LG Electronics will work with Suncheon City and the Blue Carbon Project Group at Seoul National University to verify the effects of a new material, "Marine Glass," which promotes the growth of marine organisms such as seaweed and halophytes. Through this, the company will push to expand blue carbon (Blue Carbon, carbon absorbed and stored by marine and coastal ecosystems) sinks, which absorb carbon faster and store more of it than terrestrial ecosystems.
LG Electronics on the 11th signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for "creating blue carbon ecosystems and jointly implementing carbon neutrality" with Suncheon City and the Blue Carbon Project Group at Seoul National University at Suncheon City Hall in South Jeolla Province. The signing ceremony was attended by Kim Young-seok, head of LG Electronics' HS Functional Materials Business Division, and Roh Kwan-kyu, mayor of Suncheon, among others.
Under the agreement, LG Electronics will run a pilot project to apply Marine Glass to about 1,500 square meters of the Suncheonman tidal flats, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, to verify the growth of halophytes and their carbon absorption efficiency. Marine Glass is a functional glass material that turns into mineral ions when in contact with water. It features a steady supply of minerals needed for the growth of seaweed and halophytes at a controlled amount and rate. LG Electronics has secured proprietary technology that precisely controls the dissolution of mineral components tailored to the intended use.
Marine Glass can be produced in desired types, quantities, and shapes. In areas with fast currents, it is made into hard, heavy bead spheres or flat chips so the mineral components do not easily disperse.
LG Electronics and Suncheon City and the Blue Carbon Project Group at Seoul National University will use this collaboration to pursue carbon neutrality through the creation and preservation of blue carbon ecosystems. They also plan to expand cooperation to include establishing halophyte colonies within the Suncheonman tidal flats and building a long-term ecosystem management model. At the end of last year, LG Electronics signed an MOU with Busan Metropolitan City and has since pushed a pilot project applying Marine Glass to the Nakdong River estuary salt marshes to verify halophyte growth and carbon absorption efficiency.
LG Electronics is fostering a new business-to-business (B2B) line through research and development using glass powder and commercialization of new materials. With the Blue Carbon Project Group at Seoul National University, it is pursuing the discovery of new businesses and joint technology development to invigorate the domestic and global blue carbon industry. With the National Water Industry Cluster Project Group and Korea Water Forum, it is also conducting a pilot project to verify the washing performance of detergents using "Mineral Wash" and their water and power savings.
LG Electronics first applied functional glass powder to ovens released in the North American market in 2013. To date, it has filed 420 patents related to glass powder. Based on this, it is continuously expanding its portfolio of new materials based on glass powder, including: ▲ "PurroTec," an antibacterial and antifungal functional material that, when added in small amounts to plastics, paints, and rubber, suppresses odor and contamination caused by microorganisms ▲ "Mineral Wash," a functional washing material that can replace surfactants in detergents.
Kim Young-seok, head of LG Electronics' HS Functional Materials Business Division, said, "We will strengthen our competitiveness by advancing a sustainable new materials business while contributing to environmental preservation and solving carbon issues."