LG Electronics is strengthening its functional new material business in the B2B (business-to-business) sector by promoting its independently developed functional glass "Marine Glass." Marine Glass is a water-soluble glass powder that promotes the growth of marine organisms.
On the 27th, LG Electronics announced that it had signed a business agreement for "technology exchange for the revitalization of the blue carbon industry" with the Blue Carbon Project Team at Seoul National University the previous day.
Under this agreement, LG Electronics and the Blue Carbon Project Team plan to carry out a demonstration project for marine ecosystem restoration using "Marine Glass," and seek to discover new businesses and develop technologies to revitalize the blue carbon industry both domestically and internationally.
Blue carbon refers to the carbon absorbed and stored by marine and coastal ecosystems. It is known to have a faster carbon absorption rate compared to terrestrial ecosystems and a significant carbon storage capacity, gaining attention as a new solution to global warming.
LG Electronics' "Marine Glass" is a functional glass material that promotes the growth of seaweed and microalgae. Like salt dissolving in water, it transforms into mineral ions when it comes into contact with water. LG Electronics has developed and applied a technology to precisely control the dissolution of this component at a consistent rate and amount after more than six years of research and development.
Mineral ions can serve as nutrients for seaweed and microalgae, helping to restore the underwater forests that are being devastated by pollution and overfishing in the long term, and contributing to marine ecosystem restoration and carbon reduction.
In particular, "Marine Glass" not only allows for the setting of the dissolution rate but also enables the types and amounts of minerals, as well as the shape of the product, to be implemented as desired, offering high versatility. For example, by creating beads in a solid and heavy spherical shape or flat chip form, it is possible to quickly create dense underwater forests within a certain range, preventing mineral components from easily dispersing even in fast-flowing waters.
LG Electronics is also seeing potential for creating various business opportunities by collaborating with other industries using "Marine Glass." Microalgae inhabiting the ocean are used as raw materials for pharmaceuticals and health supplements, and they generate biomass, which is used as fuel for generators, making them noteworthy as a sustainable energy source.
Meanwhile, LG Electronics is marking its new material business as one of its new B2B business areas and strengthening its capabilities. So far, it has filed 420 patents related to glass powder, and it has established production facilities capable of producing 4,500 tons annually at its Smart Park in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. Additionally, starting in 2023, it has begun selling the antibacterial functional material "Furotech" and is expanding its business into major Asian markets such as Vietnam and India. This year, it is also pushing for technological cooperation to maintain food safety by applying Furotech in the transportation, processing, and packaging processes of Atlantic salmon farms.
Baek Seung-tae, head of the kitchen solutions division at LG Electronics (vice president), noted, "This agreement is the first step to proving the technology of the new material 'Marine Glass' and exploring various application methods" and added, "We will continue to develop new functional glass materials to strengthen our business competitiveness."