LG Chem expands Carbon Nanotubes production
LG Chem announced that it will invest about KRW65 billion ($53.3 million) by Q1 of next year to expand Carbon Nanotubes (CNT) by 1,2000 tons at its Yeosu plant.
The company is actively pioneering the CNT market, which is called a dream material. Once the expansion is made, LG Chem will have a total production capacity of 1,700 tons by adding the existing 500 tons.
CNT is a next-generation material having the same electric and heat conductivity equivalent to copper and diamonds, and its intensity is 100 times that of steel. Thanks to its properties that are superior to existing materials, it is being used in a wide range of applications including batteries, semiconductors, automobile parts, aircraft fuselages, etc.
Regarding this expansion, LG Chem stated that this measure was taken to not only target the global EV market, but also the CNT market that has recently been rapidly growing for use in anode conductive additives of lithium ion batteries. By using CNTs as anode conductive additives, it is possible to realise high conductivity upwards of about 10% compared to existing carbon black and reduce the amount of conductive materials usage by about 30%, and that space can be filled with necessary anode materials to increase the capacity and life of lithium ion batteries.
Thanks to these features, CNT demand is expected to post explosive growth of an annual average of about 34% to rise from 3,000 tons last year to 13,000 tons by 2024 mainly centering on the global EV market. In particular, as the world leader of EV batteries, LG Chem plans to further strengthen product competitiveness by actively utilising CNT lithium ion batteries. It also plans to gradually increase sales to global IT materials companies and end-car makers in North America, Europe and China and it is also scheduled to review plans for additional extensions in 2022.
Through this investment, LG Chem will be able to accelerate its product structure advancement strategies based on distinguished technologies that it is pursuing in the petrochemical sector. LG Chem began full-fledged R&D to develop proprietary carbon nanotube technologies in 2011 and constructed a 20-ton pilot mass production line in 2013. In 2014, it developed battery material and conductive compound products and it currently possesses over 250 patents in just CNT-related fields.
Through the world's largest fluidised bed reactor that it developed, LG Chem constructed a massive production system and it is actively targeting the market through various CNT products ranging from existing powder forms to compressed forms that are convenient for clients to use.
Noh Kug-lae, Head of the Petrochemical Company, said, “We must lead the market with distinguished technologies and products to survive in the global materials competition. We will become a dominant market leader in the next-generation high-value materials including CNTs based on our unique proprietary technologies and experiences in mass production.”
LG Chem expands Carbon Nanotubes production
Modified on Tuesday 28th April 2020
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LG Chem expands Carbon Nanotubes production