and functional group* structure, it is excellent in reactivity, as well as various chemical reactions. With high transparency and durability, it is often used in the production of plastic and resin.

*ester group chemical: ester refers to the group of chemicals formed through the chemical reaction between acid and alcohol, often applied to plastic, paint, perfumes, and food additives in different industrial fields.
*functional group: refers to a certain group of chemicals, usually under the organic chemical category. Chemicals in this group play an important role through certain chemical properties and take significant parts in the chemical reactions. Each possesses a special chemical property, contributing to the overall characteristic of the chemical and deciding its chemical behaviors.

Bio-Circular Balanced Acrylates, simply put, is an eco-friendly Acrylates. It is distinguished from the traditional fossil fuel-based Acrylates in that the fossil fuels used during production are partly replaced with waste cooking oils, plant byproducts, etc. By reducing the consumption of fossil fuels and using vegetable oils in their place, it can effectively contribute to carbon reduction.

LG Chem is Korea’s only manufacturer of acrylic acid. Based on the company’s proprietary technology, they produce high-quality Bio-Circular Balanced Acrylates. LG Chem’s Bio-Circular Balanced Acrylates is widely used as the core raw material of major plastic materials and resins. The application of Bio-Circular Balanced Acrylates extends widely from commodity plastics that are common to us, such as ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), PC (Polycarbonate), and ASA (Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate), to SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer), paint, coating materials, and fiber.

What’s more, LG Chem obtained ISCC Plus International Certification which verifies the sustainability of an eco-friendly bio product, providing an eco-friendly solution to customers who are willing to produce sustainable products. ISCC Plus Certification is an international authority that proves the use of eco-friendly raw materials throughout the product’s production process, following European Union (EU)’s Renewable Energy Directive.

Application of Bio-Circular Balanced Acrylates

Bio-Circular Balanced Acrylates fulfills both keywords, high-quality and eco-friendly. It is not surprising to see the material applied to diverse fields. Acrylic acid (propylene + oxygen) is used in SAP and thickeners*, while 2-Ethylhexyl Acrylate (combination of acrylic acid + octanol) is found in adhesives/glues, adhesives for protection films, and paint. Plus, Butyl Acrylate (acrylic acid + butanol) is used in ASA resin and paint, and Methyl Acrylate (acrylic acid + methanol) is common in antioxidant and PMMA (Polymethyl Methacrylate, acryl glass), PCE (Polycarboxylate Ether, Concrete water-reducing agent). Finally, Ethyl Acrylate (acrylic acid + ethanol) is found in fiber protector, cleaning agent for semiconductors and LCD production, felt binder, etc.

*thickener: substance used to improve viscosity of a solution, and so on.

So far, we looked at the characteristics and applications of Bio-Circular Balanced Acrylates. The next LETZero Encyclopedia will come back with a story of Bio-PA.

The post LETZero Encyclopedia: Bio-Circular Balanced Acrylates �?Main raw material of acryl, fiber, and paint! appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 00:50:34 +0000

The new year has arrived. While economic prospects of 2024 look as dim as last year, sustainability once again appears as the challenge faced by corporations. As we greet the year, each company has set goals for an economic take-off and presented their New Year’s address. On 2^nd of January, LG Chem announced their annual message. What are LG Chem’s goals in 2024? Let’s scope out what the company is looking forward to in the coming year.

2024 is the year of execution.
Find opportunity from the complexity to take a new leap!

While the domestic and foreign environments back in 2023 were not very favorable, LG Chem turned this crisis into an opportunity and sought differentiation from their competitors by facing up to the reality and taking countermeasures to overcome it. The company established future strategies centered on their new growth engines announced in 2021: eco-friendly materials �?battery materials �?global new drugs. Now, it’s time to put these strategies into action and proceed. LG Chem thereby declared 2024 to be ‘the year of execution�?and plans to leverage the rapidly changing business landscape as an opportunity for differentiation. Following are LG Chem’s core tasks in 2024.

Until last year, LG Chem made major improvements in terms of manufacture efficiency and cost of poor quality. In 2024, the company seeks to expand this movement, applying emergency management system to non-manufacturing sectors and all global business sites. Another area of focus will be innovation based on digital transformation (DX). Despite the challenging business environment, the company is also determined to maintain their financial solvency, while pushing ahead with investments for the development of new growth engines. The depression in domestic and international environments are expected to continue on to 2024, and we are confronting difficult situations in all business sectors. However, LG Chem will face up to the reality and execute their business strategies to overcome the hardships.

2024 as the year of execution based on new growth engines!

To leverage 2024 as the year of execution, LG Chem plans to accelerate promotion of their business based on the new growth engines. In December 2023, the company broke the ground for America’s biggest cathode materials plant as a part of their battery materials business. The cathode plant under construction is located in Tennessee, the United States, and is expected to provide an annual production capacity of 60,000 tons. This corresponds to 600,000 high-performance pure electric vehicles (mileage of 500km), making it the largest scale of cathode plant ever built within the country. Furthermore, in July 2021, LG Chem launched their comprehensive eco-friendly materials brand, LETZero, keeping up with their research for materials that benefit the environment. The company will continue their efforts to reform themselves into a decarbonized business, and proceed to become a sustainability-leading company through management of air/water pollutions and turning waste landfill to zero.

LG Chem, amid the pandemic crisis, was selected two-years-in-a-row for the third highest brand value among global chemical companies. In 2024, we are expecting the same challenges in domestic and international environments. As always, LG Chem will work to their utmost to seek chances out of difficulties. Please keep your support for LG Chem in 2024.

The post LG Chem’s 2024 resolution! Break through challenges with an executive force! appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 00:50:52 +0000

Company

The post LG Chem Takes Leap as Top Cathode Supplier in the U.S. appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 00:50:40 +0000

With rising attention to the environment, companies are expanding the fields where recycled plastics are applied to. While the recycled plastic market is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 8.1%, LG Chem is also spurring the development of new materials based on their mechanical and chemical recycling technologies, as well as building partnerships with diverse groups to expand their business areas related to recycled plastics. Lately, LG Chem signed an MOU with Korea’s cosmetics manufacturer, Amorepacific, to develop eco-friendly cosmetic packaging. Let’s peek at LG Chem’s dream which starts from eco-friendly packaging and extends to building a circular recycling model.

Recycled plastics used in cosmetic containers, PCR PE and PCR PP

In October 2023, LG Chem signed an MOU with Amorepacific for an eco-friendly transition of cosmetic containers and packages. While LG Chem supplies raw materials for plastic based on recycling, pyrolysis oil, and bio-based technology, Amorepacific will apply eco-friendly materials to the package of their cosmetic and daily necessity products. Miseenscene, Amorepacific’s hair product line, is set to be their first target. PCR PE (Post Consumer Recycled Polyethylene) will be applied to its containers, and PCR PP (Polypropylene) to its lids.

PE is one of the most universal and widely-used plastic materials. With excellent processability and impact-resistance, it is used in plastic boxes and transparent films for product packaging. On the other hand, PP has similar properties with PE, but is superior in its mechanical properties, heat-resistance, tensile strength, and impact strength. Therefore, it is used across various industries. PCR PE and PCR PP which are to be applied to Amorepacific’s product containers boast up to 50~80% of high recycled material contents, and yet possess quality and physical properties equivalent to virgin materials.

Starting with recycled plastic materials, LG Chem plans to expand their supply of eco-friendly materials to Amorepacific, stretching out to bio-raw materials and plastics based on pyrolysis oil. Furthermore, the company will operate development programs for eco-friendly materials while sharing customer feedbacks, which will ultimately lead to a circular recycling model that connects supply, collection, and recycling.

LG Chem expands recycled plastic business

Besides joining hands with Amorepacific, LG Chem is expanding their recycled plastic business through partnerships with different groups. In April 2023, LG Chem signed an MOU with Korea’s Logistics company, CJ Logistics, to recycle stretch films and establish a circular economy. This works by CJ Logistics collecting stretch films discarded at distribution centers around the country, which LG Chem takes over and converts into recycled stretch films based on the company’s PCR technology. The final product is supplied to CJ Logistics again. Stretch films are used at industrial sites to fasten loaded items. In most cases, these films are made of PE, and LG Chem collects and recycles them.

In addition, LG Chem signed an MOU with Cosmax, the No.1 global cosmetics ODM (Original Development Manufacturer), to produce eco-friendly cosmetic containers. Beginning with the supply of PCR ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), LG Chem intends to suggest a wider variety of eco-friendly materials and cooperate with Cosmax across the whole procedure, from development to marketing of cosmetic containers.

According to Markets and Markets research, the recycled plastic market is prospected to expand from $65 billion in 2023 to $120 billion in 2030. Such rapid growth of recycled plastic business owes to strong environmental regulations. LG Chem will keep pace with the trend and contribute to developing eco-friendly packaging based on mechanical and chemical recycling technologies, in order to build a virtuous cycle of resources. Please continue your support for LG Chem’s eco-friendly businesses!

The post Blending eco-friendly materials into our daily lives, such as cosmetics! LG Chem develops eco-friendly materials and establishes a circular recycling model appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Thu, 28 Dec 2023 00:50:22 +0000

What does your year-end look like? Some people write their resolutions in a new diary, while others flip through the old one to wrap up the past year. Looking back can be as important as looking ahead. That’s because we learn our lesson by tracing our footprints and prepare for a greater leap towards the future.

For LG Chem, 2023 has been the year of transformation focused on their three new growth engines. Since announcing the three new growth engines (eco-friendly materials, battery materials, global innovative new drugs) in 2021, LG Chem has been focusing on these keywords to rapidly restructure their business portfolio. Within the ‘eco-friendly material�?sector, the company moved swiftly to produce sustainable materials, seen by the establishment of supercritical pyrolysis oil plant, commercialization of bio-plastic technology, and launch of new compostable plastic products. As for the ‘battery material,�?LG Chem set the sales goal of USD 25.5 billion by 2030 and had major accomplishments including mass-production of high-nickel cathode materials and development of a material which delays battery thermal runaway. The global new drug sector also made a surprising announcement by acquiring AVEO, a US-based pharmaceutical company centered on anticancer treatments. This showed LG Chem’s strong determination to target at the America, the world’s largest anticancer market.

What happened at LG Chem in 2023? Let’s review 12 major news stories that filled LG Chem’s year.

LG Chem CEO Hak Cheol Shin appointed as the chairman of
an industry council of the Davos Forum

In January 2023, LG Chem CEO Hak Cheol Shin was appointed as the chairman of ‘Chemical and Advanced Materials Industry Governors�?of the Davos Forum. As the chair of the community, CEO Shin is expected to exercise joint leadership for the industry to discuss major pending issues of the global chemical industry, ushering in coordinated response plans. This is the first time for Korean entrepreneurs to be appointed as the head of 26 industry councils under the Davos Forum.

> Click to learn more about CEO Hak Cheol Shin’s appointment as the chairman of industry council of the Davos Forum

Completes acquisition of AVEO,
an oncology-focused biopharmaceutical group based in the U.S.

On January 18^th, LG Chem successfully completed the acquisition of AVEO, an oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company based in the U.S. AVEO is a group which has secured the core competence specialized in the anticancer treatment market, including clinical development, approval, sales, and marketing. The acquisition of AVEO will help LG Chem to target at America, world’s largest anticancer treatment market, and position the company to become one of the top global oncology companies.

> Click to learn more about the acquisition of AVEO, an oncology-focused biopharmaceutical group

LG Water Solutions wins massive seawater desalination project in Israel

On May 18^th, LG Chem was selected as the exclusive RO (Reverse Osmosis) membrane supplier for a massive seawater desalination project in Ashdod, Israel. The Ashdod project is one of Israel’s top 5 desalination plants, boasting a large scale. LG Chem plans to supply about 30,000 RO membranes, which can desalinate up to annual 100 million tons of seawater, enough to supply water to about 1.1 million people. Based on the desalination project in Israel, LG Chem intends to strengthen their leadership position in the Mediterranean market.

> Click to learn more about LG Chem’s RO membranes

Takes first step toward plastic recycling and fostering future materials

On March 30^th 2023, LG Chem held a groundbreaking ceremony for the nation’s first super critical pyrolysis oil plant and aerogel, a next-generation insulation material, plant at the Seongmun National Industrial Complex in Dangjin, Chungnam, Korea. In order to establish a plastic circular economy, LG Chem plans to invest USD 221 million (KRW 310 billion) by 2024 to construct a super critical pyrolysis plant and aerogel plant that are large enough to fit 32 soccer fields. Super critical pyrolysis technology is one of the chemical recycling methods, which breaks down waste plastics using high temperature/high pressure super critical vapor. On the other hand, aerogel is an insulation material composed of over 95% gas, which is light as air and hardly absorbs any heat.

> Click to learn more about the construction of pyrolysis oil and aerogel plants

Joins hands with US-based Gevo to expand bio-plastics

On April 13^th, LG Chem signed a joint development agreement with Gevo, Inc., a North American renewable fuel company, to commercialize bio-propylene by 2026. Gevo is an eco-friendly energy group which holds the original technology required to produce sustainable aircraft fuel (SAF) and bio-plastics using plant-based raw materials. While Gevo supplies the technology to produce propylene using bio-ethanol, LG Chem will work to commercialize the product by coordinated research & development and establishing plant facilities. This is the first commercialization effort to produce bio propylene with ETO (Ethanol to Olefin) technology.

> Click to learn more about the bio-plastic partnership with GEVO

Targets sixfold sales growth in battery materials to USD 25.5 Billion by 2030

On May 16th, LG Chem CEO Hak Cheol Shin gave a keynote speech at the Bank of America (BofA) 2023 ‘Korea & global EV/EV battery conference,�?revealing the company’s aim to grow their battery materials sales sixfold by 2030 from USD 3.9 billion (KRW 4.7 trillion) in 2022 to USD 25.5 billion (KRW 30 trillion) by 2030. As battery materials show sharp growth of about average 26% per year, LG Chem intends to focus their efforts on fostering these materials to leap as a global top comprehensive battery materials company.

> Click to check out LG Chem’s blueprint to become a top battery materials company

Speeds up expanding in global CNT market

On May 31^st 2023, LG Chem started construction of their fourth carbon nanotube (CNT) plant at Daesan complex, Chungnam, Korea. CNT is a next-generation material receiving spotlight for its application in batteries and semiconductors, featuring excellent electricity/heat conductivity and solidity. LG Chem’s CNT 4 plant is slated for operation in 2025 and will contribute to doubling LG Chem’s annual CNT production capacity to 6,100 tons. By expanding the CNT production capability, LG Chem will occupy their leadership in the rapidly-growing global CNT market, focused on battery materials.

> Click to learn more about CNT, LG Chem’s future prospect

Starts mass production of ‘high-nickel single-crystal cathodes�?/h2>

In June 2023, LG Chem began mass-production of next-generation ‘high-nickel single-particle (single-crystal) cathodes�?for batteries at their cathode plant in Cheongju, Korea. Single-particle cathode refers to a one-body material made by combining nickel, cobalt, manganese, etc., which is a core factor that affects the lifespan and capacity of a secondary battery. Since 2021, LG Chem has been carrying out research of this material as a solution to battery gas, which was the biggest pain point their customers experienced. High-nickel single-particle cathode is thereby gaining spotlight as an innovative game changer of the battery materials market.

> Click to learn more about LG Chem’s high-nickel single-particle cathodes

Spurs launch of COMPOSTFUL�? their compostable plastic products

LG Chem launched COMPOSTFUL�? a compostable material solution which breaks down naturally within 6 months~2 years under specific conditions. COMPOSTFUL�?is a compound word of ‘compost�?and the suffix �?ful,�?which means ‘full of~.�?COMPOSTFUL�?has received certifications from global authentication authorities such as DIN CERTCO, TUV OK Compost, and BPI, for its compostability, and its quality is now widely recognized. Starting with production of 3,000 tons of prototypes in 2023, LG Chem plans to expand the annual production of COMPOSTFUL�?to 50,000 tons by 2024.

> Click to learn more about COMPOSTFUL�?products

Inaugurates European customer solution center in Germany

On September 13^th 2023, LG Chem opened a European Customer Solution (CS) Center in Frankfurt, Germany. CS Center is a professional organization which provides comprehensive technology solutions on product development, quality improvement, and productivity enhancements, etc., to the customers and partners of LG Chem. LG Chem European CS Center plans to procure technological capabilities in not only automotive materials required by European customers, but also the processing technology for eco-friendly materials such as recycled plastics. Furthermore, LG Chem will station professionals specialized in such technologies to provide customers with a wholehearted technical assistance.

> Click to learn more about LG Chem’s opening of European CS Center

Explores possibility to establish a next-generation bio-oil (HVO) plant
with Italia-based ENI

LG Chem explored the possibility to establish a next-generation bio-oil (HVO) plant in Daesan complex, Chungnam, Korea, by joining forces with ENI SM (Sustainable Mobility), Italia’s largest government-operated energy group. ENI SM, a subsidiary of ENI, is a company that carries out an eco-friendly fuel business centered on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO). HVO is a next-generation bio-oil produced by adding hydrogen to plant-based raw materials such as waste cooking oil. With the establishment of a joint corporation, LG Chem will be able to internalize HVO to secure the basis to supply raw materials needed for production of bio materials such as bio-circular balanced SAP, ABS, PVC, etc.

> Click to see shorts of joint HVO plant with ENI

LG Chem-LX Hausys develop a material that delays battery thermal runaway

LG Chem cooperated with LX Hausys to develop a material that delays battery thermal runaway, which withstands flame at 1,500�?for over 20 minutes. The special flame-retardant CFT can withstand strong flame and high pressure for 14 times longer duration than existing composite materials. Applying this material is expected to delay battery thermal runaway, a major factor of fires caused by batteries, and contribute to the development of much safer electric vehicles.

> Click to learn more about the material that delays battery thermal runaway

Have you enjoyed the 12 news stories of 2023 LG Chem? This year, LG Chem carried out various actions focused on the new growth engines, and made progress in their journey toward sustainability. As a global science company leading sustainability, LG Chem is poised to make significant strides in 2024. Look forward to the progress!

The post A throwback to 2023, as LG Chem accelerates transformation into a global science company, focusing on new growth engines! appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:50:54 +0000

The post LG Chem – 2023 Year End Wrap Up appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:50:03 +0000

Plastic recycling is an all-time hot issue. People make efforts to practice recycling in life, yet the world’s plastic recycling rate remains under 10% (as of 2019). According to OECD’s Global Plastic Outlook, only 9% out of all plastic wastes was recycled in 2019, and about 50% was sent to sanitation landfill. As a response, companies are taking the head to improve the plastic recycling rate. LG Chem is committed to resource recovery from waste plastics by producing PCR (Post-Consumer Recycled) materials through mechanical recycling. For plastics that cannot be recycled by this method, we also apply our chemical recycling technology.

And here is one person who brings all these efforts into his job. This man visits the garbage dump to look for waste plastics that are to become the raw material for chemical recycling. Today, we invite Specialist Kim Dong-hyun from LG Chem’s Recycle strategy team to hear his talk about chemical recycling.

Hello! Please introduce yourself.

Hello, I’m Specialist Kim Dong-hyun from LG Chem’s Sustainability Business Department, in specific, the Recycle Strategy Team. I’m in charge of Circular Recycling Supply Chain Management (CR SCM).

What does the Recycle Strategy Team do?

My team’s job is related to the construction of CR (Chemical Recycling) plants. We make sure that we have a stable supply of waste plastics that fit the spec required for use as a feed stock, and establish the Binding between raw material suppliers and LG Chem. We make business trips to different raw material suppliers and set up plans on how to produce raw materials that fit our required spec. We also deal with diverse tasks such as examining new raw materials besides waste plastics, for instance, ocean wastes.

What responsibility do you have, and what does your normal day look like?

Among many recycling companies, I work to discover manufacturers who can produce raw materials from waste plastics that fit the chemical recycling Spec required by LG Chem. Once found, I establish a Binding so that we can use their productions in LG Chem’s chemical recycling plants. To do this, I visit garbage dumps and recycling companies around the country to take various samples, and request analysis of those samples at a research center to confirm the results.

What exactly is chemical recycling?

To put it simply, chemical recycling is ‘an essential technology needed to utilize wastes as a resource.�?Could we recycle take-out containers that have food stains on them? The answer is, it’s impossible with mechanical recycling but possible with chemical recycling! The vinyl products that we use in everyday life can be an important resource for chemical recycling. This includes mostly PP and PE, and not just vinyl types but also solid types. Waste vinyl is usually a composite material that is hard to sort, and despite its high volume, it hardly weighs anything, which creates a nuisance for recycling companies. However, at LG Chem’s chemical recycling plants, we pyrolyze PP and PE to produce pyrolysis oil. This oil is then refined to a naphtha-like form. By investing the oil into LG Chem’s NCC plants, we can create various types of chemically-recycled plastics, and this is how LG Chem’s chemical recycling technology works. To put it easily, it’s a technology of breaking down plastics under high temperature/pressure and turning them into a raw material for new plastics.

Compared to mechanical recycling, chemical recycling poses more technological difficulties and higher initial-investments. However, there is brighter prospect in terms of its marketability since it has no limitation in physical changes or the number of recycling. The global chemical recycling market, based on the amount of pyrolysis oil extracted from waste plastics, is expected to grow from 700,000 tons in 2020 to 3.3 million tons in 2030 by an average of over 17% every year.

LG Chem is focusing our capabilities on securing the chemical recycling technology. Currently underway is the construction of a pyrolysis plant in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, Korea. Due to begin operation in 2024, the pyrolysis plant is expected to become a central basis for establishing the plastic circular economy by producing Circular-Balanced products through chemical recycling.

Share with us an episode of visiting the fields.

Roaming around the garbage dumps all day long, the smell of garbage often clings to my body. I was returning home on a train one day, when the passersby avoided me like a homeless man. In fact, when I visit the centers, I usually wear shabby clothes that I can throw out any time, and don’t care about my hairdo, either. Together with the strong odor, I probably caused a misunderstanding.

What are some goals of the Recycle strategy team?

As LG Chem gets to operate Korea’s first large-scale commercial pyrolysis plant, my team’s short-term goal is to tune with the raw material suppliers that we’ve discovered and make sure the wastes are supplied to chemical recycling plants without an issue. Our long-term goal is to promote LG Chem’s chemical recycling business so that recycling can settle deeper into our everyday lives. Ultimately, we hope to enhance Korean citizens�?consciousness about recycling. If we perceive the importance of recycling at our homes and workplaces, and pay extra attention to separation/sorting when discarding garbage, I believe recycling companies will have more quality-wastes (well-separated or well-sorted wastes) to recycle them as much as possible.

How did you enjoy the interview with Specialist Kim Dong-hyun who visits garbage dumps in search of raw materials for chemical recycling? LG Chem is putting great efforts into creating sustainable materials that benefit the Earth, including the production of Circular Balanced plastics based on chemical recycling technology. Until LG Chem’s pyrolysis oil plant is completed, please keep your support for LG Chem’s environmental actions!

The post Utilizing waste as a resource, LG Chem’s chemical recycling technology! Interview with the Recycle strategy team appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Tue, 26 Dec 2023 00:50:55 +0000

The post [Chem for Good EP.4] Virtual tour to eco-friendly house packed with sustainable delights! 🏡 appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Tue, 26 Dec 2023 00:50:36 +0000

Welcome to LETZero Encyclopedia, an introductory series to LG Chem’s eco-friendly brand LETZero and its products. The last episode focused on Bio-Circular Balanced NBR Latex, an eco-friendly material used in medical gloves, etc. Today, we take a close look at Bio-Circular Balanced BR, an eco-friendly synthetic rubber that contributes to reducing the use of fossil fuels and carbon emissions by applying plant-based raw materials.

Bio-Circular Balanced BR is commonly known for the material that forms car tires. With excellent rebound elasticity, it is not only suitable for tires but also leisure sports goods such as sneakers and golf balls, as well as various industrial products. Now, let’s get into the details of Bio-Circular Balanced BR, from its major features to applications.

Bio-Circular Balanced BR, a synthetic rubber material applied with bio raw materials

To know what Bio-Circular Balanced BR is, we first need to understand BR (Butadiene Rubber). BR is a synthetic rubber product made by solution polymerization of a chemical known as butadiene. Also called polybutadiene, it features excellent elasticity and dynamic properties and is used in the manufacture of car tires.

As the name signifies, BR has its basis on butadiene. Made up of carbon and hydrogen, when we polymerize butadiene to bond one butadiene molecule with another, it forms a large high-molecular chain. This high-molecular chain is what we call BR. BR has a significantly long chain structure made up of carbon and hydrogen. As the bond between carbon and hydrogen is flexible, BR comes with elasticity similar to rubber.

Then, what is Bio-Circular Balanced BR? Bio-Circular Balanced BR refers to eco-friendly BR produced by blending fossil-fuel based raw materials with renewable bio raw materials such as waste cooking oil and plant byproducts. LG Chem uses the former petrochemicals production infrastructure to create eco-friendly BR. LG Chem’s Bio-Circular Balanced BR features physical properties and processability equivalent to those of conventional BR, and boasts high cis content*. In particular, its mechanical physical properties are excellent. With remarkable abrasion resistance and solidity, it is widely used in low fuel-consumption tires, eco-friendly tires, and ultra-high performance (UHP) tires, etc. Besides that, Bio-Circular Balanced BR also features excellent bending resistance and cold resistance. It maintains the same elasticity and physical properties at low temperatures, and is applicable to rubber which requires transparency.

*cis content: As an indicator of the location of double-bonded carbon atoms existing within the rubber, cis refers to the form of double-bonded carbon atoms being placed in the same spot. Higher cis content leads to improved elasticity and durability of the rubber.

Meanwhile, Bio-Circular Balanced BR has acquired ISCC Plus certificate, which verifies the sustainability of eco-friendly products. Now, it is gaining global recognition for its outstanding quality, as well as eco-friendly properties. ISCC Plus is an international certification system that verifies that eco-friendly raw materials have been used across the whole production process, following European Union (EU)’s Renewable Energy Directive.

Products made with Bio-Circular Balanced BR

Bio-Circular Balanced BR has secured physical properties and processability equivalent to those of conventional BR. Therefore, it is applicable to all areas where BR is used. Typical application of Bio-Circular Balanced BR includes tires and tire parts. With excellent durability and abrasion resistance, Bio-Circular Balanced BR is a prevalent component in automotive tires, including those designed for low fuel efficiency, environmental friendliness, and ultra-high performance. Besides that, it is also applied to industrial rubber products such as the core of golf balls, outsole of hiking boots, conveyor belts and hoses, rubber isolators, and castors.

According to the market research group Mordor Intelligence, tires and tire parts occupy the highest market share in the synthetic rubber market. Furthermore, the eco-friendly synthetic rubber market is expected to grow along with the rising production of electric vehicles. To apply the outstanding quality and eco-friendly properties of Bio-Circular Balanced BR to a wider range of products, LG Chem plans to take active measures to target the global market.

Have you enjoyed the introduction of Bio-Circular Balanced BR and its applications? The next LETZero encyclopedia will come back with a story of Bio-Circular Balanced Acrylates.

The post LETZero Encyclopedia: Bio-Circular Balanced BR �?Synthetic rubber applied with bio raw materials appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Fri, 22 Dec 2023 02:00:18 +0000

The post [Chem for Good EP.3] Meet COMPOSTFUL�?🌱 Plastic that Decomposes Under Specific Conditions appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 00:50:37 +0000

LG Chem is practicing carbon neutrality by leading the development of eco-friendly materials. In 2023, the company continued their actions to cut down carbon, such as producing eco-friendly raw materials and introducing innovative processes. On March 30th 2023, LG Chem held a groundbreaking ceremony of ‘supercritical pyrolysis oil�?and ‘next-generation insulator aerogel�?plants within the Seongmun National Industrial Complex in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, Korea, as an effort to establish a plastic circular economy. By doing this, the company aims to develop next-generation materials that utilize recycled resources across their whole process, from raw material to product and distribution. Until 2024, LG Chem plans to invest $238 million (KRW 310 billion) to construct a supercritical pyrolysis oil plant and aerogel plant within the Seongmun National Industrial Complex, which will stretch over 240,000�?(the size of 32 soccer fields), as a part of their investment in eco-friendly future business. Let us introduce Dangjin plant, as LG Chem prepares for a sustainable future.

Korea’s first application of supercritical pyrolysis technology!
Taking one step closer to carbon neutrality with pyrolysis oil plant

A well-known method of recycling plastic is ‘mechanical recycling,�?which crushes plastic to reform it as a raw material. However, mechanical recycling cannot process all plastics. To compensate this limitation, ‘chemical recycling�?was developed. To put it simply, chemical recycling uses pyrolysis or chemical reactions to break down plastic, and synthesize it to create a new chemical material which is then reused for various purposes. This method is recognized as an eco-friendly way of reducing plastic wastes and heightening the possibility of resource maintenance and regeneration.

After long research, LG Chem overcame the challenges and succeeded in developing the ‘supercritical pyrolysis technology.�?As an example of a chemical recycling method, this is a technology of breaking down waste plastics by utilizing high-temperature/high-pressure supercritical vapor. You can put plastics that are unable to process by mechanical recycling in a high-temperature container, heat them up, and filter out any contaminant from the liquid and gas attained from this process. This yields pyrolysis oil, a raw material that can form brand-new plastics.

Using the supercritical pyrolysis technology enables recycling of composite materials (OTHER), such as snack wrappers, vinyl wrappers for precooked rice, and delivery containers, that had limitations in traditional recycling methods. The pyrolysis oil obtained through this technology does not affect the physical properties of the final product, therefore is applicable to all products. By recycling vinyl and plastic waste using the supercritical pyrolysis technology, we can convert 8 tons out of 10 tons of waste plastics into a recycled raw material, and the byproduct gas released by the remaining 2 tons can also be reused as an energy to operate the plant, such as in producing supercritical vapor. LG Chem’s Dangjin plant in South Chungcheong Province, Korea, is the first domestic supercritical pyrolysis plant to be built, and is expected to be equipped with productivity that will top the industry. Here, LG Chem plans to produce annual 20,000 tons of waste plastic pyrolysis oil.

LG Chem’s in-house developed aerogel steps up as a next-generation material!

Aerogel, gaining attention as a next-generation material, is composed of over 95% gas. It is light as air, and hardly absorbs any fine particles or heat. With high heat-resistance and low density, it has been often used as a thermal-resistant material in the aerospace industry. Recently, it is also receiving spotlight as an insulator, as it can minimize thermal loss when used in plumbing or other facilities in industrial sites. Furthermore, it can also be used in the transportation · storage of liquid hydrogen, a type of eco-friendly energy, or thermal shielding in batteries. In short, the demand for aerogel is rising across various industries, including electronics, building materials, and medical fields. Since 2013, LG Chem has been carrying out the research and development of aerogel, and applied for over 100 patents. In 2024, the company has scheduled to construct an aerogel plant in Dangjin, and begin commercialization of the product.

LG Chem leads the future business through production of pyrolysis oil and aerogel

In the global chemical recycling market, the use of pyrolysis oil (extracted from waste plastic only) is expected to rise by annual 19% to reach 3.3 million tons in 2023. Along with it, the demand for aerogel keeps increasing, and prospects are that it will grow by an average of 30% every year. Starting from the groundbreaking of pyrolysis oil and aerogel plants in Dangjin, LG Chem intends to expand their eco-friendly and next-generation business to a larger scale. Please look forward to LG Chem as they take steps towards carbon neutrality!

The post Beginning construction of pyrolysis oil and aerogel plant! LG Chem breaks the ground for a sustainable future! appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 00:50:04 +0000

Welcome to LETZero Encyclopedia, an introductory series to LG Chem’s eco-friendly brand LETZero and its products. The latest episode addressed Bio-Circular Balanced PVC, widely used in daily necessities and building materials. Today, we zoom into Bio-Circular Balanced NBR Latex (or Bio-Circular Balanced NBL, shortened as “BCB NBR Latex�?, an eco-friendly material developed with LG Chem’s bio mass balance technology. BCB NBR Latex is mostly found in medical gloves that prevent infection. Let’s take a look at the features and applications of BCB NBR Latex that saves our health and the Earth.

Gloves that save the patients, Material that saves the Earth

Occupations that involve the use of hands are often accompanied by gloves. Cooks, carpenters, and baseball players all use gloves to suit their work and purposes. Gloves protect both our hands and the hygiene.

In the same way, gloves are essential for doctors who save our lives through surgeries and treatments. In particular, disposable gloves are used in hospitals to prevent infection that may be passed by hand contact between the medical team and patients. However, medical gloves must deliver a sharp sense to the tip of the medical team’s hands, therefore should be thin and not get torn easily. Also, it’s important that they fit our hands and be smooth, to enable sophisticated work. NBR Latex is the material that satisfies all of such requirements.

NBR Latex is a synthetic latex in a milky liquid form, which boasts excellent tensile strength, elongation, and chemical resistance, etc. Due to its high tensile strength, it does not get torn easily when pulled. Plus, it is suitable for handling chemicals, since it can withstand various chemicals. It also stretches out well, offering great wearability when made into gloves, etc.

Bio-Circular Balanced NBR Latex is a material produced by applying bio mass balanced technology onto an existing material. LG Chem utilizes the former petrochemicals production infrastructure to make Bio-Circular Balanced products. By adding renewable vegetable oil such as waste cooking oil and plant byproducts to fossil-fuel based raw materials, the company creates Bio-Circular Balanced NBR Latex with much less use of fossil fuels. By minimizing the use of fossil-fuels in production, Bio-Circular Balanced NBR Latex can dramatically cut down the carbon emissions. It is, thereby, a positive impact on the planet compared to existing products.

In 2007, LG Chem succeeded in developing NBR Latex based on their proprietary technology. In the following year, the company began mass-production of the product in Yeosu plant, Korea. Since then, LG Chem has been striving to develop new markets within and outside the country based on diverse NBR Latex product lines, and kept improving the physical properties, qualities, and wearability of the product. Thanks to these consistent efforts, LG Chem’s Bio-Circular Balanced NBR Latex is now recognized as world’s best technology and quality. As the global market demand for NBR Latex and eco-friendly materials increased, in 2021, LG Chem expanded the production capacity of Yeosu plant, Korea, and Chongqing, China to annual 280,000 tons and 210,000 tons respectively.

Furthermore, by obtaining ISCC Plus, an international certification that proves the sustainability of an eco-friendly product, LG Chem’s Bio-Circular Balanced NBR Latex is now recognized for not only its technology and quality, but also for the environmental effect of the product. In 2023, LG Chem received ISCC Plus for over 50 products including the Bio-Circular Balanced NBR Latex.

Products made with Bio-Circular Balanced NBR Latex

As previously addressed, the most common application of Bio-Circular Balanced NBR Latex is the gloves. Bio-Circular Balanced NBR Latex has high chemical-resistance, which is why it can replace existing rubber gloves to make medical, cooking, and experiment gloves. On top of that, it is also widely used in rubber-impregnated products.

According to a market-research company ‘Grand View Research,�?the 2022 global nitrile glove market size was estimated at 6.5 billion dollars. However, due to rising medical expenses, importance of safety, and increasing recognition of medical-related infections, the market is expected to grow by an annual rate of 5.7% until 2030.

Bio-Circular Balanced NBR Latex, with the use of eco-friendly raw materials, suggests an eco-friendly solution to manufacturers and consumers amid the rapidly-rising demand for nitrile gloves. LG Chem plans to keep up their efforts to develop eco-friendly materials, so that more daily-use products can be produced and consumed in a way that we protect our Earth.

Today, we looked into what Bio-Circular Balanced NBR Latex is, and where it is used. The next LETZero Encyclopedia will come back with a story of Bio-Circular Balanced BR.

The post LETZero Encyclopedia: Bio-Circular Balanced NBR Latex �?Medical gloves that save the environment! appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 00:50:31 +0000

People

The post A day in the life of Brand & Communication Team in LG Chem China BSC Office appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 00:50:21 +0000

Facing unprecedented climate crisis, humanity is strengthening the regulations on carbon emissions and paying more attention to plastic production and disposal in order to protect the Earth. To keep the environmental pollution down, the global regulation on disposable plastics is also spreading out. However, plastic is an indispensable item in our life, and it’s important that we use it in a sustainable manner. On this account, many companies, as well as individuals, are turning their eyes to eco-friendly plastics such as recycled, bio, and compostable materials. In particular, there’s a rising demand for compostable and bio materials that can replace plastic used in disposable items like tableware, cups, forks, and spoons. The global compostable and bio market is expected to grow at the average rate of over 20% every year. Today, let’s take a look at 3HP, the key material for compostable materials, and check out LG Chem’s actions to commercialize 3HP.

Eco-friendly bio material, 3HP

LG Chem’s compostable products are bio materials made of plant-based raw materials, which decompose within a few months. Typical products include COMPOSTFUL�? PLA, and PLH. And the key raw material for such compostable plastics and eco-friendly materials is 3HP (3-Hydroxypropionic acid). 3HP is an eco-friendly material produced by fermentation of microorganisms in plant-based raw materials, such as corn-based glucose and crude glycerol. Taking the characteristic of a raw material, it can be applied to and developed into various forms, and is also called ‘Platform Chemical.�?Plastic made of 3HP features excellent biodegradability and flexibility, thus can replace diverse disposable products. 3HP can also be turned into Acrylic Acid and utilized as the raw material for not just compostable plastic, but also various products such as super absorbent polymer (SAP) in sanitary pads and diapers, paints, adhesives, coating agents, and carbon fiber. By lowering the proportion of toxic substances, it has also minimized the allergic reaction in human body which was common in existing chemicals.

LG Chem throws the glove for 3HP commercialization

LG Chem takes the glove for the commercialization of 3HP, a key material for compostable plastics. In October 2023, LG Chem signed an MOU with GS CALTEX to start a joint venture for 3HP.

As the MOU takes effect, the two companies will review the model for 3HP joint venture and related businesses together. Considering the future of compostable products and the status of global bio plastic market, this will be a comprehensive review of diverse means of cooperation, including establishment of a joint corporation in order to expand the business. The two partners are targeting at building 3HP demonstration plant at GS CALTEX’s Yeosu plant in Korea by July 2022 and start producing prototypes by the first quarter of 2024. There have been worldwide efforts to develop the technology for 3HP, but none of the trials led to commercialization. Therefore, as LG Chem and GS CALTEX succeeds in producing the prototype, we can expect to see the world’s first commercialization of 3HP.

LG Chem holds a world-class proprietary 3HP fermentation technology. Using this, in October 2020, the company succeeded in developing PLH (Poly Lactate 3-Hydroxypropionate), which is a compostable new material that can embody the same mechanical properties as synthetic resin. Based on this original technology for 3HP fermentation, together with GS CALTEX’s separation and refining process technology and Scale-up* capacity, we can look forward to a great synergy between the two partners.

*Scale-up: The process of a product’s commercialization. Lab-Bench-Pilot-Demo (Demonstration plant)-Commercial (Commercialization)

LG Chem is putting earnest efforts into not just developing compostable products but also eco-friendly raw materials! There’s a high hope for LG Chem and GS CALTEX, whether they can create the world’s first success case of 3HP commercialization. Please keep your support for LG Chem, as they contribute to the circular economy and carbon reduction, strengthening their ESG competency.

The post Key material for compostable plastic! LG Chem throws the glove for world’s first 3HP commercialization appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 00:50:21 +0000

The post Introducing the Eco-friendly Solution for a Sustainable Future, Bio-Circular Balanced! appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 00:50:32 +0000

Welcome to LETZero Encyclopedia, an introductory series to LG Chem’s eco-friendly brand, LETZero, and their products. The previous episode addressed PCR PE, a material obtained by recycling PE, one of the commodity plastics. Today’s spotlight goes to Bio-Circular Balanced PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), which contributes to carbon reduction by replacing raw materials partly with renewable bio raw materials.

PVC is widely used in daily necessities to building materials! What if PVC met with LG Chem’s biomass balance technology to be reborn as an eco-friendly material? Let’s take a look at its features and applications.

Bio-Circular Balanced PVC contributes to carbon reduction
by adding vegetable raw materials

“PVC mat, PVC cover, PVC bag, etc�?�?You’ve often heard of the word ‘PVC�?in your daily life. Also called polyvinyl chloride or polyvinyl chloride resin, PVC is a typical thermoplastic whose solidity and durability vary upon the type of additive blended during the process. This unique feature allows PVC to be applied to various fields, ranging from daily necessities to building materials and electronics.

Bio-Circular Balanced PVC is a material made by replacing the raw materials in traditional PVC production partly with renewable vegetable raw materials, using biomass balance technology. Instead of fossil fuels, it utilizes waste cooking oil and plant byproducts to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and contribute to carbon reduction. All of LG Chem’s Bio-Circular Balanced products, including Bio-Circular Balanced PVC, are produced at existing petrochemical infrastructure. Furthermore, they can be produced at eco-friendly plants, using waterpower and solar power, etc.

The process of making Bio-Circular Balanced PVC is simple. First, bio raw materials such as waste cooking oil and plant byproducts are blended with fossil fuels at a certain ratio to create naphtha/bio diesel. The outcome is sent to the existing production infrastructure or eco-friendly plants (waterpower, solar power, etc.) to produce the final Bio-Circular Balanced PVC.

LG Chem’s Bio-Circular Balanced PVC boasts excellent durability, corrosion resistance, chemical resistance, and flame retarding. Its quality and physical properties are equivalent to virgin materials. Moreover, LG Chem acquired the international ISCC Plus certificate, which certifies sustainability of an eco-friendly product across its process, including the raw material, production, purchase, and sales.

Meanwhile in 2022, LG Chem signed an MOU with LX Houses, a manufacturer of building materials, automotive material parts, and high-functioning materials, for co-development of PVC recycling technology and business of PVC which utilizes bio raw materials. The two partners are spurring their efforts to expand the Bio-Circular Balanced PVC business, and using their recycling technology, extract high purity PVC from waste building materials to apply to and commercialize PCR PVC products.

Products made from Bio-Circular Balanced PVC

Bio-Circular Balanced PVC can be applied to wherever the virgin material is used in. It is often found in wire clothing, pipes, synthetic leather, calendars, and building materials such as wallpapers. Also, it is used in everyday items such as LPs, rain boots, rain coats, rafting boats, gym balls, play mats, and artificial trees.

So far, we looked at what Bio-Circular Balanced PVC is and where it is used. The next LETZero Encyclopedia will come back with the story of Bio-Circular Balanced NBL.

The post LETZero Encyclopedia: Bio-Circular Balanced PVC �?Introducing eco-friendly building material! appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 00:50:35 +0000

The post RE:SOBAN | Revival of plastic waste as a beautiful, long-lasting Soban appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 00:50:52 +0000

In November 2021, LG Chem released a documentary film, <Soban Again>. It was about a rebirth project of PCR ABS, a recycled plastic product, and its encounter with Korean traditional culture and artisans. LG Chem elaborated on this and introduced a new project. This time, furniture designer Ha Ji-hoon reinterpreted Soban, a Korean traditional furniture, bringing LG Chem’s recycled plastic into our everyday item. The prefix ‘RE�?embraces the meanings of ‘Reborn, Reuse, and Rethink.�?Listen to the story of Soban, brought to you by the campaign.

LG Chem’s LETZero recycled plastic product turns into RE:SOBAN

‘LETZero�?is a combination of ‘Let�?+ ‘zero(0).�?It signifies LG Chem’s will to make ‘zero harm to nature and zero net-increase of carbon emissions. It is LG Chem’s eco-friendly materials brand which ranges over recycled materials that reprocess waste plastics, bio materials based on renewable vegetable raw materials, and compostable materials made of corn-based glucose and waste glycerol, etc.

RE:SOBAN is composed of LG Chem’s PCR (Post-Consumer Recycled) plastic, which is a recycled plastic product made by collecting, crushing, and separating waste plastics used and discarded by end-consumers. LG Chem’s PCR embodies quality equivalent to virgin plastics.

Soban again with furniture designer Ha Ji-hoon!

The project title embraces the meanings of ‘Reborn, Recycle, Reinterpret, and Recreate.�?The rebirth of soban is itself a whole new reinterpretation of our tradition, and recreation of our everyday life and preference.

In particular, RE:SOBAN is fully composed of LG Chem’s LETZero recycled plastic product. It is assembled by the knockdown method, without additional bolts, nuts, or adhesives, enabling easy recycling of the product after it’s been discarded.

PCR Plastic in everyday life!

Soban is a traditional furniture that comes from Koreans�?sedentary lifestyle. Unlike general tables, one soban is set for each person. With 100% recycled plastic content, RE:SOBAN reflects our hope to bring recycled plastic into our everyday life. You can check out the contemporary reinterpretation of soban and its harmony with people’s everyday life in the documentary and CF films.

Soban is a perfect companion for your family. You can enjoy a game or snack on soban, and easily assemble and disassemble it on your camping trip or picnics. Wherever your life goes, RE:SOBAN will accompany you.

Easy assembly and disassembly of RE:SOBAN

Soban’s slab is designed with the shape of flower petals, and its legs take the form of a tiger’s legs. RE:SOBAN consists of 1 slab, 4 legs, and 2 footstools. Connect 2 legs to 1 footstool and turn counterclockwise. Insert the legs into the slab, and with the assemble as simple as that, your soban is ready for use! Easy to carry and assemble, soban can accompany you on your camping trips and picnics.

The rebirth of RE:SOBAN through the collaboration of LG Chem and designer Ha Ji-hoon! By contemporarily reinterpreting the tradition, a brand-new furniture has been created with 100% recycled plastic. The RE:SOBAN campaign hopes to draw the public’s attention to recycled plastic, which will become more common in our daily life. Furthermore, we look forward to seeing the contribution of recycled plastics to our planet.

The post LG Chem brings RE:SOBAN made of 100% recycled plastic content into our everyday life appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 00:50:59 +0000

Have you heard of Global Customer Solution (CS) Center? CS center refers to an organization which specializes in customer support, providing a comprehensive technical solution to LG Chem’s customers and partners on product development, quality improvement, and productivity improvement, etc. LG Chem has established CS centers around the globe in order to offer a closer customer-tailored service. Learn about LG Chem’s Global CS Center and the role it plays in the company.

What is LG Chem’s Global CS Center?

LG Chem’s CS Center is a specialized organization which provides a comprehensive technical solution to customers and partners on product development, quality improvement, productivity improvement, etc.

In 1995, LG Chem established their first CS Center within Korea’s Daejeon Technology Research Center. With the know-how for customer technical support accumulated for over 27 years, LG Chem moved their CS Center to Osan, Gyeonggi Province, Korea, in 2019, which actively operates until today. Osan CS Center is responsible for listening to customers�?pain points, making improvements to raise the credibility, and providing technical support to customers. Besides that, CS Center can also recommend products and recipes that suit customers�?needs. Plus, they support customers with quality analysis, process optimization, and new product development, etc. to improve the overall completeness and productivity of customers�?products.

In 2015, LG Chem established Huanan CS Center in Guangzhou, Guangdong Sheng, and Huadong CS Center in Wuxi, Jiangsu Sheng to extend their customer support service across the Chinese region. In particular, Wuxi boasts an excellent environment that has been selected as China’s Top 10 Economically-vital cities. Many global companies are situated in the city, which makes it just the right location for LG Chem’s CS Center to place in. Now, LG Chem CS Center is playing a key role in the Chinese market.

Opened European CS Center in Frankfurt, Germany,
known for convenient transportation and customer adjacency

In September 2023, LG Chem opened a European CS Center in Frankfurt, Germany. Beginning its construction in September 2021 with investment of KRW 50 billion won, the European CS Center has three ground floors and the size of approximately 7,400�? It holds state-of-the-art facilities such as extrusion and injection devices that can support customers�?production. Along with automotive materials, the main customer in the European market, LG Chem plans to secure processing technologies for eco-friendly materials such as recycled plastic, and staff with professionals to provide technical support to their customers.

Since LG Chem made their entry in 2005, the European market has increased its sales by over 100 times as of last year, stepping up as the main market. With the opening of European CS Center, LG Chem plans to set a customer response base in Frankfurt to provide on-site technical solutions and raise their position in the European market.

A quadrilateral customer service system
that connects Korea, China, Europe, and America

Currently, Osan CS Center takes care of technical support centered on domestic and global customers, and is focusing on developing future processing technologies. Huanan and Huadong CS Centers are striving to improve the technology of Chinese customers, revitalize the Chinese economy, recruit excellent talents, and encourage mutual growth between the company and the region. Frankfurt Center boasts an excellent environment as the hub-city of Middle Europe, proven by its convenient transportation and customer adjacency. With LG Chem’s European Sales office located in the same city, the company is expecting a synergy effect in customer support that the newly-established European CS Center will bring about.

The U.S. CS Center scheduled to open in the state of Ohio is expected to offer convenience in logistics and transportation. Its location is close to LG Chem’s major customers of ABS used in automotive components and materials for building �?decorating. LG Chem hopes to raise their position in the North-American market and reinforce their on-site customer response.

With the opening of European CS Center, LG Chem is looking forward to establishing a customer support system that connects Korea (Osan), China (Huanan, Huadong), and Europe (Germany). Furthermore, U.S. CS Center in Ohio is due for establishment by 2023, which will complete LG Chem’s close-up customer support network across the globe. LG Chem will not stop at entering the global market, but expand their customer-tailored technical support for global customers. Stay with LG Chem as they take one step further!

The post CS Center opened in Europe! Reinforcing global customer close-up service appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Thu, 05 Oct 2023 00:50:31 +0000

Welcome to LETZero Encyclopedia, an introductory series to LG Chem’s eco-friendly brand LETZero and their product lineup. The previous episode addressed Bio-Circular Balanced SAP, an eco-friendly material based on renewable raw materials. This time, we take a look into PCR PE developed from recycled PE (Polyethylene), a popular commodity plastic. As much as it is used in our daily lives, a tremendous amount of PE is discarded every day. What are the uses of PCR PE, once it is reborn from mechanical recycling of PE? Let’s dig into the characteristics and applications of PCR PE.

Waste plastic containers turned into a recycled material! PCR PE

PE is one of the most widely-used plastic materials in the world. With high processability and impact-resistance, PE finds use in different containers, plastic boxes, transparent films for packaging, and various wraps. As the diverse applications tell us, there’s a high demand for PE around the globe. Then, what is PCR PE? PCR PE is a recycled material that uses waste plastics, such as plastic packaging discarded by end-consumers, as a raw material. In other words, the waste plastics that we collect become a brand-new plastic material by going through a series of process.

How does waste plastic packaging transform into a new resource? First, we collect and sort waste plastics to separate the PE out. Next, we crush and cleanse the PE to get rid of contaminants, and then melt the plastic flakes to obtain pellets (the raw material form of plastic). Pellets are renewable raw materials that are blended with virgin raw materials at an adequate proportion to create the final product. LG Chem’s PCR PE contains 50~80% of renewable raw material, which varies by product. Despite its high recycled material content, it boasts quality and physical properties equivalent to virgin materials.

In 2021, LG Chem signed a partnership with Korea’s largest e-commerce company, Coupang, to establish an ecosystem for plastic recycling and resource circulation. They now collect annual 3,000 tons of stretch wraps discarded at Coupang logistics centers around the country and turn them into recycled films. Stretch wraps, used at logistics centers and industrial sites to tie up loaded items, are mostly made of PE. During the three months of pilot project operation which started from June, 2021, LG Chem and Coupang succeeded in developing recycled films that boast physical properties equivalent to the existing product, while maintaining maximum 60% of the PCR raw material content. This recycled film, based on LG Chem’s PCR technology, is applied to Poly Bags, the packaging film for the shipment of Coupang items.

In 2023, LG Chem also made a business agreement with Korea’s largest logistics company, CJ Logistics, to recycle plastic resources and establish a circular economy. A resource recycling project is underway to collect stretch wraps discarded at CJ’s logistics centers around Korea and turn them into recycled wraps. By partnering with market-leading companies for the recovery of plastic resources, LG Chem is leading the humanity’s mission of carbon reduction.

Products made of PCR PE

With quality and physical properties equivalent to virgin materials, PCR PE can be applied to wherever traditional PE came of use. Currently, PCR PE is commonly found in flexible packaging, stretch wraps, heavy packaging bags, and blow containers, etc. It can also be applied to industrial palettes, shipping boxes, PET bottle caps, pipes, and protection films, etc. where traditional HDPE and LDPE are used.

Today, we looked at the characteristics and applications of PCR PE. Next LETZero Encyclopedia will return with a story of PCR PVC.

The post LETZero Encyclopedia: PCR PE �?Discarded PET bottle caps reborn as a recycled material! appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 00:50:31 +0000

In 2020, LG Chem announced a sustainability strategy centered on �?050 Carbon Neutral Growth,�?in order to provide a sustainable solution to their customers. Since then, the company has carried out diverse eco-friendly activities under the goal of carbon reduction. Based on these sustainability activities, LG Chem set up a new goal of �?050 Net-Zero,�?and is taking active approaches such as introduction of new process, transition to eco-friendly raw materials and fuels, and expanded use of renewable energy, etc. Having built up a strong sustainability activities portfolio, LG Chem gained eco-friendly certifications from a number of institutions. Today, we take a look into the certifications acquired by LG Chem.

Acquired ISCC Plus Certification for 50+ products, verifying their sustainability

In April 2021, LG Chem acquired Korea’s first international eco-friendly certification for 9 products used in diapers, IT∙Home appliances, automobiles, etc. ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) Plus was granted to LG Chem’s Bio-Circular Balanced products that use renewable vegetable raw materials such as waste cooking oil and palm oil. ISCC Plus is an international certification system that complies with European Union (EU)’s Renewable Energy Directives, the world’s strictest guideline. It is a widely-used tool to verify the sustainability of eco-friendly and bio products.

LG Chem kicked off by acquiring ISCC Plus for a total of 9 Bio-Circular Balanced products including SAP, PO, PC compounds, etc. Since their announcement of Carbon Neutral Growth in 2020, so far, the company has acquired altogether 50+ ISCC Plus certifications by continuing their development of eco-friendly materials.

Acquired ‘Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWTL)�?International Certification

LG Chem also acquired Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWTL) certification which verifies that their waste is recycled as a resource, not ending up in landfill. 3 business sites in Iksan∙Naju of Korea and Quzhou, China (2022), followed by 1 site in Gimcheon, Korea (2023) gained the certification. Granted by a global safety science company, UL Solutions, ZWTL is a system that assesses a company’s resource-recycling efforts. Grades are given according to the proportion of waste recycled at the business sites instead of going in to landfill; Silver (recycling rate 90~94%), Gold (recycling rate 95~99%), Platinum (recycling rate 100%).

LG Chem’s Iksan plant recorded 96% recycling rate, while Gimcheon plant recorded 97%, both sites acquiring ‘Gold�?grade. Naju plant accomplished 94% of recycling rate, earning ‘Silver�?grade. Quzhou in China succeeded in recycling 100% of the waste, receiving ‘Platinum�?grade.

LG Chem cathode plant in Iksan, Korea recycled the whole amount of ceramic containers used and discarded after the manufacturing process. As a result, last year, Iksan plant succeeded in recycling 96% out of 2,100 tons of waste produced from the site, making the landfill rate Zero (0%). Adding to this, Naju plant introduced a way of reusing the cleaning solutions used during the manufacturing process, cutting down about 63 tons of annual waste production. Naju plant is continuing their resource circulation efforts through waste monitoring, maintaining over 90% of recycling rate since 2018. LG Chem plans to set up and implement a strategy to achieve ‘zero waste to landfill�?at all business sites.

Acquired TÜV Rheinland Certification for Measuring Product Carbon Footprints

In July, 2023, LG Chem received certification from a global testing institution, TÜV Rheinland, on their self-designed product carbon footprint measurement system. Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) is the measurement of carbon emissions throughout the production, including raw material extraction, processing, shipping, and manufacturing, which is put into a numerical value by units (per kg, m, item, etc.) TÜV Rheinland is a global testing institution that follows the international guidelines to evaluate a product’s lifetime, from production to distribution, usage, and disposal, and provides certifications related to carbon footprints. According to the international standard (ISO 14067:2018), LG Chem’s Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) measurement system acquired certification from TÜV Rheinland. Since 2021, LG Chem has been using their self-designed system to measure product carbon footprints of battery and eco-friendly materials. By acquiring the certification from TÜV Rheinland, the company has secured credibility on such a process.

Recently, global companies have a rising demand for low-carbon products, along with more requests for certifications. LG Chem intends to apply the Carbon Footprint Analysis & Management Platform (CAMP), a self-designed automatic system to measure product carbon footprints, and take active approaches to target the low-carbon eco-friendly product market. LG Chem’s CAMP has been established in connection with various data management systems used in product LCA, shortening the time spent on collecting · analyzing · re-examining data, which was the limitation that manual LCA placed. CAMP has improved the limits in data application and monitoring, securing a competitive edge in data currentization and data insight.

Until 2025, LG Chem plans to apply the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) system to products produced in all domestic �?global business sites, and continue to sophisticate the system.

Acquired Certification for Compostable Products from a German-based Institution

In 2023, LG Chem developed COMPOSTFUL�? a compostable material solution which decomposes within 6 months~2 years under certain conditions. COMPOSTFUL�?is a combination of the word ‘compost,�?and the suffix �?ful,�?which means “full of~.” It conveys the meaning of being composted quickly and becoming a foundation for sustaining fertile land. LG Chem invested $162 million (KRW 210 billion) into Daesan plant in South Chungcheong Province, Korea, for the production of high-molecular compostable plastic (PBAT) included in the COMPOSTFUL�?product line, hoping to produce annual 50,000 tons of PBAT.

LG Chem’s compostable materials received certification from DIN CERTCO, a German-based international certification institution, for over 90% of biodegradability within 120 days. LG Chem plans to lead the compostable plastic market based on bio raw-materials by continuing the product development and expanding the production capacity.

LG Chem moved up the 2050 Carbon Neutral Growth goal to 2030, truncating it by 20 years. The company had also planned to cut down 10 million tons of net carbon emissions, however, they added another 10 million tons to the goal, aiming at net-zero (0) emissions. To this end, LG Chem is taking aggressive measures to reduce carbon emissions, such as adopting eco-friendly raw materials and investing in process facilities. As addressed before, LG Chem acquired various eco-friendly certifications as the result of their efforts, securing credibility in the global market. LG Chem calls for your attention, as they continue their journey towards Carbon Neutral Growth!

The post From ISCC Plus to Zero Waste to Landfill and TÜV Rheinland! Learn about LG Chem’s eco-friendly certifications. appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Fri, 22 Sep 2023 00:50:01 +0000

To inform our customers about the eco-friendly properties and production of ABS, LG Chem’s Petrochemicals Company held a webinar in late March 2023. Today, we look back on each session with videos.

Keynote. LG Chem’s Eco-friendly ABS Webinar

The keynote speech was delivered by Kim Sang-min, Head of LG Chem’s ABS Business Unit. He briefly introduced the main points of LG Chem’s eco-friendly strategies and ABS products, which provide value to customers with a variety of eco-friendly materials and expand the range of customer choices. Take a look at LG Chem as a global leader in the ABS market, driving sales of KRW 5.67 trillion in 2022.

SESSION1. LG Chem Petrochemical HQ’s sustainability strategy and product portfolio

The first session was delivered by Kim Young, Team Leader of the Circular.Recycle Strategy Team from the Sustainability Business Unit. He outlined LG Chem’s sustainability goals & strategies and briefly introduced the eco-friendly products of LG Chem Petrochemicals Company.

SESSION2. Introduction of LG Chem’s Eco-friendly ABS

In the second session, Kim Chang-Sul, Team Leader of the Eco-friendly Business Development Team from the ABS Business unit, continued to speak on the topic of LG Chem’s eco-friendly ABS.

SESSION3. Q&A

The last part of the webinar was a Q&A session delivered by Kim Chang-Sul to fulfill your curiosity about LG Chem’s eco-friendly ABS products. Figure out all the information you need regarding ABS products!

Including LG Chem’s eco-friendly ABS Webinar, we put much effort into getting closer to our customers and giving them full satisfaction through eco-friendly products. If you have more curiosity about ABS products, visit LG Chem On, our comprehensive online sales platform and leave inquiries. LG Chem, the number one leader in the global ABS market, keeps moving forward to create sustainable value with our customers.

The post Throwback to LG Chem’s Eco-friendly ABS Webinar in videos appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 00:50:41 +0000

Welcome to LETZero Encyclopedia, an introductory series to LG Chem’s eco-friendly brand LETZero and its products. Following the latest episode on Bio-circular Balanced IPA which shines when applied with other materials, today we’ll look at Bio-Circular Balanced SAP, an eco-friendly material based on renewable raw materials, how it is produced, and where it is utilized.

Bio-Circular Balanced SAP based on plant-based raw materials!

First, let’s take a look at what SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer) is. SAP takes the form of a white powder, and is known to absorb a lot of water in short time, as much as 200 times its own weight. These unique properties make it widely-applicable in hygiene products such as baby diapers, agricultural water retaining agents, waterproof agents for building, food storage materials, and so more. First introduced in the U.S. in 1974, SAP was then commercialized in 1978. Since 1982 when companies started using it as an absorber in diapers, the demand and supply for SAP kept soaring up, resulting in a rapid growth.

Besides being absorptive, SAP requires a couple of characteristics. First, it must be leakage-free under external pressure. Second, it must absorb water quickly. While having affinity for water (hydrophilicity), it needs to be insoluble in water at the same time. In other words, it’s important that SAP absorbs water effectively, yet does not dissolve in water.

SAP is an absorber made by polymerizing Acrylic acid extracted from crude oil with Caustic Soda. Recently, LG Chem developed a new type of SAP by blending Bio-renewable feedstock, a renewable feedstock extracted from plant-based oil, with Fossil-based oil. Known as Bio-Circular Balanced SAP, this new material can cut down about 111% of the carbon emissions compared to traditional SAP. (For products applied with bio raw materials, measurement includes the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by the plants.) Plus, Bio-Circular Balanced SAP obtained the ISCC (International Sustainability & Carbon Certificate) PLUS, which evaluates not just the production process, but also all associate companies including manufacture and distribution, until the ISCC mark could be printed on the final product. In short, LG Chem’s Bio-Circular Balanced SAP has verified sustainability in its overall process, ranging from production to manufacture and distribution.

Applications of Bio-Circular Balanced SAP

Not different from the traditional SAP, Bio-Circular Balanced SAP is commonly used in hygiene products such as baby diapers, adult diapers, and sanitary pads. Also, it can be applied to cooling or heating packs that soothe your children’s fevers, or cooling patches to ease the fatigue on your swollen arms and legs.

In August 2021, LG Chem celebrated its first export of Bio-Circular Balanced SAP. One year after that, in August 2022, LG Chem signed an MOU with Yuhan Kimberly, a Korea-based consumer goods manufacturer, to develop sustainable products. LG Chem will provide their Bio-Circular Balanced SAP to Yuhan Kimberly, who will then cooperate by expanding the use of eco-friendly materials in products both for children and adults, for example, launching a new diaper (Huggies Nature-made Organic). This partnership is expected to help accelerate the two companies�?targeting of the premium eco-friendly market.

So far, we introduced the Bio-Circular Balance SAP to you. We will come back at the next LETZero Encyclopedia, with a story of PCR PE.

The post LETZero Encyclopedia: Bio-Circular Balanced SAP �?Eco-friendly material obtained from renewable plant-based oil appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 00:50:05 +0000

With the deepening of climate crisis, the whole world is putting utmost efforts into carbon neutrality. In 2022, LG Chem moved up the former 2050 carbon neutral growth initiative to 2030, and announced a new goal to achieve Net-Zero by 2050. Net-Zero is when the amount of carbon emitted on the Earth matches the amount of carbon absorbed from the atmosphere, which means the actual carbon emission is ‘zero (0).�?To reduce carbon and accomplish 2050 Net-Zero, LG Chem is pushing forward the introduction of innovative process, transition to eco-friendly raw-materialㆍfuels, and extended use of renewable energy. Today, let’s take a look at Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU), a latest technology receiving attention, and ‘Dry Reforming of Methane (DRM),�?a carbon-reduction facility built by LG Chem for the first time in Korea that can contribute to a sustainable future.

Saving the Earth with Carbon Capture and Utilization

CCU, as the name signifies, is a technology that captures carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and utilizes it as a ‘resource.�?First introduced in the 1970s, this technology of capturing, storing, and utilizing carbon has made consistent advancements for around 50 years. Recently, it has arrived at a commercialization stage, and is gaining spotlight as a core technology to stop the worst climate change scenario.

There are a number of reasons that CCU is receiving attention as a core technology for carbon neutrality. To defend the worst climate change scenario from happening through carbon neutrality, the initial step is to reduce the amount of carbon emitted on the Earth. However, the current industrial structure makes it extremely difficult for groundbreaking carbon reduction. Cutting down carbon calls for a grand-scale reformation of industrial structure with basis on low-carbon and eco-friendliness, but this cannot be done right away. In contrast, CCU captures carbon dioxide that has been already released into the air, and turns it into a resource, having an instant carbon reduction effect in terms of eco-friendly resource circulation. On top of that, CCU can be closely connected with renewable energy, thus is possible to expect a gradual reformation of industrial structure and further utilization of the technology.

As we pursue growth centered on eco-friendliness and low-carbon, along with utilizing CCU in the overall industry, we are likely to achieve carbon neutrality earlier than scheduled. In fact, EU suggested in �?050 carbon neutrality scenario�?that we must reduce 2,200 million tons of carbon dioxide, including 300 million tons (14% of the total amount) to be dealt with CCU technology. Similarly, the International Energy Agency (IEA) announced �?070 global carbon neutrality scenario,�?estimating that CCU will contribute to 15% of the total carbon reduction.

DRM, capture carbon dioxide to make plastic

DRM is a type of CCU technology that captures carbon dioxide and its by-product gas, methane, emitted at factories to create plastic. By using the DRM facility, we can produce raw materials for plastic while reducing more than 50% of carbon emissions. In November 2022, LG Chem established a DRM facility and developed an essential catalyst for transition of carbon dioxide based on the company’s proprietary technology.

LG Chem is the first domestic company to establish and commercialize DRM facility based on their proprietary technology. So far, DRM accompanied limits of commercialization due to rapid fall of catalyst performance when operating the facility. LG Chem developed a proprietary technology to complement such an issue and reinforced the durability of catalyst greatly, opening the door to commercialization. LG Chem’s catalyst business department played a key role in reinforcing the durability of catalyst. Back in 2019, LG Chem had established a new department to take care of the company’s catalyst business and internalize the high-value-added catalyst production technology. Since then, the department not only developed the catalyst essential for production of eco-friendly POE and CNT, but also contributed to establishing DRM facility based on LG Chem’s proprietary technology.

In 2023, LG Chem constructed a 1,000 ton-scale of pilot plant in Daesan plant, Chung-cheong province, Korea to verify the DRM processing technology and catalyst, etc. developed through their proprietary technology. Furthermore, the company will continue to expand and utilize DRM, the innovative carbon-reduction facility, until 2026, to achieve 2050 Net-Zero.

Despite being the core technology of carbon neutrality, CCU has higher technical difficulty and production cost than CCS (Carbon Capture Storage), which hinders companies�?active R&D and investments. Yet, LG Chem decided that CCU is inevitable for the humanity’s sustainable development, and carried out a long-term R&D and investments of CCU. Consequently, the company succeeded in developing DRM facility with their proprietary technology, which can produce raw materials for plastic while reducing more than half the amount of carbon emissions. LG Chem will keep up their commitment for the sustainable future with science that benefits our planet and the humanity.

The post Plastic made through Carbon Capture and Utilization? LG Chem commercializes DRM facility to achieve 2050 Net-Zero goal appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 00:50:08 +0000

Company

The post How’s it going, LG Chem? LGChem builds the future with science | 2023 LG Chem Brand Film appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 00:50:42 +0000

Welcome to LETZero Encyclopedia, an introductory series to LG Chem’s eco-friendly brand LETZero and their products. Last episode gave you a brief about PLA, an eco-friendly plastic that gains a new life through mechanical recycling. Today we look at Bio-Circular Balanced IPA, which benefits our planet by replacing some parts of fossil fuels in traditional IPA with renewable plant-based raw materials. A bio-material that shines more when it meets others! Let’s dig into the features and applications of Bio-Circular Balanced IPA now!

A material that shines more when it meets others, Bio-Circular Balanced IPA

Before we discuss Bio-Circular Balanced materials, let’s learn about IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) first. IPA is a colorless, volatile liquid with chemical properties similar to Ethyl Alcohol. It can easily change into acetone by oxidation or dehydrogenation reactions. The distinct features of IPA include excellent solvent (liquid used to dissolve a chemical) properties, sterilization and cleansing, and high evaporative properties. As an effective solvent, IPA is widely adopted in all industries. In particular, IPA shines more when it is added to paints or cleaning agents than used independently. IPA in paints helps the dissolution of pigments and resins and adjusts the viscosity during coating.

Features of LG Chem’s Bio-Circular Balanced IPA

Then what is Bio-Circular Balanced IPA? Bio-Circular Balanced IPA is an eco-friendly IPA which replaces certain parts of fossil fuels used in traditional IPA with renewable bio raw materials. LG Chem blends renewable bio raw materials such as waste glycerol and plant by-products with fossil fuels to effectively cut down the carbon generated during IPA’s production process. As an outcome, LG Chem’s Bio-Circular Balanced IPA obtained ISCC PLUS certification in July 2021. ISCC PLUS refers to an international certification which verifies that eco-friendly raw materials have been used throughout the production process, based on EU’s Renewable Energy Directive.

Having received a global certification for the use of eco-friendly raw materials, LG Chem’s Bio-Circular Balanced materials offer both sustainability and high quality. It is a known fact that LG Chem is the only Korean IPA producer to create both acetone and propylene-based IPA. Both acetone and propylene-based IPA can be made as Bio-Circular Balanced products. Taking further, LG Chem also produces high purity Bio-Circular Balanced IPA.

Products based on Bio-Circular Balanced IPA

Bio-Circular Balanced IPA can replace traditional IPA in all places. Most commonly, IPA is used as a solvent for varnishes such as paints and inks. It also goes into hand sanitizers that help you maintain your hygiene. Furthermore, Bio-Circular Balanced IPA is used as a raw material for reagents in the pharmaceutical sector.

On the other hand, high purity Bio-Circular Balanced IPA is playing a vital role as a cleaning agent for electronic materials such as semiconductors and LCDs. Cleaning is an important stage of processing which determines the quality of semiconductors. High purity Bio-Circular Balanced IPA is used after wafers have been cleaned to dry them without leaving stains on the semiconductors.

From industrial paints to raw material of reagents and cleaning agent for electronic materials, Bio-Circular Balanced IPA hasof applications. Not only that, but it also enhances the quality and function of a product, displaying wonderful chemistry with various materials.

Today’s LETZero Encyclopedia scoped on the features and applications of Bio-Circular Balanced IPA. Next time, we’ll come back with the story of PCR PE.

The post LETZero Encyclopedia: Bio-Circular Balanced IPA – A bio-material that shines next to others appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 00:50:22 +0000

The Earth is on the brink of unprecedented crisis. UN secretary general Antonio Guterres said in his speech, “The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived,�?urging the world to respond to the matter. This is a time when our collective efforts are needed more than ever. As climate crisis deepens more, let’s take a look at how LG Chem is approaching to the sustainability of our Earth.

In 2020, LG Chem established their Sustainability Strategy with the goal of ‘Providing innovative and distinguished sustainability solutions for the environment and society.�?Since then, the company has derived 5 major tasks from the sustainability strategy (e.g. responding to climate change and developing a responsible supply chain) and been taking various sustainable management actions. In order to communicate clearly about LG Chem’s sustainable business activities and performances with different interested parties, the company has been publishing a Sustainability Report on a yearly basis. The 2022 Sustainability Report is LG Chem’s 17^th issue of the report, introducing the company’s sustainable management strategies as well as the key performances and future plans within the ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) sector. Furthermore, this report addresses LG Chem’s efforts to set up a decarbonized supply chain ecosystem connecting ‘Suppliers-LG Chem-Customers.�?Let’s take a look at the details of LG Chem’s efforts depicted in 2022 Sustainability Report, !

Environment, fulfilling our responsibility for the Earth

2050 Net-Zero Roadmap

LG Chem has concretized a roadmap to achieve Net-Zero by 2050 by building detailed plans for each category of carbon reduction. The company’s devotion to eco-friendly business management can be seen in the introduction of carbon management system to track down and manage the amount of carbon emissions, and the switch to sustainability-centered business portfolio.

Renewable Energy Procurement

LG Chem declared their commitment to source 100% renewable energy at overseas business sites by 2030 and domestic business sites by 2050. The key factor to realize this goal is procuring sufficient renewable energy supply. LG Chem is thereby taking various measures to secure renewable energy for their overseas sites. As for domestic sites, the company has signed a long-term contract with an energy provider. Thanks to these efforts, LG Chem recorded 11.6% of renewable energy transition rate including all business sites, and 7 global sites have already achieved 100% transition to renewable energy.

Transition to Eco-friendly Fuels

LG Chem is passionate about introducing eco-friendly fuels to cut down greenhouse gases! Aiming to start operation in 2026, LG Chem intends to invest $2.5 billion (KRW 3.2 trillion) in Hwachi plant, Yeosu, Korea to establish a biomass energy plant. The new plant will mass-produce industrial steam electricity using waste wood, which is expected to reduce 99% of greenhouse gases compared to coals. With completion, LG Chem will be able to cut down annual 400,000 tons of carbon.

Zero Landfill at Production Sites

How can we make waste from production sites Zero(0)? LG Chem set up a strategy to reduce and recycle the incineration and landfill waste. As a result, a total of 3 business sites in Iksan and Naju of Korea and Quzhou, China obtained Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWTL) Certification in 2022 from UL Solutions, a global safety·environment certificate authority. In 2023, LG Chem Gimcheon site was added to the list.

Social, embracing diversity and reinforcing the supply chain ESG

Environmental Safety Measures at Production Sites

LG Chem hopes to build a safe workplace through solutions based on scientific technology. CSEO (Chief Safety & Environment Officer) is a newly added position which serves as a control tower for Environment·Safety·Health within the company. LG Chem also adopted ‘The Seven Safety Commandments�?to solidify employees�?basic safety compliance culture.

Workplace Diversity and Inclusion

Embracing diversity is the key to a successful business. Diversity in the organizational culture helps draw active participation and cooperation from employees, bearing innovative ideas and products. To solidify a free and communicative organizational culture, LG Chem began their ‘Speak-up Table�?program in 2019 where the CEO and employees can discuss and seek the direction of LG Chem’s future. For the past 4 years, more than 1,569 employees took part in 79 ‘Speak-up Table�?sessions and contributed to improving the organizational culture. Moreover, the company holds ‘Town Hall Meetings�?where the CEO and employees communicate about LG Chem’s strategies and business performances. These meetings record over 6,000 concurrent viewers each time.

Sustainable Supply Chain Management

LG Chem values growing with their partners and establishing a sustainable supply chain. To do this, the company conducts Supplier and ESG evaluation every year. In 2022, LG Chem carried out ESG evaluation on 762 suppliers. Among them, 17 high-risk suppliers underwent field inspection under the monitoring of a third party, through which they gained solutions for improvement. On top of that, LG Chem joined the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) and applied the RBA standards to build a system for managing their suppliers�?ESG activities. The company shares these criteria with the suppliers, who then submit a written pledge to comply with the standards. Furthermore, LG Chem keeps close monitoring of the suppliers�?ESG risks based on the standards.

Supply Chain Decarbonization

The importance of managing the supply chain is heightening due to factors such as labor force, exhaustion of resources, anti-corruption, etc. With the tightening of global environmental regulation, the spotlight is going to the concept of ‘supply chain decarbonization.�?What are LG Chem’s efforts to establish a decarbonized supply chain?

LG Chem has completed the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of all domestic-produced products to measure the carbon reduction effects of each product. LCA quantitatively evaluates a product’s environmental impacts throughout its entire supply chain (from raw material sourcing to product development), encompassing all inputs, outputs, and product system. LG Chem plans to complete LCA on all products including overseas production by 2023.

Does carbon emission occur only during production? The answer is no. In fact, our entire business activities such as working out of office or using office equipment involve carbon emissions. Scope 1·2·3 is a system which categorizes a company’s carbon emissions into different groups. Scope 1 refers to direct emissions produced from the company’s own resources. Scope 2 refers to indirect emissions that occur when the company purchases and uses energy sources from another party. Scope 3 refers to all indirect emissions except Scope 2, which is the most complex concept as it includes indirect emissions from the entire value chain required to make a product.

According to the research of World Economic Forum (WEF), 61% of the total carbon emissions produced by petrochemical companies falls under Scope 3. Therefore, in order for LG Chem to strengthen their low-carbon product competitiveness, the role of raw material suppliers (Scope3 upstream) is essential. LG Chem is aware of the significance of cutting down upstream carbon emission to establish a decarbonized supply chain that connects suppliers (upstream) and customers (downstream). The company is operating ‘Scope3 LCA TF�?directly under the CEO to support the measurement and management of suppliers�?carbon emissions by each product. LG Chem plans to calculate the product carbon footprint based on the actual Scope3 upstream process data to maximize the accuracy and completeness of their LCA results, and utilize the results to strategize the establishment and operation of a decarbonized supply chain.

LG Chem does not stop there, and will take one step further to build a consistent communication system that connects Suppliers-LG Chem-Customers to share information about product carbon footprints and facilitate the establishment of a decarbonized supply chain. LG Chem intends to build a decarbonization collaboration model by distributing the PCF calculation method based on their LCA methodology and Scope3 data collection guidelines, plus actively communicating about the LCA implementation system.

Governance, an ethical and transparent management

ESG committee under the Board of Directors (BOD)

LG Chem formed the ESG committee in April 2021, aimed at internalizing ‘sustainability,�?a concept encompassing both financial and non-financial value, as the core value of the company’s growth. In order to procure LG Chem’s sustainable growth, the ESG committee deliberates on key management agendas related to ESG and reviews activities to achieve Net-zero.

Enhanced BOD diversity and expertise

Diversity, one of LG Chem’s core values, is present not just in employee demographics but also in the Board of Directors (BOD). The company appointed two female outside directors (taking up 29% of the BOD) to expand their board diversity, along with outside directors in management, industrial technology, finance·accounting, and law to strengthen their expertise.

Global Climate Partnership

To accomplish the sustainable development goal, LG Chem is expanding their global partnerships. In January 2023, LG Chem CEO Shin Hak-cheol was elected chair of an industrial consultative body at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, representing the chemical & advanced materials industry. Through consultation with global chemical and advanced materials companies, CEO Shin demonstrated a collective leadership to discuss key issues facing the industry, such as weakening of global supply chains and responding to climate change, etc. to prepare the countermeasures.

Enhanced Compliance Culture

LG Chem operates a systematic and unified compliance program by establishing a global compliance IT system in 2023 to support and manage compliance befitting a global science company. In addition, by establishing a self-inspection system, the company is expanding employee participation in compliance and settling compliance as a company-wide organizational culture.

Read more details on <2022 Sustainability Report>!

LG Chem is striving to establish a decarbonized supply chain to preemptively respond to the climate crisis and promote sustainable growth. In 2022, the company left meaningful footsteps through various sustainable management activities in the areas of environment, society, and governance. LG Chem will continue to actively communicate with all stakeholders and step up as a company that provides new value to customers based on science.

The post From raw material extraction to product manufacture, LG Chem creates a decarbonized supply chain. Check out LG Chem’s 2022 Sustainability Report! appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Fri, 11 Aug 2023 00:50:15 +0000

Welcome to LETZero Encyclopedia, an introductory series to LG Chem’s eco-friendly brand LETZero and their products. Following the previous episode on PCR PP, an eco-friendly material derived from recycled plastic raw materials, today you will get to know PLA which represents LG Chem’s compostable products, how it is made, and where it is used.

PLA’s raw materials acquired from natural resources

How is PLA (Polylactic Acid) made so that it breaks down and returns to soil? First, extract glucose from corn and sugarcane which are then fermented to create lactic acid. Next, convert the lactic acid into a ring-shaped lactide. The final process is synthesizing the lactide to produce PLA. Like this, you can observe a ring-opening reaction in certain monomers with a ring-shaped structure, referred to as the ‘Ring-opening Polymerization (ROP)�?method. ROP is known for its complicated processing and high production cost. Still, it is a widely-used copolymerization method, yielding a high molecular polymer. Various PLA can be produced depending on the different mixture of raw materials and polymerizing process.

The greatest advantage of compostable PLA is eco-friendliness and excellent physical properties. PLA is made of plant-based raw materials from the nature such as corn, sugarcane, leaves, and marine plants which can effectively replace the petrochemical fuels. Not to speak of its carbon reduction effect, PLA is expected to play a key role in overcoming the exhaustion of resources in our future world, as it has an infinite range of raw materials.

PLA has a comparative price advantage over other compostable plastics, and yet it boasts high tensile strength, transparency, and physical•mechanical properties. With physical properties similar to those of commodity plastics, PLA is gaining attention as the potential replacement for traditional, fossil-fuel based plastic materials. On the other hand, current PLA has a limit of low thermal resistance and processability. Researchers are therefore focusing on blending PLA with other polymers, for instance PBAT with high flexibility, to complement its weaknesses.

Furthermore, PLA consists of lactic acid, a type of metabolite found in human body, which means, it is nontoxic and harmless to humans. Even if PLA is absorbed into your body, it is easily broken down and discharged, making it suitable for medical products, especially orthopedics.

Products made of PLA

With physical properties similar to commodity plastics such as PET and PS, PLA suits various purposes. It is harmless to human body, and thereby used in medical plastic products including suture for surgery, prosthetics, and melting threads. Also, it lets heat and air penetrate easily, allowing its use in daily necessities like disposable bags and tableware, packaging materials, and agricultural mulching films.

So far was an introduction to LG Chem’s eco-friendly material, PLA. The next LETZero Encyclopedia will be delivered to you with a story of Bio-Circular Balanced IPA!

The post LETZero Encyclopedia: PLA – Compostable plastic based on vegetable raw materials appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 00:55:37 +0000

The post Two Ways to Recycle Plastic! Mechanical and Chemical Recycling appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Fri, 04 Aug 2023 00:50:09 +0000

From 17 to 20 April 2023, LG Chem participated in ‘Chinaplas 2023,�?held for 4 days in Shenzhen, China. ‘Chinaplas�?is one of the Top 3 global chemical industry fairs, acknowledged for its greatest scale in Asia. This year’s fair welcomed global chemical companies, along with 150 countries and approximately 3,900 businesses. It aroused unprecedented expectation and attention from many chemical companies, especially since this was the first event held after China’s blockade had been alleviated. The theme of Chinaplas 2023 was ‘A Brighter and Shared Future, Powered by Innovation,�?inviting major global chemical companies to present their eco-friendly recycling technologies. At this year’s event, LG Chem displayed over 50 types of products at a 398�?wide booth, larger than that of any other participating companies. Take a look at which of LG Chem’s materials were displayed, through a vivid scene of Chinaplas 2023 delivered to you.

Catch global customers�?eyes
with eco-friendly, recycled, future materials

The theme of LG Chem’s exhibition was ‘The New LG Chem.�?It was then, again, split into two sections; ‘Sustainability Solution & LETZero Zone,�?and ‘Future Solution Zone.�?The first section introduced eco-friendly materials such as compostable and recycled plastics. The second section displayed future materials in the solarㆍmedicalㆍbattery sectors.

First of all, the ‘Sustainability Solution & LETZero Zone�?addressed future eco-friendly technologies including PBAT (Poly Butylene Adipate-co-Terephthalate), PLA (Poly Lactic Acid), and PCR (Post Consumer Recycled) products. PBAT is a petroleum-based eco-friendly plastic that is quickly decomposed in nature by oxygen, heat, light, and enzyme reactions. It is usually found in agricultural and disposable films. PLA is a material that breaks down naturally within a few months by microbial reactions under certain conditions. It’s a popular item for food containers, straws, and PET water bottles. PCR is a recycled material obtained from waste plastics used and discarded by end-consumers, taking the form of recycled plastics such as ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene), PC (Polycarbonate), etc.

At Chinaplas 2023, LG Chem drew visitors�?attention by displaying products such as sacks made of eco-friendly and recycled plastic materials. In line with the soaring global interest and demand for eco-friendly products, LG Chem, too, is planning to develop and produce eco-friendly materials to meet customers�?needs. Already in progress is the construction of PBAT plant in Daesan, South Chungcheong Province, Korea, estimated to return an annual capacity of 50,000 tons and is due for commercialization by 2024.

At the ‘Future Solution Zone,�?LG Chem introduced POE (Polyolefin Elastomer), their high-value-added strategic material for solar panel films, CNT (Carbon Nanotube), a battery material based on the company’s proprietary technology, and NBL (Nitrile Butadiene Latex), a material applicable to medical gloves.

Among these products, the expansion of renewable energy market has brought a rise in the global demand for POE. Since 2021, LG Chem has been setting up an additional POE plant for solar panels with a production capacity of 100,000 tons. This is due to start mass-production in 2023, yielding a total of 380,000 tons, by which LG Chem will secure the world’s second-largest scale of POE production. Next, CNT is a battery material which features electricity and heat conductivity equivalent to copper and diamond, but whose strength is 100 times that of steel. It is applied to various places, for example, in a battery conductive material to smoothen the flow of electricity and electrons. By the 2nd half of 2024, LG Chem intends to expand their 4th CNT plant in Daesan, South Chungcheong Province, Korea, to secure a production capacity of 6,100 tons. The last product exhibited at Chinaplas was NBL, a synthetic rubber based on butadiene and a core raw material of nitrile gloves. LG Chem produces annual 280,000 tons and 210,000 tons of NBL in Yeosu, Korea and China respectively. Now, the company plans to invest another $143 million (KRW 186 billion) to build a new NBL plant in Malaysia by the 1st half of 2023.

At Chinaplas 2023, LG Chem took one step further from exhibiting eco-friendly and future materials to arranging a unique booth which offered visitors to experience the company’s new development of a comprehensive digital sales platform, LG Chem On. This platform provides customers with a real-time view of their purchase from orders to shipments, just like an online shopping mall. The booth was a great opportunity for LG Chem’s global partners to hear the description of LG Chem On and have a hands-on experience of the platform. Additionally, a business lounge and 7 meeting rooms were prepared for a smoother communication.

Focus on sustainable materials
in line with the global market trend of eco-friendliness

The main keywords of Chinaplas 2023 were eco-friendly material, recycle, and sustainability. Like as mentioned before, LG Chem played their part of sustainable future by exhibiting eco-friendly materials such as PBAT which decomposes at landfill within 6 months, PCR plastics, PLA of 100% bio raw material content, as well as new materials in the solar �?battery sectors.

Chinaplas 2023 showed a major shift from a traditional chemical materials-focused exhibition to an event with recycling products at the center. Visitors could feel increased attention and demands for eco-friendly and recycled materials with their skin. In line with the trend, LG Chem plans to focus more on developing eco-friendly materials and new materials. Keep supporting LG Chem while the company makes movements towards a sustainable future!

The post LG Chem presents eco-friendly future materials for a sustainable future at Chinaplas 2023! Check out the vivid scene of Chinaplas 2023 appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 00:50:15 +0000

Welcome back to LETZero Encyclopedia, an introductory series to LG Chem’s eco-friendly brand LETZero and its products. In the latest episode, you took a look at PCR PC, an eco-friendly bulletproof glass based on recycled plastic raw materials. Today, you’ll turn to PCR PP, an eco-friendly plastic revived through mechanical recycling!

Using waste plastic as the raw material, PCR PP

Before we get to PCR PP, let’s take a look at PP (Polypropylene) first. PP is a thermoplastic polymer material produced by polymerizing the propylene monomer. It is one of the commodity plastics that are popular in everyday life. Though it shows similar properties as PE (Polyethylene), PP holds a lead with superior mechanical properties, thermal-resistance, tensile strength, and impact strength, and therefore, is applied to various quarters of the industry.

If so, what is PCR PP? PCR stands for Post Consumer Recycled Polypropylene, which refers to recycling of products used and discarded by end-consumers. In short, PCR PP is a PP made through recycling of discarded plastics. The process of obtaining PCR PP is as follows. First, collect waste plastics. Second, select and separate only the PP from other types of plastics. Next comes grinding and washing the PP, which filters out the impurities that remain in waste plastics and give away a renewable plastic raw material. Last, add LG Chem’s proprietary technology of a virgin raw material to create the final version of PCR PP.

PCR PP recycles waste plastics such as packing materials to give it a new life as a raw material. It is an effective way to minimize plastic waste, and helps cut down both the amount of plastic incinerated and greenhouse gas emissions.

LG Chem’s PCR PP products contain up to 50~80% of high renewable plastic content. They feature excellent impact-resistance, high stiffness, high thermal-resistance, and high transparency. In particular, despite its high renewable raw material content, LG Chem’s PCR PP boasts physical properties equivalent to those of virgin materials. The company has already secured a lineup of diverse PCR PP products for different purposes, such as films, catapults, and more.

Products made with PCR PP

With physical properties equivalent to virgin materials, PCR PP can be applied to wherever the traditional PP has been used. PP, known for its high thermal-resistance and transparency, is commonly found in the cap of PET water bottles, films, fabrics, tapes, and automotive parts. Also, it takes the form of a felt to be applied to diapers, female sanitary products, air conditioner/purifier filters, masks, oil absorbents, wet towels, agricultural/civil felts, etc. Furthermore, the use of PP stretches out to various types of ropes, fishing nets, safety nets for construction sites, medical fluid bags, foam roller for workouts, tarpaulins, and sacks.

Now, you know what PCR PP is and where it is used. See you again with the next LETZero Encyclopedia on PLA!

The post LETZero Encyclopedia: PCR PP – An eco-friendly plastic revived through mechanical recycling appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 05:00:38 +0000

To create a sustainable future, LG Chem is producing eco-friendly products, such as Post Consumer Recycled (PCR) products, Bio-Circular Balanced products, and Compostable materials, as well as progressing with different projects related to reducing carbon emissions and creating a circular economy. In particular, our Business Development Team is in charge of developing and progressing such new business opportunities. Today, we interview Lim Won-Bae, a team leader of the Business Development Team, who is exploring new businesses based on ESG. Take a look at what he says about his team from different countries and a review of the Chemical Recycling Conference 2023.

Hi! Please introduce yourself.

Hello, everyone! I’m Bill Lim, leading the Business Development Team at the Business Service Center of LG Chem Europe GmbH (LGCEG), based in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Of course, I also have a Korean name, Wonbae Lim, but it’s always a bit difficult for non-Koreans to pronounce, so I prefer Bill.

Tell us about your team and current tasks/projects you are working on.

As the team’s name suggests, we’re always looking for new business opportunities and also conducting open innovation activities to find disruptive technologies based on information available only to locals. If anyone asks me how I manage this, I’d say it’s thanks to competent team members of different nationalities; German, Italian, Romanian, Indian, and Japanese. Each member has their own expertise in open innovation, investment, and market analysis. Some Korean colleagues are dedicated to Petrochemical’s R&D and business, and have expertise in business development strategy and marketing. Without them, I can’t imagine how I would be able to cope with the diverse projects in petrochemicals and battery materials, which are completely different.

I can’t reveal many details about the individual projects, but we are currently working on several projects in collaboration with different departments at the headquarters. However, I can say that they are all related to LG Chem’s sustainable strategy.

You’ve worked in different countries and cities.
Tell us about any tips for communication or support from the company.

I joined LG Chem in 2010 as a research scientist and later moved to a staff role to gain a broader range of knowledge. Then my journey abroad started in 2018 in Moscow, Russia, and continues in Frankfurt, Germany. I believe that it allowed me to better understand and communicate with others – ‘listening.’ Everything starts with listening when communicating. I also had the opportunity to attend a training course here in Germany. It was helpful to better understand those with cultural differences.

Let us know if there is a case that your team is currently exploring and working on.

Currently, the team is working on different topics. Some of which I can mention are ReVentas, BluCon, and most recently, Impact Recycling. A UK-based start-up company, ReVentas is LG Chem’s strategic partner in which LG Chem invested. LG Chem worked with ReVentas to improve the quality of PCR products made through mechanical recycling. On top of that, LG Chem has invested in the proprietary technology of BluCon Biotech, a German biotech company, to expand our bio-economy portfolio. BluCon uses direct fermentation of lignocellulosic feedstock to obtain lactic acid which creates bioplastic PLA, one of the most popular bio plastics with price-competitiveness, contributing to a sustainable circular bio-economy. Furthermore, LG Chem opted to invest in Impact Recycling, a UK-based plastic recycling company. It is to support the business in rolling out its baffled oscillation separation system (BOSS), which is a water-based density separation process.

What is the goal of your team? What do you want to achieve in LGCEG?

As this is a new team, most of the activities we do in Europe are still in the early stages of the business development process. Therefore, I would be very happy if, in the near future, the team could successfully execute and establish new business cases that would have a direct impact on ESG and the circular economy in Europe.

You recently attended Chemical Recycling Conference 2023.
What made you attend, and what did you take away from there?

On 26-28 June 2023, I attended Chemical Recycling Conference 2023 in Frankfurt. The conference leads you to further explore the developments in advanced recycling and the progress being made towards sustainable solutions in the field. This year’s essential themes include policy developments, chemical recycling processes, feedstock acquisition, and brand-owner perspectives.

I was very interested in all kinds of plastic recycling as Europe is the world leader in this particular industry. LG Chem is also building a chemical recycling demo plant in Korea with Mura Technology, a UK-based advanced recycling company.

I brought three keywords from the conference; Economies of Scale, Mass Balance, and Feedstock. From my understanding of the conference, the chemical recycling industry needs investment and regulatory support to achieve economies of scale. To achieve this, they should be clear on mass balance and also find out alternative ways to secure feedstock, not in the way of cannibalizing mechanical recycling, but from the rest that hasn’t been recycled properly. I think this could clearly give us and even LG Chem the direction and the idea to be part of the circular economy.

We are proud of Bill Lim, who is working hard to explore and implement new, sustainable businesses. Currently, at LG Chem, we are expanding our business portfolio and are working with a variety of companies to secure eco-friendly technology including chemical recycling. Stay tuned to LG Chem Blog to see more of our employee interviews and track our progress on ESG-based business!

The post Looking for new business opportunities! Interview with a team leader of the Business Development team in LG Chem Europe GmbH appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 00:50:18 +0000

Want to order LG Chem products? Or make an inquiry? Until now, technological collaboration with LG Chem involved various means of communication including face-to-face meetings with the employee in charge, making calls to check the delivery status, and of course, e-mails. In other words, it was somewhat cumbersome to purchase LG Chem’s products. To offer a more convenient experience to customers, LG Chem established a comprehensive digital sales platform, ‘LG Chem On.�?And working behind the scene to introduce ‘LG Chem On�?was the DCE team of DX (Digital Transformation) department. What discussions led the Digital Commercial Excellence (DCE) team to develop ‘LG Chem On?�?/p>

‘LG Chem On,�?a comprehensive digital online platform
which reflects customer needs

Hello! Please introduce the DCE team and what DX is.

•Do Hwe-gil, Specialist: Hi, I’m Do Hwe-gil, and my responsibility in DX is to establish the Digital CRM. The team name ‘DCE�?stands for Digital Commercial Excellence. We designed and introduced ‘LG Chem On�?through digital transformation of all sales activities within the Petrochemicals company and businesses to offer a smoother process for both customers and employees who are in charge of sales.

•Kim Joong, Team Leader: Hello, I’m Kim Joong, leader of DX DCE team. The team consists of members equipped with diverse work experiences in the digital transformation field, each contributing to perform the DX task. Our project is still ongoing, but I can’t feel more proud to see the accomplishments we’ve made so far.

•Shim Gyeong-min, Specialist: Hi. I’m Shim Gyeong-min in charge of DX for LG Chem’s foreign sales branches. Before I joined LG Chem, I did my master’s degree in England on machine learning. My career had been focused on DX in the production field until Kim, my team leader, offered me an opportunity. Based on my experience of managing business data, now I’m responsible for DX tasks at LG Chem’s foreign sales branches, especially those related to sales and logistics.

What exactly is LG Chem On, a comprehensive digital sales platform?

•Do Hwe-gil, Specialist: The LG Chem On website, to put it shortly, is a digital platform which surpasses the traditional method of sales that relied on face-to-face communication, and enables customers to browse LG Chem’s products simply by going on the web. Before, customers, mostly home-appliances or automotive part producers, experienced inconvenience regarding communication, as they had to contact the LG Chem official at each stage of the process including orders, customer registrations, technological collaborations, shipments, etc. Now, LG Chem On can simplify such process.

We analyzed requests gathered from over 500 customers and established LG Chem On with focus on quick browsing of products, real-time/untact business process, and easy access to specialized information.
As you can see on LG Chem On website, the platform provides recommendations for each part, as well as the status of products available at your region. If you have a specific color of ABS in mind, you can search products by image. In short, it may occur to you that LG Chem On is an ‘online shopping mall for LG Chem products.�?/p>

•Shim Gyeong-min, Specialist: To establish the system of LG Chem On, our team collaborated with Salesforce, the US-based CRM solutions company. We’re happy to have improved the limitations in the Petrochemicals industry by setting up our system and enabling customers to check their work process in real-time. Also, this is LG Chem’s first time providing an online customer approach service, which adds meaning to our project. We hope to expand our services to making orders of products and shipments.

Any experience or case of applying DX?

•Kim Joong, Team Leader: Last year, we carried out a project to change the logistics process for LG Chem employees in Germany. For foreign sales branches, the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system had been the only tool available for use. This is a system that automates and manages finance, manufacture, human resource, and operations. That means, the employees depended solely on phone calls and e-mails to manage incoming stock from the headquarters and shipments to customers. Our team analyzed the difficulty in their process and built a system that shows the real-time data of incoming and outgoing products and stock. The employees gave positive feedback on the new system, which improved their working conditions. We were glad to be able to support them.

•Shim Gyeong-min, Specialist: I’ve been in DX since the beginning of this field, which allowed me a wide range of experiences. On one side, I was responsible for DX in production such as quality prediction, facilities predictive maintenance, and process mining. On the other side, I gained experience in DX for foreign sales. I’ve had trials and errors, but also accumulated a lot of insights. One thing I value the most is communication. When people hear the words DX, A.I., and automation, they tend to think that our team will always realize something great to help with their tasks. But that’s not the truth. In reality, our work involves hard-thinking on analyzing the workers�?needs and applying DX to make the best out of it. It requires continuous monitoring throughout the project timeline on whether it is effective or not until we can actually apply it to the field. We understand that sometimes, field workers cannot reply to our inquiries right away due to multiple tasks. But only when DX can work closely with employees in the field and collect their requests can we obtain positive outputs. That’s when we feel that our work is worthwhile.

What are challenges of working in DX?

•Kim Joong, Team Leader: When we meet field employees, we see their high level of stress regarding different systems around them, and the difficulty of assigning extra labor forces into our projects. So we held team meetings with different departments to explain the vision and importance of digital CRM, emphasizing that only through their cooperation can we build a perfect system and process. It was a relief to have all the associates, managers, and team leaders�?support to kick off the LG Chem On project.

Is there a know-how to figure out customers�?needs?

•Do Hwe-gil, Specialist: It’s more important to hear the needs of the personnel who is in charge of the job than of the company itself. However, in most circumstances, our counterparts would not tell us directly what they need or want. In such cases, it is wiser to have one of LG Chem’s sales representatives who has grown with the customer and can get the gist of what our customer has to say to us. Also, I think it’s necessary to hear from the field employees on a regular basis.

Last question. What goals or directions does the DX team have? What last word do you want to leave?

•Bae Jong-hoon, Specialist: We’re living in the world where DX is not a choice, but a must. Not only in our everyday lives, but also in our workplaces, digital transformation is bringing tremendous changes and giving us an opportunity to take another leap. Please look forward to the changes digital CRM and DX will bring to the Petrochemicals company.

With digital CRM at LG Chem On, we hope that LG Chem customers could get easier and faster access to LG Chem’s products. Also, we look forward to improvement of digital transformation technologies. LG Chem will remain loyal to keeping the values of our customers and keep walking to establish a systemized platform.

The post Sales through online? LG Chem establishes LG Chem On, a comprehensive digital sales platform for customers! appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 00:50:40 +0000

The post How to use LG Chem On, a new digital sales platform. Collaborate with LG Chem anytime, anywhere! appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 00:50:24 +0000

Have you seen ‘sea grass,�?a type of a marine plant? Out of all ocean plants and algae, sea grass is drawing public attention as a measure of ‘sea-forest restoration.�?Learn about sea grass that absorbs greenhouse gases and how LG Chem makes use of the plant to restore the sea forest.

Our beautiful ocean turning into a desert?

Abnormal climates such as heat waves and tropical nights make frequent news headlines in summer. One major cause of this climate change is the greenhouse gas. As the nature, which used to absorb a tremendous amount of greenhouse gas, becomes more and more destructed, abnormal climates and global warming are striking the Earth more severely.

Forests, soil, ocean, and wetlands have played significant roles in absorbing or trapping the greenhouse gas emitted from human activities to create a balance in the carbon cycle. Ocean, specifically the ocean forest, has been the key player which absorbs carbon dioxide through photosynthesis. It boasts 50 times the speed and 5 times the capacity of holding carbon dioxide compared to forests on land, dealing with a tremendous amount of greenhouse gases on Earth. However, for the past 200 years, industrialization and urbanization have destroyed a large portion of the sea forest, and failing to absorb greenhouse gases is accelerating the climate crisis.

On top of that, various contaminants including waste water is also threatening the sea forest. This causes destruction in the ocean, the source of our life, accompanying the phenomenon of ‘sea desertification.�?What image comes to your mind when you think of the word ‘desert?�?You would probably imagine a sand desert without a drop of water. How then, can the sea full of water become a desert?

The more common term for ‘bleaching�?is the ‘sea desertification.�?Pollution in the ocean and global warming lead to a rise in sea temperature, causing calcium carbonate (lime powder) to stick to marine creatures, floors, and rocks, turning them white. This phenomenon was massively discovered around the globe after the 1960s, such as in the coast of Northwestern Norway, California Pen, Western and Eastern Canada, Australia in the South Pacific, the Red Sea, and Japan.

How does bleaching affect the marine ecosystem? Bleaching makes calcium carbonate stick to the ocean floors and rocks, causing alkalization of the sea water. This creates a harsh environment for ocean plants to survive in, as their photosynthesis takes place under a neutral condition. Ocean plants are the foundation of sea forest in that they create nutriments and become the primary food source for marine animals. The destruction of natural rocks means that these plants will lose their habitats and start to wither. Then, the ocean floor will become devastated like the desert. The question is, how can we reduce bleaching and protect the sea forest?

The first step to protect the ocean, sea restoration

We plant trees to restore our land from deforestation. In the same way, to restore the ocean forest requires planting ocean plants and algae. Seaweed, sea grass, and gulfweed are types of plants that can help restore the coastal ecosystem. Among these, sea grass is at the center of attention.

Sea grass is a type of a seaweed that blooms underwater. Gaining public attention as ‘Blue carbon,�?it is a home for marine animals as well as an effective absorbent of carbon. A colony of sea grass, including the sedimentary layer, can absorb about 300~500 tons of carbon per 1ha (10,000�?. This is 500 tons of carbon per 10ha, which is equivalent to the annual amount of carbon emitted by 2,800 automobiles. Sea grass has proven its capacity to absorb 30 times the amount of greenhouse gas than forests, which is why the UN IPCC (The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) listed sea grass as one of the Top 3 blue carbons (carbon absorbed by the marine ecosystem).

*Maximum 500 tons of carbon absorption per 1ha (10,000�? of sea grass colony including sedimentary layers (Source: Incheon Natl. University Research Team Led by Prof. Kim Jangkyoon)

LG Chem begins restoration of sea grass to reconstruct sea forest

With LG Chem’s major business sites situated in the coastal cities of Yeosu and Daesan in Korea, the company keeps keen interest in the ocean. For instance, LG Chem’s ‘sea grass habitat restoration and research project�?aims to protect the marine ecosystem and preserve biodiversity. In the 2^nd half of 2023, LG Chem plans to select sites around their plants including Yeosu to commence the sea grass habitat restoration project. The company targets at expanding the colony of sea grass up to 10ha by 2026, which is equivalent to the area of 14 soccer fields. With LG Chem taking the initiative, 6 companies and institutions have signed to take part in this project, followed by LG Chem’s plan to fund the project with a total of $1 million (KRW 1.4 billion).

Recently, there is a global threat on the colonies of sea grass due to global warming and ocean trash, raising the importance of restoring and researching the sea grass ecosystem. Given that we succeed in restoring the sea forest through sea grass, the benefit is not limited to absorbing more carbon. The population of marine animals inhabiting the area will rise by 2.5 times, types of species by 1.5 times, and biodiversity index by 1.2 times. With improved water quality and restoration in the ecosystem, we can look to various positive impacts on the coexistence with nearby fishing villages and carbon reduction.

On June 8^th 2023, LG Chem commemorated World Oceans Day by opening a ‘BLUE FOREST�?world map on Zepeto, a global metaverse platform. BLUE FOREST is a virtual space where users can experience the sea forest without having to jump into the sea. The map offers diverse activities such as planting sea grass, volunteering for Ocean Arbor Day, etc. Here on this map, anyone can create his/her own sea forest, conduct different missions, and play games while learning about the carbon reduction effect and importance of preserving the marine ecosystem. In just 1 month of launch, BLUE FOREST recorded over 1 million users. Most users are in their teens and 20s, and it has been analyzed that stay an average of 10 minutes on the metaverse, leaving more than 100,000 reviews on the first month. It is assumed that the interaction with users such as planting sea grass, cultivating the sea forest (Level up), and summoning the marine animals had positive effect on its success. LG Chem also carries out a donation event to celebrate receiving 1 million visitors and 1 month since the launching of BLUE FOREST.

LG Chem has a passion to fulfill their social responsibility as a global science company and do their best to restore the sea forest. We can look forward to a healthier marine ecosystem and biodiversity in the coast of Yeosu through restoring the sea grass habitats. LG Chem will not stop there, and continue their steps towards sustainable growth with the future generations.

The post Sea grass, a solution to sea desertification or bleaching by absorbing greenhouse gases! LG Chem restores sea forest with sea grass to build a sustainable future appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 00:50:54 +0000

The post We are heading toward Net Zero for our sustainable future! appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 00:50:21 +0000

In October 2022, Germany successfully hosted K Show, the world’s largest plastic and rubber exhibition. It was the first exhibition in 3 years, held from 19^th to 26^th October in Dusseldorf, Germany. For visitors, this was a chance to see through the trend of the petrochemicals industry at one glance. Along with America’s NPE (National Plastics Exposition) and China’s Chinaplas, K Show is considered one of the Top 3 global plastic exhibitions, catching the public’s eye with its grand scale. Celebrating the 70^th anniversary, Germany’s 2022 K Show welcomed the participation of more than 3,000 global chemical companies from 60 nations. The main subjects addressed at 2022 K Show were Circular Economy · Digitisation · Climate Protection. Taking part in the event, LG Chem presented their next-generation eco-friendly products and technologies with the slogan ‘Sustainability with LG Chem.�?Check out LG Chem’s next-generation eco-friendly technologies brought to you directly from Germany’s 2022 K Show!

For sustainable lifeㆍsocietyㆍfuture!
LG Chem develops sustainable products and technologies

At the 2022 K Show, LG Chem arranged their exhibition booth with three core themes: Sustainable LifeㆍSocietyㆍFuture. Each theme depicted the proceeding of our daily life and society towards a sustainable future through LG Chem’s products applied with next-generation technologies. Sustainable Life Zone, for example, presented products based on LG Chem’s raw materials, such as PVC for windows and ABS for homes that could realize the humanity’s sustainable life. Moving onto the next theme, Sustainable Society Zone exhibited LG Chem products used in diverse industrial sectors. Visitors could meet LG Chem’s anchor products including the POE (Polyolefin Elastomer) for solar panels that is undergoing explosive growth and CNT (Carbon Nanotube) which boasts world-class quality based on the company’s proprietary technology. You could check out the final theme at the Sustainable Future Zone, where all the eye-catching, eco-friendly technologies were gathered. This included LG Chem’s next-generation materials whose developments are underway, such as PLA (Poly Lactic Acid), a plastic made of 100% bio raw material, PBAT (Poly Butylene Adipate-co-Terephthalate) which decomposes at landfill naturally within 6 months, and PCR (Post Consumer Recycle) products which recycle secondhand goods discarded by the end-consumers.

A unique chance offered to visitors who came to 2022 K Show was the , which exhibited LG Chem’s digital comprehensive purchase platform. From product inquiries to orders and shipments, customers are given maximal convenience by checking the whole process of their purchase at LG Chem ON, just as in online shopping malls. LG Chem plans to keep up their efforts to strengthen the real-time communication with global customers.

LG Chem leads the global market with next-generation materials
and eco-friendly products!

In line with the global market trend, LG Chem intends to expand their eco-friendly portfolio and become the leader in the eco-friendly materials sector. So far, the company has secured more than 50 products certified by the ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification), proving their strength in developing eco-friendly materials. In August 2021, LG Chem celebrated their first mass-production and export of ‘Bio-Circular Balanced SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer),�?which was only a beginning. Since then, the company has continued sustainable collaborations with different companies. Furthermore, LG Chem is planning to operate their 4^th CNT plant from 2024, to mass-produce CNT known for its diverse applications, such as conductive materials in EV batteries, automotive electrostatic paintings, automotive exterior materials, etc. Through such efforts, LG Chem is targeting at the expanding global market of next-generation materials in earnest.

LG Chem’s sustainable materials and technology introduced at K Show, world’s largest plastic and rubber exhibition! You can now meet the same products worldwide. LG Chem is taking successive steps through eco-friendly materials and next-generation technologies in order to bring 2050 Net-zero mission to life! Support LG Chem’s advancement towards a sustainable future!

The post LG Chem introduces eco-friendly products and technology at K-show, world’s largest plastic exhibition appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 00:50:17 +0000

The post LG Chem establishes the largest cathode plant for EV batteries in Tennesse, US appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 00:50:51 +0000

Welcome back to LETZero Encyclopedia, an introductory series to LG Chem’s eco-friendly products brand, LETZero. The last Encyclopedia dealt with Bio-Circular Balanced NPG made of renewable raw materials. Today, the topic will be PCR PC obtained through recycling of waste plastics, and its usage.

PCR PC, the revival of waste plastics

Let’s take a look at PC first. PC is a type of engineering plastic that is transparent like glass, yet features 150 times the strength of tempered glass. Stronger and lighter than commodity plastics, PC is considered more as an industrial material. Its impact-resistance is enough to replace metal, and it also withstands heat over 120�? What’s more, you can add color coating to PC with ease, facilitating application of diverse exterior colors onto your products.

The question is, what is PCR PC? PCR is short for ‘Post Consumer Recycled,�?which suggests the recycling of products used and discarded by end-consumers. PCR products are attained through a mechanical recycling process; select, collect, crush, wash, and melt waste plastics, and finally process them into a form of pellets (raw material for plastics). These pellets, made from renewable raw materials, are blended with virgin raw materials (pure raw materials) by certain proportions to create the final product.

Since PCR Plastic has its basis on collecting and recycling waste plastics, it requires much less energy than virgin plastics during production. Also, by dropping the amount of energy use, you can cut down a significant amount of carbon emission throughout the process. Not to mention the diminution of waste, as you recycle used plastics discarded by consumers. So it’s a three-plus for the environment!

In 2009, LG Chem successfully kicked off the commercialization of PCR PC. Now, the company is producing PCR PC with maximum 90% of recycled PC content and physical properties equivalent to general PC. It is known that blending 50% of PCR PC can reduce about 40% of carbon emissions compared to conventional products. That is 20 million kg of carbon dioxide per 10 thousand tons, which matches the annual amount of carbon emitted from 14 thousand automobiles.

Applications of PCR PC

PCR PC can go into every place where conventional PC is used. PC, with its impact-resistance, heat-resistance, transparency, and easy processability, is applied to laptops, A.I. speakers, IT appliances, chargers, and other electronics. Also, it is an industrial material that can replace metal, so it is widely used in automotive interior/exterior, building exterior materials, etc.

In October 2022, LG Chem signed an MOU with Korean-based KT, KAON Media, Marusys, KT Skylife, and HCN to manufacture eco-friendly Set Top boxes using PCR PC. Including the Set Top boxes, the KT Group produces 300 tons of plastic waste each year. Through this MOU, the companies intend to establish a virtuous cycle of resources by recycling the waste plastics to reproduce eco-friendly Set Top boxes.

That was an introduction to PCR PC. Next time, the LETZero Encyclopedia will return with the story of PCR PP.

The post LETZero Encyclopedia: PCR PC �?Recycling PC Known as a Bulletproof Glass Material appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 00:50:17 +0000

In late March 2023, LG Chem’s Petrochemicals Company held a webinar to inform our customers about the eco-friendly properties & production of ABS. The webinar, hosted by the ABS Business unit, started with a keynote and had three sessions, as can be seen in the image below. Today, we look back on the main points of each session.

SESSION1. LG Chem Petrochemical HQ’s sustainability strategy and product portfolio

The first session was delivered by Kim Young, Team Leader of the Circular.Recycle Strategy Team of the Sustainability Business Unit, who outlined LG Chem’s sustainability goals & strategies, and gave a brief introduction to the eco-friendly products of LG Chem Petrochemicals Company.

LG Chem’s Sustainability Goals

LG Chem is focusing on ESG management in order to provide innovative and differentiated sustainable solutions for the environment and society. We aim to accomplish the 2030 carbon-neutral growth and 2050 net-zero goal through a series of strategies; convert to 100% renewable energy by 2050, establish a closed-loop system for plastic waste, achieve zero waste to landfill, and build a responsible supply chain.

To respond to the climate change and achieve carbon-neutral growth, we are taking three different approaches to reduce carbon; Direct Reduction Method (Reduce) including process innovation and use of eco-friendly raw materials, Indirect Reduction Method (Avoid) represented by transition to renewable energy, and Offset Reduction Method (Compensate) through carbon emission offset projects.

Petrochemicals Company’s Sustainability Strategies

Advanced and bold business expansion has always been the key to LG Chem’s growth. However, our new focus is on shifting to a global sustainability-leading company by strengthening the foundation for sustainability and diversifying our portfolio. In line with LG Chem’s sustainability strategy, the Petrochemicals Company is striving to become a global leader in the field of eco-friendly materials and sustainable solutions.

LG Chem’s Petrochemicals Company targets at achieving innovative sustainability through diversification of raw materials, energy, and value chain based on existing infrastructure. We plan to expand our sustainability business including bio materials, circular materials, carbon reduction activities, and renewable energy. In 2023, we established the Sustainability Business unit to execute eco-friendly innovations and paradigm shifts.

LG Chem’s Eco-friendly Product Portfolio

LG Chem offers an array of eco-friendly products; Recycled materials, Compostable materials, and Bio-Circular Balanced materials. Recycled materials are broken into two parts; One, PCR (Post-Consumer Recycle) products made by mechanical recycling waste plastics, two, Circular Balanced materials based on chemical recycling (pyrolysis) of plastics. Next, Compostable materials are naturally decomposed into water and carbon dioxide within a few months under certain conditions. Last, Bio-Circular Balanced materials are obtained from renewable feedstock such as vegetable oils. You can learn more about LG Chem’s sustainable lineup with LETZero, our comprehensive eco-friendly materials brand, on LG Chem Blog.

SESSION2. Introduction of LG Chem’s Eco-friendly ABS

In the second session, Kim Chang-Sul, Team Leader of the Eco-friendly Business Development Team of the ABS Business unit, continued to speak on the topic of LG Chem’s eco-friendly ABS.

Introducing LG Chem’s Eco-friendly ABS Solution

Leading the global ABS market, LG Chem’s ABS department operates ABS production factories with a capacity of 2.22 million tons in Korea and China, counting to a global market share of 4.4 billion dollars in 2022. We also succeeded in mass-producing white PCR ABS in 2020 for the world’s first, which is applied to external housings and home appliances such as TVs and remote controls in collaboration with global appliance companies. As LG Chem provides a distinct, unrivaled “eco-friendly ABS comprehensive solution,�?we have attracted over 200 customers currently using or considering LG Chem’s eco-friendly ABS. Take a look at how we contribute to our customers with four distinctions of eco-friendly ABS solutions.

The first solution is high quality and supply stability. Directly participating in the entire value chain, unlike other companies, LG Chem has been investing in hazardous substance management and quality uniformity in collaboration with raw material suppliers and production sites. As for supply stability, we have signed long-term supply contracts for high quality raw materials. We are also operating raw material storage warehouses for quality management with the goal of securing raw materials three-fold the amount of 2022 by 2026.

The second solution is eco-friendly ABS that enables multiple recycling while maintaining high quality comparable to existing ABS. We have developed our proprietary compound technology and invested in production equipment to overcome the limits of quality degradation that is unavoidable during its life cycle.

For colors, PCR ABS is typically made in dark colors such as gray or black, as various colored plastics are mixed during recycling. In other words, there is difficulty making bright colors and limits in color options due to the characteristic of recycled plastics. However, with LG Chem’s proprietary technology, we successfully implemented diverse colors in PCR ABS with properties equivalent to existing ABS. Our customers can choose an extensive color range from white and black to neutral hues reminding nature. Various colors (marble, speckle, etc.) with the feel of recycled material are available. LG Chem’s dedicated Color Design team develops and proposes various colors, actively responding to our customer’s requests for color development.

The third solution is a global local production solution. We completed the construction of our production base in Korea in 2020 and in China in 2021, having supplied products with locally made PCR materials. We are currently expanding our production bases in Europe and the Americas, which are due for completion by 2024, to establish a stable material supply base by directly exploring raw materials in each region.

The last solution is a stable closed-loop establishment solution. To transform waste plastic into stable supply sources, LG Chem is supplying high quality raw materials through cooperation, separation, and selection technology packages with raw material suppliers.

Introducing Eco-friendly ABS Product Portfolio

From recycled materials to bio-circular balanced materials, each product in LG Chem’s eco-friendly portfolio comes of different grades. The ABS Business unit is currently operating and developing products to supply eco-friendly products with higher quality to satisfy our customers�?requirements. Various types of eco-friendly ABS can be applied to our daily lives, such as home appliances, automotive interior/exterior materials, etc.

SESSION3. Q&A

For those wondering about LG Chem’s eco-friendly ABS, the last part of webinar was a Q&A session. Fulfill your curiosity about our eco-friendly ABS with the following FAQs!

Q1) What is the quality of PCR products compared to conventional ABS? Are there any solutions to address quality issues?

A1) PCR products’ current quality is similar to conventional ABS. LG Chem thoroughly verifies the quality of PCR products through tests on mechanical properties, appearance characteristics, thermal stability, etc. As for the balanced products, achieving the same quality as conventional ABS is possible since the oil is added at the NCC stage. We are working hard to provide PCR ABS with even higher quality by developing processes that improve the quality of raw materials.

Q2) What is the carbon reduction rate for each product line?

A2) Among our products, bio-circular balanced product features the highest carbon reduction rate. It is made with plant raw materials that absorb carbon, allowing us to reduce more carbon than the amount used in the manufacturing process. Roughly, a bio-circular balanced product with 75% bio content can show a carbon reduction of over 124% compared to conventional ABS. In the case of mechanically recycled ABS products, a product with 50% PCR content has a carbon reduction effect of about 50%, and a chemically recycled product with 30% recycled content has that of about 17%. However, these values are rough estimates, and the carbon reduction results obtained through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) may vary for each product.

Q3) What are the prospects for PCR ABS market size in the mid to long term? Is there any possibility to expand the product line?

A3) The amount of using PCR ABS is expected to rise to over 70,000 tons in 2025 and over 150,000 tons in 2030, showing steady growth in demand in the mid to long term. We are highly optimistic that we can expand the product line in the future, and are positively considering conventional ABS applied with bioenergy as well as 100% bio-circular balanced products.

‘Eco-friendliness�?can be difficult to regard in terms of general industry trends, especially when considering the various conflicts of interests between industries and countries. We hope that this webinar can demystify the complexities. You can play LG Chem’s Eco-Friendly ABS Webinar on LG Chem On.

LG Chem’s ABS Business unit will put much effort into providing helpful information and customer satisfaction through eco-friendly products, whilst maintaining our position as the leading ABS manufacturer.

The post Looking back on LG Chem’s eco-friendly ABS Webinar appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 00:50:14 +0000

The post To evaluate environmental impact, LCA! ESG for All ep.03 appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 00:50:07 +0000

The post LG Chem CEO Shin Hak-Cheol attending the 2023 Davos appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Wed, 28 Jun 2023 00:50:02 +0000

LETZero Encyclopedia is an introductory series to LG Chem’s eco-friendly materials brand, LETZero, and their products. Following the previous description of PCR ABS, this episode will depict the production and application of Bio-Circular Balanced NPG, a coating agent based on renewable plant-based raw materials.

Bio-Circular Balanced NPG, obtained from waste cooking oil and palm byproducts

NPG (NeoPentylGlycol) is formed through the reaction of Iso-Butylaldehyde and Formaldehyde. The production involves condensation of NPG along with acids such as Adipic acid, Terephthalic acid, and Phthalic anhydride. A unique structural feature of NPG is the absence of hydrogen atom at the beta (β) position, which increases its thermal stability, weather-protection, and chemical-resistance. Also, NPG has a symmetrical molecular structure, which gives it extra thermal resistance and high reaction speed during the condensation process. These features allow NPG to be applied to polyester powder coating and other coating agents, and advantage of high chemical-resistance.

LG Chem surpassed traditional NPG based on chemical raw materials and developed Bio-Circular Balanced NPG based on bio raw materials such as waste cooking oil and palm byproducts. Bio-Circular Balanced NPG is a product obtained by replacing NPG’s chemical raw materials partly with renewable bio raw materials. Since 2020, LG Chem has been receiving bio raw materials supply from Finland-based bio diesel maker, Neste, to fill their eco-friendly product lineup. Bio-Circular Balanced NPG, an outcome of the company’s effort, has undergone a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and proven over 70% of carbon-reduction effect compared to traditional NPG. In succession, LG Chem acquired ISCC PLUS Certification in 2021, an international certification for eco-friendly bio products, which added weight to the company’s sustainable movement toward carbon reduction.

Applications of Bio-Circular Balanced NPG

Bio-Circular Balanced NPG can effectively replace the traditional NPG based on chemical raw materials. Its common usage includes powder coating sprayed to aluminum wheels on automobiles, PET films, and coating agents. Bio-Circular Balanced NPG has become an essential material in construction sites and home appliance coatings, owing to its high gloss, chemical-resistance, and weather-resistance to outdoor conditions such as sunlight, temperature, humidity, and rain.

In January 2022, LG Chem celebrated their first export of Bio-Circular Balanced NPG. The product was shipped from LG Chem Yeosu Plant to Novaresine of Italy, and applied as coating agents to cans and coils. Since 1998, when LG Chem developed NPG with their proprietary technology, LG Chem has been pioneering the global eco-friendly materials market with their Bio-Circular Balanced NPG.

LG Chem’s Bio-Circular Balanced NPG leads the global eco-friendly materials market! Look forward to the next LETZero Encyclopedia on PCR PC!

The post LETZero Encyclopedia: Bio-Circular Balanced NPG �?Coating agent made of bio raw materials appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Fri, 23 Jun 2023 00:50:30 +0000

In May 2023, LG Chem CEO Shin Hak-Cheol gave a keynote speech at the Bank of America (BofA) 2023 Korea & Global EV/EV battery conference, revealing the company’s aim to grow their battery materials sales sixfold by 2030 from that of 2022. LG Chem is targeting at the world’s top global comprehensive battery materials company through active R&D of essential battery materials such as cathode, separators, and additional materials, especially CNT. Check out the blueprint of LG Chem’s battery materials business and plans to accelerate their occupation of the CNT market.

Sales Target of $23.1 billion by 2030 in Battery Materials Business Alone

LG Chem announced their ambition to step up as the top global comprehensive battery materials company with sales of $23.1 billion (KRW 30 trillion) by 2030. To this end, the company will not only focus on cathode materials that have already attracted the global market, but also explore additional material businesses such as separators and carbon nanotubes (CNT). In addition, LG Chem will push forward R&D of new materials such as pure silicon anode and electrolytes for solid-state batteries. Learn more about how LG Chem plans to promote their battery materials.

Secure global leadership in the market·technology·metal sourcing of cathode materials

LG Chem’s cathode materials are already recognized in the global market for their product quality. In particular, the high-nickel cathode material with a higher proportion of nickel aims to pioneer the global leadership in three areas: market, technology, and metal sourcing. What are the strategies for each sector?

To start with, LG Chem intends to strengthen their leadership in the global cathode material market by establishing a global quadrilateral production system for cathode materials that connects Korea-China-U.S.-Europe, and increase their high-nickel production capacity from 120,000 tons in 2023 to 470,000 tons in 2028.

LG Chem will also tighten the technology leadership by expanding their high-nickel cathode product lineup for pouch-type and cylindrical batteries, mass-producing ultra-high-nickel cathodes with nickel content of 95%, and extending the application of single crystal cathode materials technology in the sector. In order to target the needs of rapidly-growing global EV market and customers, LG Chem is also considering expanding their offerings with cost-efficient cathode materials including high-voltage mid-nickel (Mid-Ni), lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and manganese-rich (Mn-Rich) to meet customer needs and target the growing mass market for electric vehicles (EVs).

Furthermore, LG Chem is cementing the global partnerships to secure their metal supply chain. In China, U.S., Australia, and Korea, the company is carrying out various initiatives such as establishing joint ventures (JVs) for precursors, signing lithium contracts, and making equity investments with major players including Huayou Cobalt, Piedmont Lithium, and KEMCO.

Expand additional battery materials business for further growth

Producing a battery requires additional materials such as separators, anode binders, and conductive additives. Among them, LG Chem is paying attention to the separator, a key material to secure battery stability, and owns a SRS® (Safety Reinforced Separator) technology which improves safety through ceramic coating. The collaboration of LG Chem’s world-class coating technology and Toray’s differentiated fabric technology is expected to add momentum to expanding the company’s presence in the Korean, European, and American separator market.

In addition, LG Chem is actively exploring growth opportunities based on innovative materials technologies such as pure-silicone (Pure-Si) anode materials, electrolytes for solid-state batteries, and flame-resistant battery materials like aerogels.

Accelerate occupation of global CNT market through high-quality CNT

CNT is a next-generation material with electrical and thermal conductivity equivalent to those of copper and diamond, and is 100 times stronger than steel. It is applied to EV batteries, semiconductor process trays, automotive electrostatic coating materials, etc. Thanks to its excellent electrical conductivity, CNT-based semiconductor process trays can withstand high temperatures and effectively block dust, electromagnetic waves, and static electricity. Also receiving high expectations in the market is CNT for EV batteries. It is expected that CNT for EV batteries will grow into a market worth about $2.3 billion (KRW 3 trillion) by 2030.

As new areas to which CNT can be applied are excavated, prospects are that global CNT demand will grow sharply at an average annual rate of about 30%, from 14,000 tons in 2022 to 95,000 tons in 2030. LG Chem seeks to preoccupy a firm competitive edge in the growing global CNT market by setting up more plants in Korea and securing high production capacity.

Starting with the first CNT plant with a capacity of 500 tons in 2017 and into the 2020s, LG Chem is installing additional plants every year to keep pace with the market expansion. As of June 2023, the annual CNT production capacity from CNT plant 1·2·3 reached 2,900 tons, and with the completion of CNT plant 4 in Daesan, Korea, it is expected to increase twofold to a total of 6,100 tons.

LG Chem’s CNT supplied to the global EV battery market

LG Chem owns a proprietary technology of self-developed fluidized bed reactor, which dramatically increases CNT productivity by rotating CNT powder inside the reactor. LG Chem’s CNT plants can produce up to 600 tons on a yearly basis, demonstrating the highest single-line capacity in the world.

Meanwhile, so far CNT production mostly depended on iron (Fe) catalysts with a relatively high metal and magnetic impurity content compared to cobalt, which made separate post-processing inevitable before commercialization. LG Chem developed a proprietary cobalt (Co) based catalyst technology, lowering the content of magnetic impurities that can affect battery quality, and succeeded in achieving world-class battery quality.

CNT materials produced by LG Chem will be supplied as conductive additives to global battery makers, with plans for usage to be expanded to a broader range of industries. Conductive additives help the flow of electricity and electrons in a battery, raising the conductivity of lithium-ions and thereby increasing the charge/discharge efficiency. When used as conductive additives for cathodes, CNT can reduce the volume of conductive additives in batteries by nearly 30% while achieving 10% more conductivity than carbon black. CNT-based batteries can deliver higher capacity and longer lifespan as more power-generating cathode materials can be used in place of the conductive additives. Thus, besides conductive additives for cathodes, CNT is also an attractive conductive additive of next-generation anode, lithium-sulfur, and solid-state batteries.

CNT expected to have myriads of applications

What is LG Chem doing to excavate new applications of CNT? In January 2023, LG Chem launched a task force (TF) to develop new CNT applications in addition to EV batteries. Recently, the company started supplying CNT-added, metal-replacing electrostatic coating* plastics to Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors, which is now applying the material to the front fenders of their three vehicle models. Furthermore, this plastic can be varied and customized to make other types of automotive parts such as bumper panels, hoods, tailgates, fuel doors, and side mirrors.

* Electrostatic coating: A method of applying electricity to paint and parts to color them with the sticking property of static electricity. Thanks to the excellent conductivity of CNT, it is eco-friendly because the amount of paint used is small, and it can be colored with a uniform thickness without restrictions on size or shape.

In addition, CNT can also be used as an electromagnetic shielding material to protect automotive radar sensors and modules. CNT is a shielding supplement that can replace metal and is applied to side mirrors and bumpers of cars to absorb signals and electromagnetic waves that cause irregular interference in autonomous driving functions such as Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS) and Blind Spot Detection (BSD), contributing to the safety of a vehicle. LG Chem is currently supplying CNT to domestic automakers, allowing them to apply the material to their radar-absorbing system for electro-magnetic interference (EMI) purposes. The market is expected to continue to grow even more as demand for self-driving cars and electric vehicles continues to increase worldwide.

LG Chem is leading the battery material market through various means, such as establishing market·technology·metal sourcing strategies to target the cathode material market, expanding the value-added battery material businesses, targeting the global CNT market through CNT plant expansion, and developing new CNT applications. To become the top global battery materials company, LG Chem will continue their R&D efforts of diverse battery materials, including major battery materials, additional materials, and CNT.

The post Check out the blueprint of LG Chem, now targeting at the world’s top global comprehensive battery materials company! appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 00:50:46 +0000

The post Striving to convert to renewable energy! ESG for All ep.02 appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 00:50:02 +0000

Since LG Chem’s declaration of 2050 carbon-neutral goal, the word ‘eco-friendly�?has been gaining more weight. Companies are putting all-time-high efforts to reduce their carbon footprints and build sustainable life for humanity. Also keeping pace with the trend, LG Chem launched their first eco-friendly materials brand, LETZero.

The brand name LETZero is the combination of ‘Let�?and ‘Zero(0),�?signifying the company’s motto of ‘zero harm to nature, zero net-increase of carbon emissions.�?With the kick-off of LETZero, LG Chem began their journey towards zero(0) with hope for a better future of humanity. Under the LETZero lineup are Recycled products based on waste plastics, Bio-Circular Balanced products based on renewable plant raw materials, and Compostable products derived from corn-based glucose and waste-glycerol. Meet LETZero Encyclopedia, as LG Chem introduces LETZero and their proudly-invented eco-friendly materials.

Check out the first page of LETZero Encyclopedia, about LG Chem’s PCR ABS material made of waste plastics, how it is recycled and applied to diverse eco-friendly products!

Recycled Plastic Material! PCR ABS

Recycled plastic is not a new concept. Yet, you might not be familiar with how it is processed. The term ‘PCR�?is short for ‘Post-Consumer Recycled material,�?which refers to the material made by recycling waste plastics used and discarded by end-consumers. ‘ABS�?is an abbreviation for the copolymer of Acrylonitrile, Butadiene, and Styrene. It is well-known for the impact and heat resistance superior to general plastics, and the ability to implement diverse shapes and colors that suit a wide range of products. In summary, PCR ABS is a recycled material based on ABS plastic used and discarded by end-consumers.

The production process of PCR ABS

PCR ABS is processed by the mechanical-recycling method. Although it does not involve changing the chemical structure of collected waste plastics, careful sorting and processing allows the output to offer quality equivalent to brand-new plastic materials.

The process begins with collection, in which waste plastics such as TV, computers, and refrigerators used and discarded by end consumers are gathered at the recycle centers. Then follows crushing and turning the plastics into pellets, an early form of raw material. Next, the pellets are carefully cleansed and sorted through various sorting•separation processes, including water immersion separation based on the weight difference, separation using infrared spectroscopy, separation by static electricity, etc. The final stage is blending the pellets with traditional ABS raw materials to be applicable for future productions.

ABS, by nature, can embody diverse colors. Therefore, countless colors are blended in the recycling process of ABS, leaving mostly black or gray-colored pellets for the PCR ABS. This has been somewhat limiting the use of PCR ABS in products with high whiteness.

Yet, with LG Chem’s success of developing world’s first white-colored PCR ABS, the material procured a wider range of application. White-colored PCR ABS requires sorting and selecting of waste plastics with bright colors before they get crushed into pellets. The LG Chem research team carried out long-term experiment and analysis on the selection and formulation of white pigments, eventually discovering the optimal conditions for the better expression of white color. White-colored PCR ABS offers same quality as the original material, and can be modified into different shapes, designs, and colors to suit the ideal product.

The application of PCR ABS

PCR ABS is applied to various products, including automotive parts, home appliances, and cosmetic containers. It is also found in remote controls used to switch channels, golf tees to prop the golf balls, automotive interior/exterior parts, TVs, and refrigerators. In October 2022, LG Chem partnered with LG U+ to develop a remote control based on PCR ABS. Given that companies replace the remote control productions with PCR ABS, it is expected that annual 11 tons of plastics and 3.3 tons of carbon emissions can be reduced. This is equivalent to the effect of planting 500 pine trees.

So far was an introduction to LG Chem’s eco-friendly material, PCR ABS. Look forward to the next LETZero Encyclopedia on Bio-Circular Balanced NPG!

The post LETZero Encyclopedia: PCR ABS – Recycle the popular ABS appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 00:50:57 +0000

Climate change is draining the Earth. According to the report ‘Drought in Europe August 2022�?published by the European Union’s Joint Research Center (JRC), the European region has been struck by the worst drought in 500 years. With 47% of European countries measuring less than average rainfall, the soil moisture content is in warning condition, damaging plant and crop yields. This issue, however, is not limited to Europe. Due to global droughts, soils in the western United States are the driest recorded in 1200 years, and prolonged droughts in Africa and elsewhere have increased global starvation. This is a time when the phrase ‘water scarcity�?feels more severe than ever.

Gaining attention amid the global water shortage is the ‘Water Industry�? and with water treatment technology receiving the spotlight, LG Chem is leading the industry with RO membranes applied with their proprietary Thin-Film Nanocomposite (TFN) technology. Take a closer look at LG Chem’s RO membrane!

The Blue Gold of the 21st Century, Water

Water is commonly referred to as the ‘Blue Gold�?of the 21^st Century, indicating how rare water is. Here comes a question; why is water so scarce, when approximately 70% of the Earth is covered with water? It’s a common sense that a great large amount of water exists on our planet. Yet, taking out the salty sea water, only 2.5% of the total amount of water can be consumed as drinking water. What’s worse, a huge proportion of this consists of permanent snow and glaciers, which leaves less than 0.3% of actual water that humans can utilize. This explains the saying, “water is as valuable as gold.�?/p>

Perhaps, water is a more valuable presence to humanity than assumed. Clearly, water is directly connected to humans�?survival. It might be hard to imagine, as water is so close to our lives, but if water disappeared overnight, the mankind’s daily life and basic right to live would be under threat.

Water Industry Grows to the Market Size of $1 Trillion

As such, the significance of water cannot be overemphasized. In recent years, water industry is gaining more public attention as the importance of water rises along with the water shortage problem. The term water industry refers to all businesses that produce and supply water necessary for daily life and industrial purposes. It includes purification, transportation and treatment of sewage and waste water, sewage management, and desalination business that turns seawater into fresh water. Recently, issues such as intensified water shortage, population growth, rapid urbanization, and increased water demand due to economic growth are accelerating the expansion of water industry. According to the UK’s 2022 Global Water Intelligence (GWI) Waterdata, the global water industry market size will expand from about $831.7 billion in 2021 to $998.9 billion in 2027.

Analyzing the size of the current global water industry market by country, the United States has the largest market at about $150 billion, followed by China and Japan with $105 billion and $86.7 billion respectively. In terms of market size alone, the water industry has already surpassed semiconductors and shipbuilding, and can be said to be a major global industry.

In the water industry, which is now considered a new growth engine for national economic development, LG Chem is standing out based on their excellent water treatment membrane technology. In April 2014, LG Chem acquired ‘NanoH2O’, a US-based water treatment membrane manufacturer, securing the core technology for reverse osmosis membranes. To this, the company added their proprietary polymer synthesis/processing technology and global marketing network, entering the RO membrane business in earnest. Since then, further research and development led to the introduction of various product groups, including not only RO membranes for seawater desalination but also for industrial and household uses. As a result, LG Chem has been successfully attracting large-scale products in the global market.

LG Chem’s RO Membrane Receives Global Attention

In 2016, LG Chem won a 250,000-ton RO membrane project based in Oman, the Middle East, only two years after their market entry. Again, in the following year of 2017, the company was selected as the sole supplier of RO membranes for a seawater desalination plant with a capacity of 300,000 tons to be built in El Galala and Port Said, the Red Sea region of Egypt. LG Chem’s success in winning large-scale orders in the early stage of market entry attributes entirely to their excellent RO membrane technology.

As the name suggests, LG Chem’s RO membrane applies the reverse osmosis technology. Let’s recall the principle of osmotic pressure from our high school science experiment. Say that you soaked cucumbers in salt water. You would remember seeing the water move from the cucumbers, with higher water concentration, towards the salt water. As a result, the water would have drained out of the cucumbers, turning them into pickles. This phenomenon is known as osmosis.

Reverse osmosis is the reverse application of the principle of osmosis. According to the principle of osmotic pressure, water moves through a semipermeable membrane from low concentration to high concentration. Yet, when high pressure is applied to the top of a concentrated solution, the water in the concentrated solution moves through the semipermeable membrane to the low concentration side. This is the principle of reverse osmosis. LG Chem’s RO membrane purifies water using this principle. When unpurified water reaches the RO membrane, the water pressure prevents all contaminants from passing through, and water passes through an extremely fine filter, leaving only the pure water.

Among numerous water treatment membranes based on reverse osmosis, LG Chem’s RO membrane is recognized for its excellent product quality in the global market. In particular, RO membranes for seawater desalination are leading the global seawater desalination market with an unrivaled salt removal rate of 99.89%. That means, if seawater passes through LG Chem’s RO membrane, only 11 out of 10,000 sodium chloride molecules remain. In addition, LG Chem’s seawater desalination and industrial RO membranes apply the company’s proprietary Thin-Film Nanocomposite (TFN) technology to coat nanoparticles on the surface of the membrane to maintain the salt removal rate while increasing the flux by 20% compared to other products. This gives LG Chem’s membranes an energy-saving advantage, as they do not require high pressure.

From Desalination to Salt Lake Lithium-Extraction Projects,
LG Chem’s RO Membrane is Your Companion!

Recently, LG Chem won a large-scale seawater desalination project in Israel based on their global competitiveness, and from 2024, more than one-third of Israel’s freshwater production (sum of purified water from Ashdod, Palmachim, Hadera, Ashkelon plants) will be supplied by LG Chem’s RO membranes. In addition to seawater desalination projects, LG Chem’s RO technology is leading the company to remarkable achievements in various industries.

For example, in March 2023, LG Chem supplied RO membranes to China’s largest salt lake lithium extraction project led by CITIC Group. Generally, in order to obtain lithium dissolved in salt lakes, water must be evaporated to increase its concentration of lithium. With the reverse osmosis process using LG Chem’s RO membranes, it allows to quickly filter out the water molecules without applying heat. CITIC Group evaluated that LG Chem’s RO membrane was able to drastically reduce the time and energy required for lithium production. Starting with this project, LG Chem plans to actively participate in other salt lake lithium projects in China and South America.

Furthermore, LG Chem is collaborating with Korea University of South Korea to develop next-generation RO membranes with Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) process. It is a technology that directly extracts lithium from salt lakes, which shortens the lithium concentration process from months or more to a few hours. LG Chem is researching RO membrane materials that can increase the recovery rate and purity of lithium and improve durability within this process. When direct extraction of lithium is fully applied, it is expected that the process will be simplified and the extraction efficiency will be higher.

LG Chem’s RO membrane not only provides a solution to water shortage amid the climate crisis, but is also expanding its scope of use based on the company’s excellent technology. LG Chem will continue to lead the global water treatment membrane market by thinking of ways to establish sustainable life for humanity and keeping up investment on new technologies.

The post Everywhere and Anywhere for Clean Water! LG Chem’s RO Membrane Reaches out to the World appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 00:50:35 +0000

The post Decreasing carbon emissions with plastics? ESG for All ep.01 appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 00:50:44 +0000

In 2022, LG Chem recorded sales of $40 billion (KRW 51.9 trillion) and business profit of $2.3 billion (KRW 3 trillion), according to their year-end report. Also, the company revealed their ambition for sustainable growth centered on eco-friendly materials, battery materials, and global new drugs. Their priority lies on carrying out ESG management, to achieve Net-Zero by 2050 by converting to eco-friendly raw materials and expanding the use of renewable energy. Acknowledging these efforts, LG Chem was named No.3 global chemical company of 2023 by their brand value. With the honor in hand, what plans and activities has LG Chem set up?

LG Chem, Named No.3 Global Chemical Company for Brand Value

Brand Finance, a Britain-based firm which offers evaluation and consulting of global brands, published in which they estimated LG Chem’s brand value as $4.5 billion, 5% increase over the previous year. LG Chem’s brand value ranked 4th in 2019 ($3.3 billion), 4th in 2020 ($3.5 billion), 4th in 2021 ($3.6 billion), and 3rd in 2022 ($4.3 billion), showing consistent increase. Amid the unstable global economy, LG Chem has achieved steady growth and was selected as No.3 global chemical company by their brand value for two consecutive years in 2022 and 2023.

2030 Sales Target of $30.8 billion with Three New Growth Engines!

LG Chem has set a sales target of $30.8 billion (KRW 40 trillion) by 2030, with focus on their three new growth engines; Eco-friendly Materials, Battery Materials, and New Drugs. Through expansion of high-value-added new businesses based on ESG, the company is establishing a foothold to leap up as a global science company. Let’s take a look at LG Chem’s new growth engines!

As for Eco-friendly Materials, LG Chem plans to expand recycled materials that apply PCR plastics, compostable and bio-circular balanced materials extracted from plant-based bio raw materials, and new renewable energy materials. The company’s sales of eco-friendly sustainability business recorded $1.4 billion (KRW 1.9 trillion) in 2022, which they intend to raise up to $6.2 billion (KRW 8 trillion) by 2030. Adding to this, LG Chem holds world’s first and best technology for cathode materials based on NCM (NickelㆍCobaltㆍManganese) since beginning mass-production in 2006. Now, the company seeks to take aggressive measures to foster their proprietary technology of additional battery materials, such as Separator (Safety Reinforced Separator, SRS), Carbon Nanotube (CNT), Thermal Adhesives, Battery Assembly Solution (BAS), etc. This is expected to improve the sales of their battery materials business to $23.1 billion (KRW 30 trillion / six times that of 2022), paving their way to be the world’s best comprehensive battery materials company. Finally, LG Chem is devoted to the development of global new drugs focused on anticancer, diabetes, and metabolism, and has secured 19 pipelines of global innovative new drugs that have entered phase one or higher clinical trials. The company is accelerating their leap as a global innovative pharmaceutical company which holds at least five FDA-approved new drugs, through research and development including the application of artificial intelligence.

LG Chem Makes a Sustainable Movement
as a Global Science Company Leading Sustainability

LG Chem’s dream reaches beyond sustainable development of the company, proven by their constant actions for the sustainability of the Earth and humanity. It has been declared that LG Chem will put the goal of 2050 carbon-neutral growth forward by 20 years, and achieve Net-Zero by 2050. Furthermore, the company will expand their use of eco-friendly raw materials and renewable energy, cutting down the carbon emissions. By 2023, all domestic and international LG Chem products are set to undergo LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), a strategy to evaluate the impact of each product on the environment across whole process, from raw material to manufacturing.

LG Chem will keep pushing their growth in Eco-friendly MaterialsㆍBattery MaterialsㆍGlobal New Drugs, and minimize the carbon emissions by expanding the use of renewable energy. Towards a global science company, LG Chem’s sustainable actions will continue on.

The post No.3 Brand Value Among Global Chemical Companies! LG Chem, a Science Company Leading Sustainability appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Sat, 03 Jun 2023 00:50:35 +0000

Making a leap towards a global science company, LG Chem selected Battery Materials, Eco-friendly Materials, and Innovative New Drugs as their next-generation growth engines and announced detailed growth strategies.

LG Chem dreams of becoming a global innovative drugs company holding at least five FDA-approved new drugs and $1.5 billion (KRW 2 trillion) of sales.

See the below infographic to check out details of LG Chem’s next-generation growth engine, ‘innovative drugs!�?/p>

You can download the infographic by clicking on the link. [DOWNLOAD]

The post [Infographic] LG Chem’s Next-Generation New Growth Engines: Innovative New Drugs appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 01:00:47 +0000

LG Chem is committed to step up as a global top comprehensive battery materials company! To this end, the company intends to expand their sales of battery materials to $23.1 billion (KRW 30 trillion).

Take a look at LG Chem’s next-generation growth engine, ‘battery materials�?through the infographic!

You can download the infographic by clicking on the link. [DOWNLOAD]

The post [Infographic] LG Chem’s Next-Generation New Growth Engines: Battery Materials appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 00:50:38 +0000

In July 2021, LG Chem launched their first eco-friendly materials brand, LETZero. With the slogan of ‘zero harm to nature and zero net-increase of carbon emissions,�?LETZero is a symbol of LG Chem’s dedication for innovative and sustainable ‘Sustainability Solution.�?LETZero product lines include LG Chem’s recycled materials, compostable materials, bio-circular balanced materials, which are parts of LG Chem’s three new growth engines. Refer to the following infographic to meet LG Chem’s market-leading ‘global eco-friendly materials�?brand, LETZero!

The post LETZero: LG Chem’s Comprehensive Eco-friendly Products Brand appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 00:50:15 +0000

LG Chem plans to convert their business structure, putting eco-friendly materials and sustainability at the center. The company set their target to increase sales of eco-friendly materials from $1.4 billion (KRW 1.9 trillion) in 2022 to $6.2 billion (KRW 8 trillion) by 2030.

Learn more about LG Chem’s next-generation growth engine, ‘eco-friendly materials�?with the following infographic!

You can download the infographic by clicking on the link. [DOWNLOAD]

The post [Infographic] LG Chem’s Next-Generation New Growth Engines: Eco-friendly Materials appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 00:50:08 +0000

A chance to look into a corporate’s goals and visions, Investor Day! If you are an investor or have curiosity about the future of a company, you should pay close attention to this event. In February 8, 2022, LG Chem held Investor Day to announce their goals, vision, and detailed plans to the public. What was the blueprint presented by LG Chem?

Generate $46.2 billion in Sales, Centered on New Businesses

A gist of 2022 LG Chem Investor Day was the company’s sales goal. Back in 2021, LG Chem generated $20 billion (KRW 26 trillion) of sales, which, according to CEO Shin Hak-Cheol, will increase by over 130% to hit $46.2 billion (KRW 60 trillion) in 2030. How could such growth be possible? The basis of this is the expansion of LG Chem’s new businesses, and among them, LG Chem plans to focus on eco-friendly materials, battery materials, and global new drugs. Let’s take a look at the specific goals of each business sector.

Eco-friendly Material �?Recycled Material, Compostable/Bio-Circular Balanced Material, Energy Transition Material

LG Chem is well aware of the rapid changes going on in the world. In order to keep up the company’s growth at such a time, a new growth engine is required. For LG Chem, the engine refers to recycled materials, compostable/bio-circular balanced materials, and energy transition materials.

Until 2021, LG Chem made consistent contributions to the recycled materials market, in other words, PCR plastic market, by securing recycled raw materials and improving the physical properties of PCR plastics. Such commitment resulted in the company’s commercial production of world’s first PCR plastic material with a pure white color. And yet, LG Chem did not stop there, and is planning to expand their partnership with home appliances manufacturers along with developing PCR plastic materials with transparency. Furthermore, the company seeks to continue their R&D of PCR plastics with physical properties equivalent to the conventional plastics. In addition to PCR materials, LG Chem plans to promote commercialization of Circular-balanced materials in collaboration with UK-based Mura Technology and build a supercritical pyrolysis oil plant with an annual capacity of 20,000 tons by 2024.

In talk of new growth engines, you can’t take out compostable/bio-circular balanced materials. In August 2021, LG Chem already began exporting SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer) with waste cooking oil and plant-based bio raw material contents. Also under planning is the launch of commercial production plant of PBAT (Poly-Butylene Adipate Terephthalate), known for its fast decomposition, which is scheduled for 2024. Likewise, the company will expand the production scale of PLH (Poly Lactate Hydracrylate) to a commercial level, a material which offers extra transparency and 20 times the flexibility of existing compostable plastics.

The finale of LG Chem’s new growth engines is the energy transition materials, whose market is undergoing rapid expansion. Prompted by its growth, the market of PVEN POE (Photovoltaic Encapsulant Poly Olefin Elastomer) is also expected to rise. In 2021, LG Chem began installation to expand the production capacity of POE for solar panels by 100,000 tons, aiming to start mass-production in 2023. In addition, the company is developing a catalyst by which they will attain plastic using carbon dioxide as a raw material, hoping to reduce carbon footprints.

Battery Material �?Cathode/Separator, Excavate New Battery Materials

In 2006, LG Chem became world’s first producer of NCM (Nickel, Cobalt, Manganese). Stretching out this long-time-accumulated technology, the company now plans to accelerate the growth of their cathode business. Ongoing discussions include collaboration with numerous companies to expand the proportion of high-nickel products to 90% of LG Chem’s overall battery production and secure the supply of metal. Besides that, LG Chem has also acquired share of Li-Cycle, America’s largest battery recycling company. Based on these efforts, the company plans to set up a global quadrilateral production system in Korea/China/Europe/USA and raise their production capacity to 260,000 tons by 2026.

In addition, LG Chem seeks to expand the separator business based on their proprietary technology including the safety-reinforced separator (SRS). In 2021, the company established a joint corporation with Toray, which holds a differentiated separator fabric technology, and acquired the coating business of LG Electronics, known for their quality coating technology. LG Chem will keep expanding their global production base and keep focus on the separator business.

Outside of that, LG Chem also intends to nurture battery supplementary materials such as CNT (Carbon Nanotube), thermal adhesive, anode binder, BAS (Battery Assembly Solution), etc. Furthermore, the company will accelerate the development of battery material technology that enhances battery performance and safety, along with next-generation battery technology including the materials for all-solid batteries.

Global new drugs �?Anti-cancer, Diabetes/Metabolism Global Innovative New Drug Development

Global new drug is another proportion of LG Chem’s major businesses. As of February 2022, LG Chem secured 10 global innovative new drug pipelines that have entered phase 1 or higher clinical trials. By 2030, the company plans to secure 23 clinical stage pipelines and commercialize at least two of them in major markets such as the US and Europe.

Move Up Carbon Neutral Growth Goal by 20 Years! Achieve Net-Zero in 2050!

LG Chem’s future goal is not limited to sales. The company understands their role as a science company to contribute to the global market and lead human life in a better direction. And thus, LG Chem is pushing forward the 2050 carbon-neutral growth target by 20 years and has set a goal of achieving Net-Zero by 2050.

To this end, LG Chem has established detailed action plans in three fields; Reduce, Avoid, Compensate. To begin with, the company intends to ‘reduce�?carbon emissions through introduction of innovative processes and conversion to eco-friendly fuels. Next, they will expand the use of renewable energy to ‘avoid�?carbon emissions. Finally, the company will take measures to ‘compensate�?unavoidable carbon emissions. Taking this further, by 2030, LG Chem plans to complete LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) for all domestic and foreign products, which quantitatively evaluates environmental impacts of a product from raw materials to manufacturing.

Since foundation in 1947, LG Chem has been striving to present a vision to human lives and values through repeated challenges and innovations. In 2022, which marks the 75th anniversary of their founding, LG Chem dreams of taking on new challenges and innovations to step up as a ‘Top Global Science Company.’ To achieve sustainable growth as a global science company and advance unwaveringly in any situations, LG Chem’s passion will continue on.

The post LG Chem declares transition to No.1 global science company! LG Chem Investor Day appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Fri, 19 May 2023 00:50:46 +0000

What is Brand Identity (BI)? It refers to the image people associate with a particular brand, including its logo, visual elements, colors, and even abstract concepts such as its products, services, and philosophy. In other words, brand identity is a unique impression of a brand. People experience brand identity through various elements, including its philosophy, logo, colors, products, and services.

What is LG Chem’s brand identity? In 2020, LG Chem announced their vision: “We connect science to life for a better future.” This vision connects ‘science,’ a combination of accumulated knowledge, technology, and solutions, to the ‘life’ of humanity to move toward a ‘better future.’ LG Chem’s brand identity, established in March 2022, also embodies this vision.

Moving Towards a Science Company Leading Sustainability

LG Chem has established their brand identity from their vision. To achieve the vision, LG Chem pondered on their role and what kind of image and message to convey to their customers. After much consideration, LG Chem re-established their identity as science beyond the conventional image of chemistry. From there, LG Chem established their brand identity (BI) as a science company and a leader in sustainability.

Visual designs have been developed instead of linguistic expressions to communicate LG Chem’s brand identity (BI) to customers. The core values of Customer Focus, Agility, Collaboration, Passion, and Sustainability have been infused into the design motifs. Furthermore, a color scheme has been devised to align with LG Chem’s environmentally-friendly and science-focused image, establishing a unified brand identity.

The graphic motif image, which symbolizes sustainability and connectivity, is created by cutting out the wave pattern design into lines or planes. These elements are also arranged in various directions and layouts, allowing for flexible use.

LG Chem uses a consistent design of their graphic motif for product packaging, brochures, signboards, advertisements, web pages, and videos. LG Chem is enhancing their brand identity to communicate its meaning effectively and approach customers more warmly. LG Chem will continue to strive tirelessly to ensure that their vision and brand identity, which aim to connect science to life for a better future, are well communicated to customers.

The post Introducing LG Chem’s Brand Identity: A Science Company Leading Sustainability appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Thu, 18 May 2023 00:50:06 +0000

In February 2022, LG Chem announced their plans to become a global science company, and revealed their intention to increase revenue ten times by 2030, from the current $2.2 billion (KRW 3 trillion) to $22.6 billion (KRW 30 trillion), with three new growth engines; eco-friendly materials, battery materials, and globally-innovative new drugs.
In their bid to become a global pharmaceutical company, LG Chem has secured 19 pipelines for global drugs in clinical trial stages phase 1 or above, and has accelerated R&D efforts. Through the application of novel AI models and by endeavoring to develop at least four new FDA-approved drugs by 2030, LG Chem intends to secure a position within the top 30 global oncology-focused pharmaceutical companies. After unveiling their plans to develop new drugs for the global market, LG Chem is increasing their presence by obtaining the FDA’s approval for clinical test plans, and through the acquisition of a bio company. Learn more about LG Chem’s moves in the global bio market.

From new obesity drug that received additional ODD by the US FDA to new gout drug that obtained approval for global phase 3 clinical trials

In June 2022, LG Chem’s new drug for genetic obesity treatment received additional Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) from the US FDA. The new drug, LB54640, is orally administered once a day targeting the pathway of a gene, MC4R (Melanocortin 4 Receptor), which controls appetite. When a working pathway of MC4R malfunctions, a feeling of hunger continues and thus worsens obesity. LB54640 works directly on MC4R protein that sends a signal of satiety, and induces suppression of appetite. LG Chem recently completed clinical phase 1 study of LB54640 in the US for healthy overweight adults without genetic defects, and plans to conduct global phase 2 and 3 clinical trials for genetic obesity patients with LEPR or POMC deficiency starting this year.

LG Chem is also developing Tigulixostat, a new drug for gout treatment, and plans a global phase 3 clinical trial, hoping to bring the new drug to gout patients around the world as quickly as possible. In September 2022, LG Chem submitted a plan for the second round of phase 3 clinical trial of Tigulixostat to the US FDA, and obtained approval in November 2022. The new clinical trial is conducted with a control group of patients who take allopurinol, which is a primary selective ingredient for gout treatment. The clinical trial will be conducted for 2,600 adult gout patients with hyperuricemia for 12 months to observe long-term administration stability, the effect of lowering blood levels of uric acid, and reducing gout attacks and tophus. Based on distinguished outcomes of the clinical trials, LG Chem endeavors to sharpen their competitive edge in the global bio market.

Acquisition of an oncology-focused US biopharmaceutical company
that has FDA-approved new drugs

LG Chem successfully acquired AVEO Pharmaceuticals(“AVEO�?, an innovative US anti-cancer pharmaceutical company that has an FDA-approved new drug for renal cancer treatment. Established in 2002 in Boston, Massachusetts, the company focuses on oncology markets in terms of clinical development, drug approval, sales, and marketing. In 2021, AVEO obtained FDA approval for their renal cancer drug, Fotivda, and the company’s revenues are expected to grow. By acquiring AVEO in a $571 million deal, LG Chem took over 100% of AVEO shares.

In the US, systems regarding medical insurance, drug fees, and drug circulation are widely different from Korea, and localized commercialization capacity is required from the early stage of drug development. It is a difficult market to pioneer, but business for anti-cancer drugs can be managed with a sales unit focusing on a few oncology-dedicated medical institutions. In addition to Fotivda, AVEO has three more pipelines for cancer drugs in the stage of clinical development including Ficlatuzumab, a drug for head and neck cancer treatment for which a phase 3 clinical trial is underway. If all three drugs are successfully developed, they are expected to obtain FDA approvals in the next 30 years. With the successful acquisition deal, LG Chem instantly secured a presence in the US market for anti-cancer drug commercialization. The company also gained a foothold to develop and commercialize new drugs in the US, the world’s largest market for pharmaceutical products.

With continued R&D efforts, LG Chem stands at the center of the global bio industry

Until now, LG Chem Life Sciences division has focused on vaccines, diabetes treatment, cosmetic fillers, and growth hormones. In February 2022, the company announced a plan to foster three new growth engines, and shortly after that, their new drug for obesity treatment received an ODD from the US FDA. LG Chem’s plan to conduct a global phase 3 clinical trial for a new drug for gout treatment was approved, and the company also acquired an oncology-focused US biopharmaceutical company, making headways in increasing presence in the global bio market. LG Chem absorbed AVEO’s capacity for drug commercialization and clinical development, and expects to earn revenues worth $1.5 billion (appr. KRW 2 trillion) from the Life Sciences business.

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lgchemitopia — Wed, 17 May 2023 00:50:00 +0000

What do you think is the most important part of corporate activities? Is it operating income? Is it revenues? Some might say ESG is even more important. ESG indicates environmental, social, and governance, which are critical elements for the sustainable growth of a company and our society. Acknowledging its utmost importance, LG Chem plans to invest in areas for sustainable growth based on ESG considerations. LG Chem’s CEO, Shin Hak-Cheol, announced a plan to invest about $7.7 billion (KRW 10 trillion) in ESG-based areas for sustainable growth until 2025. Learn more about detailed investment plans of LG Chem.

Active investment in three new growth engines

In 2021, LG Chem introduced three new growth engines along with an investment plan for future growth and stability. They are eco-friendly sustainability initiatives, battery materials for electric vehicles (EVs), and global innovative pharmaceuticals. As companies around the world build ESG-based business models, LG Chem, a global science company, also adopts sustainability as a premise for revenues and operating income. To do so, it is important to consider sustainability throughout all business processes, strategies, investment plans, and systems.

Sustainable business based on eco-friendly materials!

LG Chem unveiled a plan to invest about $2.3 billion (KRW 3 trillion) in sustainable businesses including bio materials, recycled materials, and renewable energy, to foster their petrochemical unit as the center of future growth. As part of this effort, the company launched ‘LETZero�?in July 2021, a master brand for eco-friendly products, taking a step toward a sustainable environment and future. LETZero lineups include products made of recycled plastics, bio materials made of plant-based renewable materials, and compostable products made of glucose and waste glycerol extracted from corns.

Some of these eco-friendly products received ISCC Plus, a highly regarded international eco-friendly certification. LG Chem’s circular balanced SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer)─the world’s first to be used in diapers and sanitary products for water absorption─is now mass produced to be supplied to global clients in the US and Europe.
LG Chem’s compostable high-polymer PBAT (Polybutylene Adipate-co-Terephthalate) is used in agricultural film and disposable film as it quickly decomposes in a reaction to oxygen, heat, and enzyme. The company is actively adopting external technologies to make market forays and strengthen capacities, and planning to start construction of a production facility in 2023.

Anticipating a brisk growth of the market for bio plastics, LG Chem also works with domestic materials companies to procure eco-friendly materials such as bio naphtha and PLA (Poly Lactic Acid) made of plant-based materials such as corns. In 2021, LG Chem and Inner Bottle─a startup for eco-friendly packing solution─established an eco-platform for 100% recycling of plastic cosmetic packaging, and launched a joint project to apply recycled plastics such as PCR ABS (Post Consumer Recycled Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) to cosmetic packaging. LG Chem endeavors to identify new business opportunities in the market for renewable industrial materials such as POE*/EVA* used in solar panels.

*POE (Polyolefin Elastomer): LG Chem’s POE is a copolymer of ethylene and octene or ethylene and butene produced with the company’s proprietary metallocene catalyst. LG Chem’s POE has superior impact resistance, high elasticity, and low thermal sealing temperature.
*EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate): EVA is a copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate (VA) monomer. Its elasticity, heat sealing temperature, durability, and permeability vary depending on the content of vinyl acetate monomers. It is used in various areas ranging from photovoltaic sheets for solar energy to shoe soles.

e-Mobility with a focus on battery materials

To become the world’s top comprehensive battery materials company, LG Chem plans to invest approximately 4.6 billion (KRW 6 trillion) and broaden their product portfolio to include cathode materials, separators, anode binders, thermal adhesives, and CNTs.

LG Chem fosters their cathode materials business to become the global leader. In November 2022, the company signed an MOU to build a cathode materials facility in Tennessee, U.S., the largest in the country. Specifically, over $3 billion will be invested in the site (1.7 million m²) in Clarksville, Tennessee, to build a facility and secure the capacity to manufacture 120,000 tons of cathode materials per year. For a stable supply of metals needed for cathode materials, LG Chem will work with mining companies as well as companies that have smelting/refining technologies to strengthen competitiveness in metal procurement. The company intensively invests resources in R&D for cathode materials, separators, anode binders, and thermal adhesives to develop differentiated products.

LG Chem also plans to expand CNT* production as the market for battery materials grows briskly. To make forays into the market for cathode conductive additives*, LG Chem will build a fourth CNT plant in Daesan, Korea to produce 3,200 tons of CNTs each year. Once completed, LG Chem’s CNT output capacity will reach 6,100 tons annually, including 1,700 tons from the first and second plants and 1,200 tons from the third plant. After the first CNT plant started operation in 2017 (annual capacity of 500 tons), LG Chem has steadily expanded CNT manufacturing facilities.

*CNT (Carbon Nanotube): A new material that has the same electric and thermal conductivity as copper and diamond and is 100 times stronger than steel.
*Conductive additive: It facilitates flows of electricity and electrons, and is used as an additive in lithium-ion batteries; particularly, it enhances the conductivity of lithium ions in cathode materials made of active materials such as nickel and cobalt, to increase charging and discharging efficiency.

Bio and life science with a focus on innovative pharmaceuticals

LG Chem’s life sciences division aspires to become a global company that has at least two innovative new drugs by 2030 to expand business in the US and Europe. To this end, the number of pipelines for new drugs has increased from 34 in 2019 to 45 currently, and active R&D efforts and investments are underway.

LG Chem’s life sciences division focuses on developing drugs for four strategic disease groups─diabetes, metabolic diseases, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. The company also plans to increase pipelines for new drugs in a stage of clinical development. To do so, LG Chem established a research center in the US and make continued efforts to secure competent clinical and regulatory specialists.

Envisioning a sustainable future while fulfilling corporate responsibility

LG Chem makes continued R&D efforts to create a sustainable solution based on their business knowledge and know-how. Considering sustainability in business activities is not a choice but an obligation, and the company needs to step up related efforts.

LG Chem started out as a petrochemical company, and has evolved into a global science company that includes divisions on advanced materials and life sciences. To maximize growth potential, the company makes systematic investments and fosters strategic businesses to lead the future of LG Chem.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Tue, 16 May 2023 00:50:37 +0000

LG Chem started research on batteries in 1992, and established a technology center in Troy, Michigan, U.S. in 2001 for more advanced research. For a long time, LG Chem has worked with automotive companies and made notable achievements including the development of Safety Reinforced Separator (SRS�? and the world’s first mass production of cylindrical lithium-ion batteries. Now LG Chem focuses on research and development of battery materials.

During US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen’s visit to Korea in July 2022, she met with CEO Shin Hak-Cheol to discuss battery material technology and strengthening battery supply chains. LG Energy Solution, a battery manufacturing subsidiary of LG Chem, operates a plant in Ohio, U.S., and is constructing manufacturing plants in Tennessee and Michigan, as well as in Ontario, Canada. Local demand for battery materials is steadily rising, and LG Chem is looking forward to stronger partnerships with leading companies in the US.

Leading the field of battery recycling together
with the largest battery recycler in North America

In a bid to lead the field of battery recycling, LG Chem forged a partnership with LG Energy Solution and Li-Cycle, the largest battery recycler in North America. Established in 2016, Li-Cycle has excellent technology for recovering critical materials from recycled batteries. For ten years starting in 2023, Li-Cycle will be supplying 20,000 tons of recycled nickel for LG Chem and LG Energy Solution. The nickel will be extracted from scraps generated during manufacturing batteries as well as from discarded batteries. In recovering, Li-Cycle uses an eco-friendly wet method that prevents dust and minimizes discharge of toxic materials by fully reusing waste water. This environment-friendly approach strengthens their competitiveness in ESG management. With a supply of raw materials produced in an eco-friendly way, LG Chem and LG Energy Solution respond to increasingly more rigorous environmental regulations in the US and EU.

A stable supply of cathode materials
amid growing global market for EV batteries

In July 2022, LG Chem joined hands with GM(General Motors), the largest automaker in the US, to make forays into a fast-growing market for electric vehicle(EV) batteries. LG Chem plans to supply over 950,000 tons of cathode materials to GM until 2030. These cathode materials will be used by LG Energy Solution and their joint venture, Ultium Cells. The amount is equivalent to batteries needed in 5 million high-performance EVs. As the market for EV batteries grows, GM has a growing need for a stable supply of cathode materials, and GM chose LG Chem as a partner for their excellent technology for high-nickel cathode materials.

LG Chem will be supplying NCMA (nickel, cobalt, manganese, aluminum) cathode materials for next-generation EV batteries. The materials are made using LG Chem’s advanced technology, and ensure an excellent output. These contain more than 90% of nickel─which determines energy density─and use aluminum for greater stability. LG Chem implements a localization strategy in North America by 2025, and plans to maintain a partnership with GM by securing a stable production capacity.

LG Chem makes forays into global market for battery materials
by strengthening global value chain!

In discussions with Janet Yellen, LG Chem suggested cooperative supply chains for battery materials. LG Chem plans to actively develop battery materials as demand increases alongside the growing EV market, strengthening their business portfolio in order to become the world’s leading battery company by expanding to include cathode materials, battery separators, CNT, thermal adhesives, anode binders, and Battery Assembly Solutions (BAS). To this end, LG Chem plans to invest $45 billion (KRW 6 trillion) by 2025, of which more than $11 billion will be invested between 2020 and 2025 including investments from subsidiary, LG Energy Solution, in order to localize a North American supply chain and capitalize on one of the world’s largest automotive markets. Additionally, LG Chem is building a cathode material plant in Tennessee, U.S., to strengthen a global value chain for batteries. Investments in the North American battery materials market are expected to accelerate as cooperation makes headway.

Among LG Chem’s state-of-the-art materials, revenue from sales of cathode materials exceeded $745 million (KRW 1 trillion) in the second quarter of 2022, indicating strong growth potential. To further grow their sustainable battery business, LG Chem will spur their efforts of creating a virtuous cycle of resources, including battery recycling and the production of precursors and cathode materials made of recycled materials. With the goal of achieving net zero in 2050, LG Chem is employing strategies that cut carbon emissions throughout the supply chain.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Mon, 15 May 2023 00:50:12 +0000

The post A day in the life of a marketing assistant manager in LGCAI appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Sun, 14 May 2023 00:50:47 +0000

How has your daily life changed after the COVID-19 pandemic? Wearing masks, online classes, remote work, and various other changes have become part of our new normal.

In this era of heightened personal hygiene and preventive measures, LG Chem is preparing for the post-COVID-19 era with “Sustainable Antibacterial ABS,” a plastic that maintains a 99.99% antibacterial property. The following story highlights LG Chem’s dedication to enhancing antibacterial durability as part of their readiness for the post-COVID-19 era.

In the era of hygiene and sanitation, what is the ‘real’ plastic that consumers want?

Throughout the pandemic, we have seen a surge in purchases of items labeled as ‘antibacterial�?such as masks and hand sanitizers, as personal hygiene and sanitation became paramount.

The reason behind most people’s preference for antimicrobial products is simple: the power conveyed by the word �?strong>antibacterial�? It carries a strong belief in preventing the growth of bacteria. We trust that ‘antibacterial products will be cleaner’ or ‘we can use them with peace of mind.’ However, unfortunately, conventional antibacterial products fall short of our expectations.

Typically, antibacterial products are made by mixing antibacterial agents into pelletized plastic raw materials. In this case, the antibacterial agents are not evenly distributed on the surface of the plastic, resulting in uneven antibacterial properties. Moreover, the long-lasting antibacterial effect is significantly compromised. Due to the high concentration of antibacterial agents, the surface of these products often becomes rough and uneven. As a result, they are primarily used for internal components rather than visible external parts.

LG Chem has recognized the limitations of conventional antibacterial ABS and has been dedicated to researching and developing an antibacterial ABS that can be widely used for external components while earning customer trust.

Overcoming the Limitations of Antibacterial Products
with Global Market Leadership in Technology

Even for LG Chem, the global leader in ABS market share, overcoming the limitations of antibacterial ABS was no easy task. The key characteristics of antibacterial materials are intertwined in a trade-off relationship, making it challenging. Typically, when developing antibacterial materials, LG Chem considers antibacterial efficacy, durability, chemical resistance, and color (preventing discoloration/staining) as important factors. However, when one characteristic is enhanced, other characteristics tend to weaken easily.

For instance, let’s consider the scenario where we increase the number of antibacterial agents to strengthen the long-lasting antibacterial effect. Antibacterial agents, such as silver (Ag), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu), are released from the ABS surface to the external environment. By increasing the number of antibacterial agents, more metals are released, resulting in improved long-lasting antibacterial properties. However, proportional to this increase, the quality of appearance and resistance to discoloration deteriorates.

To overcome these limitations, LG Chem applied special polymers that enhance the affinity between antibacterial metals and ABS, effectively controlling the release rate of antibacterial metals. As a result, LG Chem has successfully developed long-lasting antibacterial ABS that maintains high antibacterial efficacy without discoloration and with excellent chemical resistance. Additionally, LG Chem minimized the number of antibacterial agents, reducing potential harm to human health.

The achievement of enhancing long-lasting antibacterial properties while minimizing the number of antibacterial agents was made possible by LG Chem’s accumulated technical expertise. Starting from the production stage, LG Chem identified the optimal number of antibacterial agents, ensuring even distribution through compounding technology, and utilized special recipes and technical capabilities to create long-lasting antibacterial ABS. As a result, LG Chem has successfully developed long-lasting antibacterial ABS that consistently maintains 99.99% antibacterial efficacy, with excellent surface quality and no concerns about discoloration.

The developed antibacterial ABS by LG Chem possesses a 99.99% long-lasting antibacterial property and exhibits over twice the improved chemical resistance compared to conventional antibacterial ABS. Moreover, it has undergone global standard tests for mold resistance (ASTM D 21, ISO 856 B), resulting in the conclusion that mold cannot survive on the surface of the long-lasting antibacterial ABS. It has also received certification for being safe for human contact according to global standards for non-toxicity.

Furthermore, LG Chem’s long-lasting antibacterial ABS remains free from discoloration even under high temperature and humidity conditions, and it exhibits minimal color change caused by light exposure. Additionally, it enables the realization of various colors, making it widely applicable in household appliances such as refrigerators and air purifiers.

The New Everyday with Antibacterial ABS

LG Chem’s developed long-lasting antibacterial ABS is already being used in various products in our daily lives. Unlike the conventional antibacterial ABS that was primarily used for internal components, LG Chem’s antibacterial ABS is now applied to kitchen appliances such as refrigerator handles and dishwasher exteriors, as well as medical devices that require reduced bacterial contamination.

The vague belief associated with the term “antibacterial” is gradually becoming a reality with LG Chem’s antibacterial ABS. Experts predict that the global antibacterial ABS market will continue to grow as consumer hygiene awareness increases following the COVID-19 pandemic. In line with this trend, LG Chem plans to apply antibacterial ABS to a wide range of home appliances in the future.

Beyond kitchen appliance handles and exteriors, the long-lasting antibacterial ABS can be used in various other areas such as garment care devices, automotive interiors, and vacuum cleaners. Let’s imagine a cleaner and safer daily life together with the benefits that long-lasting antibacterial ABS brings.

LG Chem has once again demonstrated their leadership in the global ABS market by developing long-lasting antibacterial ABS that can be used for both internal and external components. LG Chem identifies the needs of people and solves them with the power of science and accumulated technological expertise. Just as they have developed long-lasting antibacterial ABS through technological innovation, LG Chem will continue to listen attentively to consumers’ stories and strive for a sustainable future.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Sat, 13 May 2023 00:50:04 +0000

Plastic is one of the materials that has changed the course of human history. Thanks to the introduction of plastic, human life has become more prosperous. Since the advent of plastic, people have been able to create clothes using thin yet robust fibers and sturdy and easy-to-use everyday items. In hospitals, plastic has been used instead of hard-to-sterilize and fragile glass and rubber tubing due to its durability and ease of processing. Plastic was called the “God’s gift of the 20th century.”

Currently, however, plastic has become one of the problems that humans must solve. It is due to the problem of discarded plastic waste after use. Is there a brilliant solution to the problem of plastic waste?

Plastic Waste, Is There a Clear Solution?

According to the OECD’s report released in 2022, the amount of plastic waste, which was 353 million tons in 2019, is expected to increase to 1.014 billion tons by 2060. In addition, the OECD stated that only 9% of the world’s plastic waste was recycled as of 2019, with the remaining 18% incinerated, 50% landfilled, and 22% inadequately managed (discarded in poor countries’ land or marine environment). The world is now producing twice as much plastic waste as it did 20 years ago, and most of it ends up in landfills or is incinerated, affecting the environment. Why is the plastic recycling rate so low when plastic waste is increasing day by day? Why can’t plastic be 100% recyclable?

Until now, waste plastics have been mostly recycled in a mechanical manner. Specifically, discarded plastics are collected, washed, crushed, and then made into pellets. These recycled pellets and virgin pellets are mixed at a certain ratio and processed into plastic materials. However, this method has limitations as it leaves impurities even if plastics are thoroughly washed, and impurities hinder recycling. Also, recycled pellets are of poor quality due to additives injected during the process of making plastic. For this reason, the amount of plastic that can be salvaged and recycled from waste plastics is quite limited. Mechanical recycling is one of the ways to deal with waste plastics, but it cannot fully solve the problem.

Supercritical pyrolysis, restoring plastic back to its base materials

Then is there another solution? Science gives us a glimpse of hope in the form of chemical recycling. However, this approach involves complex technology as waste plastics should be decomposed into monomers of small molecular weights and then their chains should be reconnected. LG Chem has been keenly aware of the importance of chemical recycling and explored various approaches for alternative recycling methods to mechanical. LG Chem decided to build a plant for super-critical pyrolysis oil in Dangjin, Chungnam, Korea by 2024.

Supercritical pyrolysis is a chemical recycling technology that uses high-temperature, high-pressure water vapors to decompose waste plastics. By using this technology, snack packages, lids of ready-cooked rice, and other plastic containers can be recycled that could not be recycled before. The greatest difficulty in recycling plastic comes from complex composites of multiple materials (OTHER). With supercritical pyrolysis, polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) are decomposed under high temperature and high pressure to extract naphtha, which in turn, can be put into a petrochemical process. When 10 tons of vinyl and waste plastics are put into the chemical recycling process, more than eight tons of pyrolysis oil can be extracted. The other two tons of byproduct gas can be reused to generate supercritical vapor, providing energy for a plant operation. That is, waste plastics can be fully recycled. LG Chem has top-level productivity for chemical recycling among their peers in the chemical industry.

A Technology to Save Humanity, the Future

For supercritical pyrolysis, LG Chem will collaborate with a UK-based company called Mura Technology, which has a proprietary chemical recycling technology. In October 2021, LG Chem invested in Mura Technology to strengthen their value chain in the recycling industry. Recently, LG Chem signed a technology licensing and engineering contract for the basic design of a supercritical pyrolysis oil plant with KBR (Kellogg Brown & Root), a global engineering and service company that owns the technology rights to Mura’s technology, after completing a technical feasibility study. When the supercritical pyrolysis oil plant in Dangjin, Chungnam, Korea starts to operate, LG Chem plans to verify the practical product and consider additional expansion based on the market situation.

In terms of the pyrolysis oil that can extract waste plastic, the global chemical recycling market was 700,000 tons in 2020. It is estimated to grow by an annual average of more than 17% to reach 3.3 million tons in 2030. As a global science company, LG Chem is conducting research and development to develop chemical recycling technology themselves. LG Chem also plans to expand cooperation with research institutions, small and medium-sized enterprises, startups, and other entities in the global market that possess recycling technology and raw materials. Chemical recycling is an important issue that affects the future of humanity. Building chemical recycling facilities and establishing a circular economy for plastic will be vital to securing the Earth’s future.

LG Chem will continue to research plastic recycling, both chemically and mechanically, whilst strengthening their R&D in eco-friendly materials and technologies. As a science company leading sustainability, LG Chem will not be content with just building pyrolysis plants; LG Chem will continue challenging themselves to create a sustainable future.

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lgchemitopia — Fri, 12 May 2023 00:50:54 +0000

In April 2021, LG Chem acquired ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) Plus for their bio-circular balanced product made of plant-based bio materials.

ISCC Plus is an international certification program that meets the criteria of the EU RED (Renewable Energy Directives), the strictest standards for sustainability around the world. Thus, receiving ISCC Plus verifies sustainability of eco-friendly bio products. Its members include more than 130 eco-friendly materials companies, NGOs, and research institutes worldwide. ISCC is regarded as the most credible sustainability certification program for its transparent review criteria and very demanding certification process.

As of May 2023, LG Chem acquired 58 ISCC Plus for their eco-friendly bio materials, which the company has vigorously developed and manufactured since declaring a vision to achieve net zero. Learn more about LG Chem’s initiatives toward a better future for the earth.

Production of bio materials-based eco-friendly products,
the first step toward sustainability

In November 2020, LG Chem forged a strategic partnership with Neste, the world’s largest bio diesel company, taking a step toward producing eco-friendly bio materials. With proprietary manufacturing technology, Neste earns 80% of their operating income from eco-friendly products made of bio materials. Neste’s bio materials are made from renewable plant-based oil such as waste cooking oil and palm oil, which reduces a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuels. Based on this partnership, LG Chem has explored opportunities to commercialize a wide array of bio materials-based products and strengthened competitiveness in global markets. With a goal to acquire ISCC Plus for eco-friendly resin made of bio materials, LG Chem accelerates their sustainability strategy to reduce carbon emissions and greenhouse gas emissions. ISCC Plus is an international certification program for sustainability that satisfies the world’s strictest criteria of the EU RED (Renewable Energy Directives), and is regarded as the most credible certification for eco-friendly bio products due to the transparent review standards and very demanding certification process.

From acquiring sustainability certification to initial production of eco-friendly product

In April 2021, LG Chem acquired ISCC Plus for nine bio-circular balanced products including SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer), PO (Polyolefin), and PC (Polycarbonate). This achievement gave LG Chem a foundation to earn customer trust in their eco-friendly bio products and accelerate market forays for eco-friendly products. LG Chem acquired ISCC Plus throughout a value chain, ranging from raw materials to production, procurement, and sales. In June 2021, the company manufactured eco-friendly products for the first time at LG Chem’s Yeosu and Iksan facilities, using bio materials supplied by Neste.

LG Chem expands eco-friendly product lineup with the first shipment of SAP for export!

In August 2021, LG Chem mass produced ISCC Plus-certified bio-circular balanced SAP (Super Absorbent Polymer) and shipped the first batch for export. Bio-circular balanced SAP is an eco-friendly material made of renewable cooking oil and palm byproducts, and is used in various products including diapers. Amid growing attention given to eco-friendly materials used in sanitary products, LG Chem exported the first batch of eco-friendly bio products.

Starting with the export of bio-circular balanced SAP, the company is exporting bio-circular balanced NPG, bio-circular balanced phenol, bio-circular balanced acetone, and signed MOUs in various areas to develop eco-friendly products. Specifically, LG Chem signed an MOU with LX Hausys, a Korean company, to cooperate in the eco-friendly PVC window and floor materials business, produce PVC from waste construction materials, and develop and commercialize bio-circular balanced PVC products. The company supplied bio-circular balanced SAP to Yuhan Kimberly, a Korean company, to produce Huggies Nature Made Organic, an eco-friendly diaper brand. In August 2022, LG Chem forged Green Action Alliance with Yuhan Kimberly to develop customized eco-friendly materials for healthy resource circulation. The goal is to promptly reflect customer feedback for sanitary products to accelerate the development of eco-friendly materials and products. LG Chem listens to customers�?voices from the stage of developing raw materials, and widens a lineup of eco-friendly materials and products including naturally derived absorbent, compostable materials, and recycled packaging.

In October 2022, LG Chem signed an MOU with NOX, a Korean flooring materials company, to cooperate in the bio-circular balanced PVC business. Accordingly, LG Chem will supply PVC made of renewable plant-based materials such as waste cooking oil to NOX, and NOX will produce LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile), a high-performing flooring material for residential and commercial use, from them and sell them in 50-plus countries worldwide through their global distribution channels.

In December 2022, LG Chem produced bio-circular balanced ABS products based on plant-based bio materials, acquired ISCC Plus for ABS for the first time in Asia, and supplied the products to Mattel, the largest toy company in North America which currently focuses on developing eco-friendly products.

In April 2023, LG Chem signed a joint research agreement with Gevo, a US eco-friendly fuel company, to commercialize bio propylene by 2026. Gevo will be providing technology for producing propylene from bio ethanol, and LG Chem will engage in joint R&D efforts and build a facility to commercially produce bio propylene. If successfully done, it would be the first commercial ETO (Ethanol to Olefin) technology although currently there is a commercial technology to produce ethylene from bio ethanol derived from fermented sugarcanes and corns.

In April 2021, LG Chem acquired ISCC Plus for nine bio-circular balanced products, and increased the number of ISCC Plus-certified products to 58 as of May 2023. LG Chem endeavors to further increase ISCC Plus-certified products. LG Chem strives to achieve net zero by 2050 and steadily expands their eco-friendly materials business! Leading the global market for eco-friendly materials, LG Chem makes ceaseless efforts to build a sustainable future.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Thu, 11 May 2023 00:50:19 +0000

The cement industry plays a crucial role in construction, producing around 4.1 billion tons globally in 2020, according to the US Geological Survey. However, concerns about the environmental impact of cement production are mounting.

To address this issue, LG Chem has teamed up with several Korean companies and associations, including Sampyo Cement, Hyundai Rotem, the Korean Engineers Alliance, and the Korea Cement Association. The goal of this collaboration is to use waste plastic as a fuel in the cement calcination process and recycle the resulting chlorine dust to promote resource circularity. What benefits can be expected from this joint effort, and what are the plans for achieving a more sustainable future?

Waste plastic used as fuel in cement calcination process

Before exploring how waste plastic can be used in , let’s take a closer look at the cement manufacturing process. In the calcination furnace, limestone (CaCO�? is heated to temperatures exceeding 1,400 degrees Celsius, producing quicklime (CCaO). The quicklime is then mixed with silica, iron, and other materials to create clinker, which is crushed after it cools. Gypsum is added to the crushed clinker, resulting in the cement commonly known.

Unfortunately, calcination typically relies on fossil fuels like bituminous coal, which generates carbon dioxide. To address this issue, waste tires and plastic have been used as fuel alternatives to achieve carbon neutrality. By incorporating waste plastic into the calcination process, resources can be recycled while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A study by Professor Jae-Geun Bae from the Department of Environmental Engineering at Seoul National University of Science and Technology found that using waste materials as raw materials and fuel for cement production could potentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 2.68 million tons per year and save approximately annually in fuel import costs.

While many cement companies still use bituminous coal as their primary fuel source, there is a growing trend of using waste plastics as fuel due to their high biomass content and potential to address waste disposal issues. However, there are challenges associated with this approach. One of the main concerns is the generation of chlorine dust during the combustion of waste plastics.

Chlorine dust generated during the combustion of waste plastics

Chlorine dust is a waste material generated during the combustion of plastic waste that can be difficult to recycle and often ends up in landfills. When waste plastics are incinerated as fuel in cement plants, chlorine dust can accumulate on the preheater walls, obstructing the flow of raw materials and decreasing operational efficiency. One of the reasons for the collaboration among LG Chem, Sampyo Cement, Hyundai Rotem, the Korean Engineers Alliance, and the Korea Cement Association is to address the issue of chlorine dust and make it easier to recycle.

Hyundai Rotem is partnering with Anytech, a specialized environmental equipment company in Korea, to establish resource circulation facilities and apply resource circulation technology. This technology converts chlorine dust into potassium chloride (KCI), a raw material used in fertilizer production. Moreover, this process can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by utilizing carbon dioxide generated during cement production. By improving recycling and reducing emissions, cement manufacturing facilities are expected to become more sustainable.

LG Chem aims to employ process technologies that combine chemical and physical methods to prevent chlorine from adhering to the inside of the furnace and to enhance the stability of the potassium chloride resource utilization facility. Additionally, 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. To achieve this, they aim to increase the purity of potassium chloride (KCI) produced by the resource utilization process for chlorine dust. This collaboration is expected to help develop these materials domestically, as the production of potassium, which is the raw material for potassium hydroxide and potassium carbonate, is challenging domestically and Korea is entirely dependent on imports.

LG Chem establishs an ecosystem where resources are circulated in a closed loop

Based on this collaboration, Sampyo Cement plans to more actively utilize waste plastics as alternative fuels. They also plan to optimize the mineralization process of both chlorine dust and carbon dioxide generated during cement production, as well as the evaporation and concentration process for the production of potassium chloride. They will promote zero-waste landfilling based on these efforts. The Korean Engineers Alliance plans to propose effective policies for resource circulation to the government, local governments, and public agencies, and continuously raise awareness of the importance and necessity of resource circulation through lectures and events. The Korea Cement Association plans to expand the waste plastic resource platform being developed to the entire cement industry.

Several industry companies and associations, including LG Chem, Sampyo Cement, Hyundai Rotem, Korean Engineers Alliance, and Korea Cement Association, have come together to promote the use of plastic waste as fuel and collaborate on solutions to the challenges faced in the process, such as the treatment of chlorine dust. They aim to accelerate the advancement of plastic waste-to-fuel technology.

LG Chem aims to create a circular economy for plastic waste by developing and implementing technologies that promote resource circulation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. LG Chem is committed to working with their partners to create a better future.

The post Turning discarded plastic into fuel? Creating a circular economy where waste plastic resources are reused. appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Wed, 10 May 2023 00:50:10 +0000

In July 2021, LG Chem launched LETZero, an integrated eco-friendly product brand aimed at making a difference. LETZero focuses on reducing carbon emissions in the raw material stage and offers three product lines: 1) Recycled materials that are produced by reprocessing discarded plastics through mechanical and chemical methods, 2) Bio-Circular Balanced materials that utilize renewable materials derived from plant-based oils, which effectively reduce carbon emissions during the raw material stage, and 3) Compostable materials which are environmentally friendly and naturally decomposable. In August 2021, LG Chem successfully began mass-producing Bio-Circular Balanced SAP and achieved their first export, continuing to expand their eco-friendly product business. Recently, LG Chem produced eco-friendly remote controls and set-top boxes using LETZero materials. Let’s explore LG Chem’s lineup of environmentally friendly solutions that contribute to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

From Discarded Appliances to New Appliances:
Making Use of Plastic Waste for the Production of Electronics!

In collaboration with LG U+, a mobile network operator in South Korea, LG Chem developed PCR ABS material for remote controls, which was launched in October 2022. Prior to this, LG Chem had been a leader in plastic recycling with PCR ABS, a recycled material in pellet-form material derived from post-consumer plastic waste. PCR (Post-Consumer Recycled) materials are created by collecting and recycling plastic waste discarded by consumers. ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) is a polymer composed of acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene, known for its durability and resistance to impact and heat, as well as its versatility in terms of shapes and colors. It is widely used as a material for various products, including appliances, office equipment, automotive interior and exterior components, and toys. PCR ABS specifically utilizes post-consumer plastic waste and recycles it into ABS material for reuse.

The introduction of LG Chem and LG U+’s PCR ABS remote control is expected to annually reduce approximately 11 tons of plastic and carbon emissions by around 3.3 tons (tonCO�?eq). To put this into perspective, it is equivalent to planting 500 pine trees, considering that a 30-year-old pine tree absorbs approximately 6.6 kg of CO�?per year. Eco-friendly remote controls will be provided to new LG U+ TV subscribers starting from January 2023.

Following the production of eco-friendly remote controls, in October 2022, LG Chem signed an MOU with KT, a broadcasting and telecommunication network operator in South Korea, as well as Gaon Media, Marssis, KT SkyLife, and HCN, to manufacture eco-friendly set-top boxes. KT plans to complete a resource circulation process by extracting approximately 300 tons of plastic waste, including set-top boxes generated by the KT Group annually, through LG Chem’s recycling process and partnerships with other companies to produce eco-friendly set-top boxes using recycled materials.

The recycled material used in eco-friendly set-top boxes is PCR PC, made from recycled polycarbonate (PC), a material that is 150 times stronger than reinforced glass and can withstand temperatures above 120°C. PC is widely used in various fields, from electronic devices like smartphones to automotive parts and aircraft materials. It is mechanically recycled as one of the representative methods. The collected plastic is crushed, cleaned, melted, and formed into pellets. PCR PC is then created by blending a certain proportion of recycled material with new PC material, producing PCR PC with equivalent impact resistance, heat resistance, and transparency as new PC for various applications.

LG Chem and KT plan to produce approximately 10,000 units of eco-friendly set-top boxes for the upcoming GenieTV in 2022. Furthermore, starting next year, LG Chem will expand production to supply around 5 million units of eco-friendly terminal devices annually and aim to apply them to more than 20 million units by 2027.

LG Chem: Leading the Way in Developing and Promoting Eco-Friendly Products!

LG Chem is at the forefront of developing and promoting eco-friendly products. The company has introduced Asia’s first plant-based eco-friendly ABS and obtained ISCC PLUS certification. ABS is a high-performance plastic known for its excellent heat resistance and impact resistance, and it is LG Chem’s top-selling product globally. The newly launched eco-friendly ABS utilizes renewable bio-based materials and is certified with ISCC PLUS, marking LG Chem’s pioneering entry into the eco-friendly ABS market in Asia. Under their integrated eco-friendly brand, ‘LETZero,’ LG Chem has released eco-friendly high-performance plastics as part of the 2050 Net Zero initiative. LG Chem has plans to actively expand and lead the market for eco-friendly high-performance plastics.

As part of their sustainability strategy, LG Chem has introduced bio-based diapers and flooring materials. Additionally, LG Chem has also released eco-friendly remote controls, set-top boxes, and other products that utilize recycled plastics, taking the lead in carbon neutrality and resource circulation efforts. Moving forward, LG Chem will continue to drive the global market with sustainable materials and a focus on eco-friendly products. LG Chem is committed to being an environmentally conscious company and working towards achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

The post Remote Controls and Set-Top Boxes Made from Recycled Plastic: Introducing Products Reborn with LG Chem’s Eco-Friendly Integrated Brand, LETZero. appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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lgchemitopia — Tue, 09 May 2023 00:50:04 +0000

LG Chem is actively addressing global environmental issues through sustainable strategies, including plastic recycling. We convert used plastic waste into pellets and blend them with a certain proportion of conventional plastics to produce new products. Our PCR (Post-Consumer Recycled) method focuses on creating products like PCR PC (Polycarbonate) from recycled plastic obtained from consumer end-products. To enhance recycled plastics capabilities, explore new business opportunities, and conduct research and development, we have established a new team called TDR (Tear Down & Redesign). It goes by the name Phoenix TDR, which implies a remarkable transformation. It’s said that they work like a startup. Take a look at the interview from Phoenix TDR team, exclusively responsible for LG Chem’s “Eco-Engineering Plastics” business.

Phoenix TDR, Moving Faster Than Others to Expand the Recycling Plastic Business

Hello! Please introduce yourselves.

•Min-Ji Kim, Professional: Hello, I’m Min-Ji Kim from LG Chem’s Engineering Materials Business Division, working in the Phoenix TDR team. I’m responsible for sourcing raw materials and discovering new suppliers.

•Byung-JunPark, Specialist: Hello, I’m Byung-Jun Park, working in the Customer Development team of the Business Development Department. I handle tasks ranging from introducing sustainable materials to customers to conducting sales and technical activities for expanding customer development in the future.

•Young-Kyung Kwon, Specialist: Hello! I’m Young-Kyung Kwon from the Planning team in the Business Development Department. I conduct environmental impact assessments and social value evaluations for the entire production process, while also supporting sustainability-related tasks.

•Ki-Jae Lee, Professional: I’m Ki-Jae Lee, in charge of the Chemical PCR Development team. I belong to the PC department, overseeing the chemical decomposition development of discarded PC materials and coordinating various tasks related to biodegradability and process application.

•Min-Soo Kim, Specialist: Nice to meet you! I’m Min-Soo Kim from the Mechanical PCR Development team. I’m responsible for developing mechanical recycling technologies, specifically focusing on material development for automotive applications.

The team name is Phoenix, but why is it called Phoenix TDR?

•Byung-Jun Park, Specialist: Phoenix TDR was established in September 2020 with the aim of strengthening its capabilities and focusing on growing businesses in sustainable areas such as recycling plastics and bio-plastics, which have gained significant interest. The team comprises the Business Development Team, M-PCR Team, and C-PCR Team, working together within a single organization to fulfill various functions, including customer development, supply chain management, environmental assessments, and material and process development. The name “Phoenix” was chosen to symbolize the concept of rebirth and renewal. Just like a phoenix that rises from ashes, our team is dedicated to promoting the circularity and regeneration of plastics.

I heard that you work in an environment similar to a startup within LG Chem. What aspects make it comparable to a startup?

•Byung-Jun Park, Specialist: Phoenix TDR aims to establish partnerships where we not only introduce current mechanical/chemical recycling materials but also collaborate with customers on future technologies to meet their evolving needs. We strive to expand PCR products to all customers, moving away from the traditional petroleum-based plastics industry. By embracing this approach, we are venturing into new business areas, making us comparable to a startup.

•Min-Ji Kim, Professional: As a team exploring new business domains, we actively foster a unique system within LG Chem by closely collaborating with experts from diverse fields. This allows us to approach tasks differently, break away from conventional methods, and initiate new projects, enabling rapid progress. Despite being in a new field, our team’s passion to achieve goals outweighs the fear of failure, which truly embodies the spirit of a startup.

•Ki-Jae Lee, Professional: Since our work involves PCR material development, it is crucial to have a space where free opinions and thoughts can be expressed. In this regard, our team cultivates a work environment reminiscent of a startup. We follow practices such as using English names instead of job titles and have team ground rules that promote flexible scheduling of meetings anytime and anywhere. This horizontal and open work atmosphere aligns well with the dynamic culture of startups.

Shock-absorbent Lightweight Eco-friendly Plastic, PCR PC!

What is PCR PC handled by Phoenix TDR?

•Min-Soo Kim, Specialist: PCR PC is a polycarbonate made from recycled plastic that has been discarded after use. It is an engineering plastic, which is a high-performance plastic material that can replace metals. It exhibits excellent impact resistance, heat resistance, and transparency, making it widely used in industrial applications. We receive PCR PC raw materials from specialized suppliers and apply them in compounds. Leveraging our extensive portfolio and compound expertise, we develop PCR PC by applying LG Chem’s unique compound know-how to the supplied raw materials.

Are there any special competitive advantages or technological strengths that differentiate LG Chem from other products in the market?

•Min-Soo Kim, Specialist: Customers require PCR content that matches the properties of their existing products. We have responded to this demand by incorporating PCR into a diverse range of products, building a robust portfolio of PCR offerings. Currently, our PCR products demonstrate performance levels on par with virgin materials, providing us with a significant advantage in the future recycled plastics market.

•Ki-Jae Lee, Professional: Although the technology for chemically recycling polycarbonate (PC) is widely known, there are no commercial cases yet, possibly due to economic considerations. We have developed a chemical recycling technology that not only regenerates PC from discarded PC but also purifies and recovers DEC (Diethyl carbonate), a byproduct of the decomposition process. This enables us to explore value-added applications like battery electrolytes, where we convert, refine, and recover DEC into compounds such as EMC (Ethyl methyl carbonate). This technological advantage positions us as a driving force towards commercialization and contributes to eco-friendly battery electrolyte products.

•Byung-Jun Park, Specialist: LG Chem stands out from other companies with its ability to achieve properties equivalent to virgin materials. While most companies incorporate PCR content up to 30~35%, LG Chem can incorporate PCR at levels of 50% or even up to 90% while maintaining minimal variations in properties and appearance. We can supply such high-quality PCR globally with a single formulation. Unlike our competitors, who often have varying qualities and recipes across their global sites, LG Chem has established integrated global quality standards, sourcing, and recipes. This allows us to consistently produce high-quality products in any of our facilities.

What is the market positioning of LG Chem’s PCR PC?

•Young-Kyung Kwon, Specialist: The global recognition of the severity of global warming and the ocean plastic issue has led to an increased demand for PCR PC. This eco-friendly material can contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and recycling waste plastics. As a result, international initiatives and global companies are actively promoting or mandating the use of PCR PC. According to market research firm MarketsandMarkets, the global market for eco-friendly plastics is projected to grow from 11.85 trillion KRW in 2020 to 31.5 trillion KRW in 2025.

While the demand for eco-friendly plastics is on the rise, there are not many companies that possess the technology and expertise to achieve PCR PC with the same quality level as virgin PC. Our PCR PC demonstrates properties and color implementation comparable to virgin PC, positioning us as leaders in developing technology and pioneering the PCR PC market.

•Byung-Jun Park, Specialist: Currently, global IT customers have a strong demand for PCR products with PCR content exceeding 60%. However, as the PCR content increases, there is a risk to the product’s quality. We are continuously developing high-quality products with high PCR content to effectively meet customer demands. Additionally, we are making consistent efforts to significantly reduce carbon emissions per product. In response to the growing shift towards sustainability in the automotive industry, we are proactively engaging with customers, maintaining consistent communication, and striving to incorporate and apply materials that meet their requirements.

What products is PCR PC currently being applied to, and where can it be applied in the future? What are the prospects and demand for PCR PC and recycled plastics in the market?

•Min-Ji Kim, Professional: Recycled plastics can be applied to a wide range of products that traditionally use PC or PC/ABS. Particularly in the field of electrical/electronic products, there has been a long-standing need for eco-friendly materials, which LG Chem has been able to meet. In addition to conventional IT products such as laptops, tablets, monitors, and printers, recycled plastics are now being applied to AI speakers, expanding their applications. Looking ahead, we expect recycled plastics to be widely adopted in automotive interior and exterior materials, consumer goods, industrial products, and various other areas.

Mechanical Recycling and Chemical Recycling

How does mechanical recycling differ from chemical recycling?

•Ki-Jae Lee, Professional: Mechanical recycling (MR) is a process in which post-consumer plastics are crushed, undergo basic cleaning, and are then melted to produce recycled pellets. The plastics used in mechanical recycling contain not only the main polymer but also various additives. However, during the high-temperature *melting process in mechanical recycling, both the polymer and additives undergo deformation, leading to a gradual weakening of the plastic’s inherent properties after multiple recycling cycles. To address these limitations, recent advancements have focused on extracting specific polymers or breaking down the polymer structure into smaller units called monomers. This allows for the recovery of pure monomeric substances that can be re-polymerized and used in various industries. This set of processes is known as chemical recycling (CR).

*melting: refers to the process in which a solid substance absorbs energy and undergoes a state change into a liquid.

What is the most important aspect when developing materials for mechanical recycling?

•Min-Soo Kim, Specialist: Even if the quality of the raw materials is good, there may be slight differences in mechanically recycled PCR materials compared to virgin materials. Our team is dedicated to finding solutions to address this issue. Additionally, we focus on collecting various data, such as conducting long-term heat resistance evaluations, to build trust with our customers.

Then, what specifically is the process of chemical recycling?

•Ki-Jae Lee, Professional: In the C-PCR development team, we are working on two approaches to chemical recycling. One is the “non-destructive purification” technology, which cleanly recovers only the PC polymer from waste PC compounds. The other is the “decomposition purification” technology, which chemically decomposes the raw materials to recover the monomer BPA (Bisphenol A) that makes up PC.

To put it simply, non-destructive purification is like washing a T-shirt printed with paint in a special way to turn it back into a white T-shirt. The resulting PC is purer, with additives and impurities removed, and it exhibits excellent properties, making it easy to reprocess.

Decomposition purification, on the other hand, can be compared to turning discarded T-shirts back into white threads. With these white threads, we can create different types of T-shirts as desired. Of course, the process is more complex and requires relatively more energy compared to non-destructive purification, but with the obtained threads, we can make white T-shirts of various sizes or create other products such as shoes or blankets.

How advanced is the development of chemical recycling technology?

•Ki-Jae Lee, Professional: Currently, the decomposition purification technology has undergone initial experiments and has been optimized to the point where we can recover BPA (Bisphenol A) at a level comparable to petroleum-based chemicals. Our goal is to collaborate with the process team within our department to initiate the design of a commercialization process (Plant) by 2024. Additionally, in the C-PCR development team, we are also working on the development of chemical recycling technology for PET (Polyethylene terephthalate). At Phoenix TDR, we are simultaneously considering the introduction of external technologies and the development of in-house technologies for the chemical recycling of PET. This technology aims to achieve upcycling by converting waste PET into our PBT/TPEE copolymer products.

Since recycled materials are used, there must be considerations in supply chain management as well.

•Min-Ji Kim, Professional: PCR PC is made from collected and discarded products. Although it uses recycled materials, we have our own strict quality standards and manage recycled materials in four grades. The highest grade of recycled PC can achieve any color and has properties similar to virgin PC. To produce high-quality PCR PC, securing high-quality and clean waste PC feedstock is crucial. When visiting recycled feedstock suppliers for the first time, we sometimes face difficulties in convincing them due to our stringent quality control standards appearing too demanding.

What has been the response from customers regarding recycled materials?

•Byung-Jun Park, Specialist: Automotive customers have been more cautious in adopting recycled materials compared to IT companies, primarily due to their limited experience with such materials. Since recycled materials are still in the early stages and unfamiliar to them, automotive customers have shown a somewhat reserved approach. However, they are continuously expressing interest and evaluating the feasibility of adoption. Consequently, I anticipate an increase in demand for recycled materials in the future.

On the other hand, while Korea is known for its high recycling rates, the reuse rate of recycled materials is not as high. As a result, the recycled plastic market is not as active as in advanced countries, and expanding business in this new area poses challenges. To stimulate the market and meet the growing demand, it is necessary to devise strategies at both the national and corporate levels to increase the reuse rate of plastic and establish supportive regulations. Additionally, raising awareness and perception of recycled plastic is crucial. If the country and businesses actively promote the utilization of recycled plastic, it will become a trend and effectively convey the commitment to sustainability to end consumers.

What environmental impact does PCR PC have throughout its life cycle?

•Young-Kyung Kwon, Specialist: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) evaluates the environmental impact of industrial activities, including products and services. From an environmental perspective, PCR PC offers a significant advantage in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. By substituting post-consumer plastic for petroleum, which has high emissions, we can produce PC while reducing the use of petroleum resources and contributing to greenhouse gas reduction. Incorporating 50% recycled pellets in PCR PC production can result in over 40% carbon emissions reduction compared to 100% virgin PC.

Furthermore, there are also benefits in terms of water and energy usage. Throughout the product’s entire process, we can save water and energy that would otherwise be required for petroleum extraction and refining. These energy savings, in turn, contribute to greenhouse gas reduction.

Sustainability should be considered not only from an environmental standpoint but also from a social value perspective. We have recently collaborated with Pre-Sustainability, the developer of SimaPro* software, to conduct a social value assessment of LG Chem products.

*SimaPro: A tool used to calculate sustainability and environmental impact.

Phoenix TDR aspires to make a positive environmental impact and envisions a future where sustainable products are developed.

If you have any personal goals or aspirations in Phoenix TDR, what are they?

•Min-Ji Kim, Professional: In a global era where reducing plastic consumption is crucial, I hope for the availability of more easily recyclable and sorted plastics. It is within my responsibilities to explore new suppliers and ensure high-quality standards to establish a stable PCR business.

•Min-Soo Kim, Specialist: In the automotive interior and exterior materials industry, we are relatively behind in implementing recycled plastics compared to the electronics industry. Therefore, we aim to proactively prepare materials and secure a product lineup that can be offered to customers ahead of time. To achieve this, I will conduct extensive experiments, gather sufficient data, and strive to become a market leader.

•Young-Kyung Kwon, Specialist: I am interested in exploring the development of a Closed Loop Recycled Contents* business to enhance recycling efficiency and improve the quality of PCR products. Additionally, I aim to establish a system that considers both the environmental and social aspects in order to develop sustainable products.

*Close Loop Recycled Contents: A closed-loop structure where a material is used as a raw material, goes through the consumer cycle, and is then recycled back into raw material form.

Finally, if there’s anything else you would like to say?

•Ki-Jae Lee, Professional: As a member of the C-PCR development team, my ultimate goal is to establish a factory and become a pioneer and trendsetter in the commercialization of recycled plastics. As researchers, there is no greater satisfaction than witnessing the technologies we develop in the lab being implemented and commercialized in LG Chem, benefiting both the company and the environment. I hope that Phoenix TDR remains committed to our original intentions, working together collaboratively and seamlessly until the day we become the world’s first. We can do it!

•Young-Kyung Kwon, Specialist: Considering that the petrochemical industry has a significant environmental impact, I believe that pursuing sustainable initiatives in this field plays a crucial role in addressing environmental issues. The work undertaken by Phoenix TDR holds value beyond mere economic profit, and I take pride in being a team member contributing to the PCR PC business.

•Min-Soo Kim, Specialist: With the issue of plastic waste spreading in all directions, eco-friendly plastics have become indispensable. LG Chem is recognized as one of the industry’s pioneers in declaring carbon neutrality, demonstrating our early awareness of this problem. Personally, I have immense pride in the ongoing mechanical recycling development work we are engaged in. It goes beyond generating profits for the company and contributes, even if only in a small way, to preserving the environment.

Plastic is no longer just a single-use material; it has transformed into a recyclable resource. We are dedicated to the collection and utilization of post-consumer plastics through recycling. We apply these recycled materials to a wide range of products while continuously researching and developing the necessary technologies. Our aim is to make significant strides in carbon reduction. We kindly request your support for Phoenix TDR as we work at the forefront of developing eco-friendly plastics and expanding our business.

The post Introducing LG Chem’s Phoenix TDR: Creating eco-friendly plastics! appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Mon, 08 May 2023 00:50:33 +0000

The post Chemical Recycling, beyond the limits of recycled plastic appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Sun, 07 May 2023 00:50:55 +0000

LG Chem has embarked on a project focused on researching and developing innovative plastic materials through the recycling of waste plastics. Among our notable research achievements is the development of PCR (Post-Consumer Recycle) ABS, a plastic product that matches the properties of traditional plastics. Leveraging our pioneering technological capabilities in the chemical industry, we have successfully produced recycled plastics in white color. Recycling waste plastics is considered the most expedient approach to achieving our goal of reducing carbon emissions by 2050, and its significance is expected to grow even further in the future. Now, let’s meet two researchers from this project who have been aligning with market trends, prioritizing eco-friendly circularity, and diligently developing and researching products to meet the needs of customers. Are you ready to dive into their insightful story? Take a look at the interview from our researchers!

Stories of Researchers Striving for New Plastic Development and Research

Hello! Please introduce yourself and tell us about your current responsibilities.

•Seo-Hwa Kim, PL: Hello, I’m Seo-Hwa Kim, responsible for ABS material development at the Styrenics Center, HME PJT, within LG Chem’s Petrochemical Research Institute. My research primarily focuses on developing PCR ABS using waste plastics as raw materials. Additionally, I work on creating materials that can achieve the popular metallic look in high-end home appliances without the need for coating processes. Furthermore, I’m involved in developing extrusion materials with improved chemical resistance for refrigerators, incorporating environmentally friendly foaming agents.

•Chang-Sul Kim, Team Leader: Hello, I’m Chang-Sul Kim, a team leader in the Product Planning Team of the ABS Business Division at LG Chem’s Petrochemical Business Headquarters. My responsibilities involve product planning for materials used in home appliances, electrical and electronic products. Within our team, we analyze the characteristics and regulatory requirements of plastics for various applications. We collaborate closely with the research and development department to identify and propose marketable materials.

Could you please briefly explain what LG Chem’s ABS is?

•Seo-Hwa Kim (PL), Kim Chang-sool (Team Leader): ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) is one of the key plastic products developed by LG Chem’s Petrochemicals Business Division, holding the top global market share. ABS is a high-performance plastic known for its excellent impact resistance, heat resistance, and appearance. It exhibits exceptional processability and can be molded into various shapes and colors. LG Chem produces 2.05 million tons of ABS annually worldwide, and it is used as a material in a wide range of products, including household appliances, office equipment, automotive interior/exterior parts, and toys.

So, what is the PCR-ABS material that you both are collaborating on for development and research?

•Seo-Hwa Kim, PL: PCR material stands for Post-Consumer Recycled material, which is a type of plastic material produced by recycling plastics that customers have used and discarded. It involves collecting and processing plastic waste from end-consumer products, such as shredding and separating the plastic, and applying our researched technology to create a new material. Our research objective was to develop PCR ABS that could meet the same level of quality as traditional plastic (ABS) materials. Currently, the products made from PCR ABS exhibit such high quality that they are visually indistinguishable from those made from traditional plastics.

What motivated you to undertake this project?

•Seo-Hwa Kim, PL: Global plastic production amounts to approximately 390 million tons annually (as of 2021). However, only about 40% of this is collected for recycling purposes. With the goal of reducing plastic waste and creating environmentally friendly products, we embarked on the research and development project for PCR ABS.

•Chang-Sul Kim, Team Leader: Firstly, we recognized the significant market potential of PCR ABS products. As environmental regulations become stricter in various countries worldwide, there is a growing business trend of using recycled plastics as raw materials. Moreover, it presents an opportunity to involve consumers in a circular economy, alongside companies, adding value to their participation.

There are various methods of recycling plastic. What are the different recycling methods and how do they work?

•Seo-Hwa Kim (PL), Chang-Sul Kim (Team Leader): That’s correct. There are several methods for recycling plastic, including mechanical, chemical, and thermal recycling.

Firstly, mechanical recycling involves changing the physical form of collected plastic without altering its chemical structure. The collected plastic is sorted into the same type of plastic material and then reprocessed. This method is applicable to certain polyolefins and PET materials.

Chemical recycling, on the other hand, involves changing the chemical structure of the recycled plastic to regenerate it into raw materials. However, applying this method to resins with complex compositions like ABS can be challenging, as it requires complex reactions and processes. Therefore, it is limited to plastics composed of single materials such as PE (Polyethylene), PP (Polypropylene), and PS (Polystyrene).

Lastly, thermal recycling utilizes the high calorific value of the plastic itself as a heat energy recovery method. It involves incinerating plastic to generate energy, but it also produces harmful substances, resulting in relatively low recycling efficiency.

Recently, there has been increasing attention on mechanical recycling, which allows plastic to be recycled into the same type of plastic (virgin plastic) without significantly affecting its composition and structural form. We also developed PCR ABS material through the mechanical recycling method. However, it’s important to note that if different types of plastics are mixed together, the mechanical properties, appearance, processability, and other characteristics of the plastic can be significantly compromised, making it difficult to use. Therefore, it is crucial to separate plastics by type to achieve higher purity.

What is the process of developing PCR ABS?

•Seo-Hwa Kim, PL: The development of PCR ABS involves several steps. Firstly, we receive discarded electronics, plastic products, and other materials from specialized recycling companies, which are converted into pellet form, the initial raw material stage. The first crucial step is sorting the provided pellets, particularly ABS, among the various types of plastics such as ABS, PP, PE, and PS. With advancements in separation technologies driven by the increasing global demand for plastic recycling, we employ these technologies to remove impurities and ensure high purity during the separation process. The resulting recycled material is then mixed with virgin materials to create the final PCR-ABS product.

What are the technological capabilities and unique advantages of LG Chem’s PCR ABS in this research and development?

•Seo-Hwa Kim (PL), Chang-Sul Kim (Team Leader): LG Chem’s PCR ABS possesses several technological capabilities and unique advantages. Firstly, we have developed the capabilities to produce PCR ABS at a level comparable to that of conventional plastics. Additionally, we have achieved a breakthrough in producing white-colored PCR ABS, which is a significant advancement. Previously, due to the nature of waste plastic, recycled plastic products often had mixed colors, resulting in darker shades like black or gray. The recycled plastic materials supplied by our collaborating companies for PCR ABS development were mostly in black or gray colors, posing challenges in achieving high whiteness in the final product.

To overcome this challenge, our research team and color design team set a target color value and meticulously examined LG Chem’s existing technologies to bridge the gap between the target value and the actual value. Our research direction focused on the selection and blending of white pigments and the development of core formulations to enhance whiteness. Through extensive research and analysis, we discovered that the material used for the interior walls of refrigerators exhibited excellent whiteness compared to other materials. Building on this insight, we devised our unique solution and successfully obtained the final PCR ABS with the desired whiteness.

If there were any difficulties during the research and development, what were they? And what is needed for a more advanced future?

•Seo-Hwa Kim, PL: The research and development of PCR presented unique challenges compared to developing new products. Dealing with materials that have uncontrollable characteristics posed difficulties despite our efforts to enhance their properties. Challenges such as color, impurities, and properties of the PCR source (the final product used by consumers) had limitations that were not easily overcome. These uncertainties and doubts about surpassing the limitations of PCR products and creating satisfying customer products were perplexing during the early stages of research.

Fortunately, we overcame many challenges and succeeded in product development. However, for the long-term sustainability of the PCR material market, it is crucial to secure as many cleanly sorted PCR sources as possible. To achieve this, it is essential to consider reusability from the development stage of plastic appliances by selecting materials, product structures, colors, etc., that facilitate easy separation and disposal. Additionally, policy measures are needed to establish a system that promotes plastic circulation.

•Chang-Sul Kim, Team Leader: From the perspective of establishing a resource circulation ecosystem, deriving new ideas for product development posed challenges. It was not an easy task to create products that go beyond simple blending of recycled resins and meet customers’ expectations.

Of course, the joy of finding solutions to challenging problems is indescribable. However, building a global circular ecosystem requires significant policy support. It is necessary to communicate that recycled plastics are not waste but an integral part of sustainable lives and provide incentives to customers who contribute to recycling. Active support for policies that foster medium-sized companies participating in building a recycling ecosystem is also essential.

Lastly, please tell us about your vision and goals for the future!

•Seo-Hwa Kim, PL: After facing numerous challenges and putting in relentless effort, we successfully completed the development of PCR technology in June 2020. We achieved the ability to produce PCR materials on the existing ABS production line. Currently, our focus is on introducing new products to various customers while considering their specific requirements in terms of form, design, and color. Our goal is to develop PCR materials that meet these specifications and successfully deliver them. Furthermore, to secure a leading position in the emerging PCR ABS material market, we aim to develop materials with higher PCR content following this initial development. Our ultimate vision is to develop recyclable plastics by diversifying the sources of PCR materials, incorporating new colors suitable for PCR materials, and conducting continuous research and development. We aspire to contribute to LG Chem’s sustainability strategy by promoting various forms of easy reuse.

•Chang-Sul Kim, Team Leader: In reality, it feels like we are just at the beginning stage. However, one thing is clear: recycling should provide benefits to customers. We need to apply advanced technologies that ensure recycling is advantageous to customers, rather than merely creating products for the purpose of recycling. It is crucial for us to collaborate with customers to establish a proper circular ecosystem. We will strive to introduce transparent recyclable products in the market and actively seek ideas and solutions by considering real-life situations to make recycling more customer-oriented.

Plastics are no longer considered mere waste; they hold intrinsic value and contribute to social welfare. To realize this potential, individual efforts from users, coupled with policy support and active research and investment from companies, are vital. We remain committed to spearheading sustainable material research and establishing a circular resource ecosystem that encompasses plastics.

The post Creating New Plastics by Utilizing Waste Plastics! Interview with Researchers in PCR ABS Product Development appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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LG화학 블로그지기 — Thu, 04 May 2023 00:50:02 +0000

Cathode materials are a critical part of electric vehicle (EV) batteries, representing nearly 40% of battery production costs, and determining car performance in terms of travel distance, charge capacity, and discharge capacity. Last year, LG Chem built a facility to mass produce cathode materials, able to manufacture 120,000 tons per year. Learn more about LG Chem’s cathode materials.

Cathode materials, a critical element that decides a battery capacity and life

A lithium-ion battery consists of cathode material, anode material, a separator, and electrolytes. Among these, cathode materials are a source of lithium-ions, with the type of active cathode material* determining the battery’s capacity and average voltage. To increase energy density, it is important to maximize the energy density of active cathode materials such as nickel, manganese, cobalt, and aluminum. Nickel has high capacity, manganese and cobalt improve stability, and aluminum enhances output. These materials are mixed at various ratios, and the two most widely used mixtures are NCM (Li, O, Ni, Co, Mn) and NCA (Li, Ni, Co, Al, O).

* Active cathode materials: Materials that involve in a battery’s electrode reaction at a cathode (e.g. lithium oxides)

Structures and characteristics of cathode materials

The type of cathode materials affects a battery’s voltage, which is decided by a potential difference between a positive and a negative electrode. Cathode materials include LCO, NCM, NCA, LMO, and LFP depending on the composition of metal salt; by structure, they have three types: layered, spinel, and olivine.

A *layered structure enables to store a large number of lithium-ions between flat and wide layers. Ternary alloy including LCO, NCM, and NCA has a layered structure. LCO (Li, Co, O) is a basic form of cathode materials, and is widely used in small IT products including smartphones and laptops. LCO gives a long battery life, but is hardly used in car batteries because it has a lower energy density compared to NCM and NCA

NCM is a cathode material that added nickel and manganese to LCO. Cobalt in LCO is broken down and reconstructed with nickel, cobalt, and manganese. Recently, growing attention is given to NCM811(80% Ni, 10% Co, 10% Mn), which shows good energy efficiency due to the high content of Ni. NCA is a cathode material consisting of lithium, cobalt, aluminum, and oxygen. It has a high energy density, but due to its low level of safety, it is mostly used in small batteries.

LMO has a *spinel structure─a common structure for oxides─and less expensive by using manganese in place of cobalt. Its three-dimensional grid structure gives excellent stability. However, it has a small energy capacity and a short life. LFP has an *olivine structure whose hexahedral shape enhances stability. Performance deterioration due to charging/discharging is limited, and LFP resists heat very well. It is also economical as it uses iron instead of costly cobalt. However, compared to other cathode materials, LFP has a lower energy density, lower electric conductivity, and lower diffusion of lithium ions.

*Layered structure: The most straightforward structure of LiMO2 (M: Ni, Co, Mn)
*Spinel structure: Named after the stone spinel (MgAl2O4) also known as gahnite
*Olivine structure: A grid structure consisting of organically linked crystal hexahedrons

Manufacturing process of cathode materials

Manufacturing cathode materials goes through the stages of pre-treatment, first-round firing, post-treatment, and second-round firing. First, raw materials of *precursor and lithium are mixed with additives that are used to enhance safety. This mixture goes through a first round of firing in a kiln─temperature of 700~900℃─to synthesize with lithium oxide through oxidization.

This mixture goes through two rounds of crushing to produce powders of an optimal size called “crack,�?and then goes through sifting and removal of iron to increase the purity of nickel. This is called a post-treatment. Then the semi-finished product is blended with a coating material for surface safety, and goes through a second round of firing at a temperature of 300~400�? After another round of sifting, the final product is completed.

*Precursor: A material in the stage right before the final material A that is produced in a given chemical reaction. In a battery, a precursor indicates materials that make up cathode materials.

Cathode material plant with annual capacity of 120,000 tons

LG Chem’s fourth plant in Cheongju, Korea, is the world’s first facility with an annual production capacity of 10,000 tons of cathode materials per line. They started operation in the second half of 2022. The new production line is the same size as their competitors, but the hourly output volume is more than twice. The company will add two more lines to increase the annual output from the current 120,000 tons to 280,000 tons by 2026. Efforts are underway to develop cobalt free technology to reduce the use of cobalt which has high price volatility, and single crystal cathode materials for next-generation all-solid-state batteries.

LG Chem invested about $400 million (KRW 500 billion) in a cathode materials plant on a 60,000m² site within the fifth national industrial complex in Gumi, Korea. The company plans to complete the construction within 2023 and start operation. The Gumi plant will have exclusive production lines for NCMA (Ni, Co, Mn, Al) used in next-generation EV batteries.

LG Chem signed an MOU to build a cathode materials plant in Tennessee, U.S., with 120,000 tons of annual output capacity. The construction will begin in 2023, and the plant will start operation in late 2025 to produce 120,000 tons of cathode materials annually by 2027.

The company’s target is to achieve a quadruple growth of the battery materials business by increasing revenues from about $3.8 billion (KRW 5 trillion) in 2022 to roughly $15.4 billion (KRW 20 trillion) by 2027. LG Chem is keep making bold investments in technology and facility to become a leading global company for EV battery materials.

The post LG Chem, a leader in the market for battery materials! Find out how the company built a plant to produce 120,000 tons of cathode materials each year appeared first on LG Chem Blog.

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