[Special Stock] Hansung Clean Tech Rises as Subsidiary Highlights Extraction of 'Fluorspar' from Wastewater, a Key Material Stockpiled by US and China

Hansung Clean Tech is showing strong performance. This appears to be influenced by news that its wholly owned subsidiary, EN Water Solution, plans to mass-produce fluorspar, a critical raw material that the United States and China are both stockpiling, by extracting it from wastewater.

As of 1:41 p.m. on April 23, Hansung Clean Tech was trading at 1,248 KRW, up 5.05% from the previous day.

EN Water Solution is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hansung Clean Tech, a company specializing in industrial water treatment, and is the largest domestic enterprise in comprehensive waste recycling and wastewater treatment. It specializes in processing high-concentration liquid waste generated from advanced electronic device industries such as semiconductors and displays. Currently, it handles 70% of the waste consigned by major domestic conglomerates, which are its key clients.

Recently, the company has developed technology to extract valuable materials from high-concentration liquid waste received from electronic component manufacturers, moving beyond simple processing and preparing for mass production. Yoon Jongwon, head of the EN Water Solution Technology Research Center (Executive Director), stated, "Facilities to extract ammonium sulfate from high-concentration liquid waste containing ammonium fluoride will be established within this month."

Ammonium sulfate, mainly used as a fertilizer ingredient, has a wide range of applications including ▲ alum ▲ leather ▲ gypsum board ▲ and synthetic resin raw materials. Ammonium sulfate obtained as a byproduct of petrochemical processing must contain at least 21% nitrogen and 24% sulfur to be recognized as a valuable product. The ammonium sulfate extracted by EN Water Solution meets these criteria, and inquiries from fertilizer manufacturers continue to increase.

Following the mass production of ammonium sulfate this year, the company expects to begin mass production of fluorspar (calcium fluoride) next year. Fluorspar is the most fundamental raw material for hydrofluoric acid, which is a key material in the semiconductor etching process. In addition, it is used as ▲ a temperature regulator in steel mills (purity of at least 85%) ▲ welding rods (purity of 95%) ▲ fluororesin and optical glass manufacturing (purity of 95%) ▲ and as a raw material for semiconductor and display glass components. In the United States, it is classified as a critical raw material, while in China, it is designated and managed as a strategic key mineral. Since 2023, South Korea has also begun public stockpiling of a three-month supply of annual fluorspar imports.