LG Chem Produces Plastic from Captured Carbon... Establishes In-House CCU Facility Using Proprietary Technology

50% Reduction in Carbon Emissions
"Laying the Foundation for Achieving Net Zero by 2050"

LG Chem Chungnam Daesan Plant exterior. Photo by LG Chem

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seoyoon] LG Chem is establishing a carbon reduction facility that produces plastic raw materials from carbon dioxide using proprietary technology, laying the foundation for achieving net zero by 2050.

On the 17th, LG Chem announced that it will build a methane dry reforming (Dry Reforming of Methane·DRM) facility that produces plastics using carbon dioxide captured from factories and methane, a by-product gas. DRM is a type of CCU (Carbon Capture and Utilization) technology. It is a groundbreaking carbon reduction facility that reduces existing carbon dioxide emissions by more than 50% while producing key plastic raw materials.

In particular, LG Chem is building this DRM plant using its own technology rather than external licensed technology and has independently developed the catalyst, which is key to carbon dioxide conversion. LG Chem is the first in Korea to commercialize DRM facilities by applying both proprietary process technology and catalysts.

Until now, DRM commercialization was difficult due to the rapid decline in catalyst performance during operation, but LG Chem has dramatically enhanced catalyst durability by applying independently developed process and catalyst technologies to address these issues.

The DRM facility will be constructed as a 1,000-ton pilot plant at the Daesan plant in Chungnam by 2023 to verify the process technology and catalysts developed with proprietary technology, and the scale will be continuously expanded until 2026.

In 2019, LG Chem established an organization responsible for the catalyst business to internalize catalyst production technology, a high value-added business. It has developed and launched catalysts essential for producing eco-friendly flagship products such as POE (Polyolefin Elastomer) and CNT (Carbon Nanotube) using proprietary technology and continues research and development (R&D) of new catalysts.

No Gukrae, head of the Petrochemical Business Division, stated, “LG Chem is not confined to the traditional petrochemical industry structure but continues efforts to lead carbon reduction and sustainable innovation technologies in the global chemical industry.”