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In a global first, Korean chemicals firm SKC has commercialized the technology to produce clean propylene oxide (PO), a key ingredient in car and construction materials and heat insulators for refrigerators.
The so-called hydrogen peroxide propylene oxide technology uses hydrogen peroxide to produce PO. SKC said Wednesday it has begun commercial production at its new Ulsan plant, a facility with annual capacity of 100,000 tons which cost W200 billion (US$1=W1,013) to build. With the new facility, SKC's PO production capacity has been expanded to 280,000 tons a year.
The existing method of producing PO uses chlorine or ethyl benzene. But due to the toxic chlorine and high-density waste water, manufacturers spend dearly on reprocessing costs. With SKC's new production technology, the only byproduct is clean water.
SKC chairman Choi Shin-won said, "The HPPO technology will enable SKC to earn global recognition as an environmentally-friendly company. We will become a leader in the polyurethane market by building more plants in Asian countries struggling with environmental concerns, including China."
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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