Hyosung TNC to team up with Samsung for eco-friendly protective clothing

Hyosung TNC Corp., a South Korean textile and yarn manufacturer, is teaming up with Samsung Electronics Co. to produce eco-friendly protective clothing made from recycled PET bottles, said Kedglobal.

The bottles, collected from nearby cities like Hwaseong and Suwon, including Samsung Electronics semiconductor plants, will be transformed into Regen, a recycled fiber developed by Hyosung TNC. About 10 million bottles will be recycled for the production of eco-friendly protective clothing.

Hyosung TNC has earned the Global Recycle Standard (GRS), the world's first global recycle certification, from Control Union, a global eco-friendly certification agency.

Since January this year, the company has been supplying Regen protective clothing to some parts of Samsung Electronics' Pyeongtaek plant, with plans to expand the supply to the company's Giheung and Hwaseong plants.

Regen has already garnered interest from companies in various fields, including Hyundai Heavy Industries, POSCO Gwangyang Steel Mill, CGV and Lotteria, as eco-friendliness has become increasingly important in environmental, social and governance (ESG) management.

"We are committed to expanding the application of eco-friendly technology to further support ESG management for global companies," said Hyosung Chairman Jo Hyun-joon.

As per MRC, Hyosung Vina Chemicals, a subsidiary of a large petrochemical manufacturer in South Korea - Hyosung Corporation, on February 4 stopped production at a propane dehydrogenation plant in Cai Mep (Vietnam) in order to carry out planned preventive measures to repair equipment. Maintenance at this unit with a capacity of 600 thousand tons of propylene per year continued until the beginning of March this year.

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South Korea's SK Chemicals has launched recycled fiber fabrics developed jointly with Art Impact and Project 1907, eco-friendly social enterprises, through its plastic circulation ecosystem platform "Ieum.", said Kedglobal.

The fabrics are made of recycled materials such as chemically recycled polyethylene terephthalate (CR-PET) supplied by SK Chemicals as raw materials and are commercialized by Art Impact and Project 1907. The fabrics are made of 100% polyester and spandex blend.

Chemical recycling is a process of breaking down waste plastics into molecular units to make them into raw materials again, which can reduce the use of new plastics made from petroleum. SK Chemicals led this collaboration through Ieum and plans to build a business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) sales network that connects the chemical recycling fiber supply chain with consumers.

The company is also expanding its cooperation structure with various textile fashion companies that handle clothing, daily necessities, camping goods, packaging materials, etc.

According to a strategy for nurturing the eco-friendly and recycled textile fashion industry published by the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade (KIET), the global recycled polyester fiber market is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 4.9% and reach about USD3.7 billion in 2026.

On March 6, SK Chemicals decided to purchase the CR-PET unit of Shuye, a Chinese green materials specialist that had supplied raw materials to SK Chemicals, for about 130 billion won (USD100.1 million).

"Through the acquisition of Shuye's factory, we have secured a stable supply of chemically recycled PET with an annual capacity of 50,000 tons," said Kim Hyun-seok, head of business development at SK Chemicals. "We will strive to gain a foothold in the global recycled textile market, which is expanding not only in sustainable fashion-centered textile markets but also for industrial purposes."

We remind, Lummus Technology, a global provider of process technologies and value-driven energy solutions, announced an integrated technology award from SP Chemicals and its subsidiary SP Olefins. SP Chemicals will license Lummus' CATOFIN technology for a new 800 KTA propane dehydrogenation (PDH) unit, and SP Olefins will license Lummus' Novolen technology for a new 400 KTA polypropylene (PP) unit. Both units will be located at SP Chemicals' complex in Jiangsu Province, China.

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Clariant announced on Wednesday the grand opening of its new production facility of CATOFIN, a catalyst for propane dehydrogenation (PDH), in Jiaxing of China’s Zhejiang province, said the company.

CATOFIN delivers good productivity and reliability, raising overall profitability for propylene producers, the company said.

“This investment is part of our strategy to strengthen our regional footprint and increase the share of local production in China with leading catalysts technology in a strongly growing segment", said Jens Cuntze, President of Clariant Catalysts & Asia Pacific.

The Swiss franc (CHF) 80m (USD89m) project started operation in July 2022 with advanced digitalization and automation technologies.

We remind, Clariant Catalysts has collaborated with Evonik and thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions (tkIS) for a propylene oxide (PO) project in China. Qixiang Tengda will depend on Evonik-tkIS HPPO technology to transform propylene into PO, in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The new plant will have a capacity of 300,000 tonnes/y.

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LG Chem Ltd. has broke ground on a plant for pyrolysis and aerogel, a material for next-generation insulation in Seongmun National Industrial Complex in Dangjin, 150 kilometers southwest of Seoul, said Kedglobal.

The South Korean company is slated to inject 310 billion won (USD238.6 million) in the plant on the 240,000 square-meter site in the complex, boosting its plastic recycling businesses. It will mark the first supercritical pyrolysis factory in Korea.

Supercritical pyrolysis is a technology to decompose plastic with steam at temperature and pressure beyond the critical point of water. Global consumption of pyrolysis oil, a liquid substance generated from the process and subsequent cooling, is used for combustion in boilers and fuel in engines.

According to the petrochemical industry, the pyrolysis oil chemical recycling market is forecast to grow at an average annual rate of 17% to reach 3.3 million tons in 2030.

LG Chem will manufacture aerogel with its in-house technology. More than 95% of the material is composed of gas, making it ultralight and resistant to water and fire.

It is used as an insulation material to minimize heat loss when storing and transporting eco-friendly energy, such as liquid hydrogen. The company aims to begin the operation of the facility in 2024.

We remind, LG Chem will team up with Innerbottle and CJ Logistics to accelerate the construction of an eco-platform that will include plastic production, collection after use, and recycling. LG Chem announced on the 30th at the Yeouido LG Twin Towers that it signed the ‘2022 Resource Cycle Platform Construction MOU’ together with the innovative domestic startup Innerbottle and CJ Logistics. Department Leader of Sustainability1 Min-jong(Joseph) Lee from LG Chem, CEO Steve Seil Oh of Innerbottle, and Management Leader Heo Shin Yeol of CJ Logistics attended this event.

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Harbour Energy, Britain's largest oil and gas producer, said on Tuesday it has entered into an agreement with bp to develop the Viking CCS transportation and storage project, said Reuters.

Harbour will continue as operator of Viking CCS with a 60% interest, with bp acquiring a 40% non-operated share, the company said in a statement.

The announcement follows the UK's recent decision to launch the "Track 2" cluster sequencing process for carbon capture and storage (CCS), a technology that removes carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere and stores it underground.

Efforts to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and put it in underground storage have gained steam across Europe over the past few years as industries and governments seek to reduce emissions to meet their climate goals.

Harbour said the government recognizes Viking CCS as one of the leading transport and storage system contenders for this process, and that a final investment decision on the project is expected in 2024, subject to the outcome of the Track 2 CCS.

We remind, two Chinese polyester fiber makers are seeking Beijing's approval to build a $10-B refinery and petrochemical complex in Indonesia. The move comes as China ramps up talks on mega investments in Southeast Asia as part of President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative, and as Beijing limits approvals for new domestic refineries to cut carbon emissions and a fuel supply overhang.

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