“Removing the nuisance CO₂ and extracting magnesium mineral”

– Development of technology for resource utilization of concentrated seawater desalination
– Successful test operation of the world’s largest pilot plant,

Dr. Bang Jun-hwan is explaining the process of creating magnesium extracted through equipment demonstration. [Provided by Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources],
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, “[Herald Economy=Reporter Go Bong-hyuk] Technology for desalinating seawater to obtain fresh water for daily or industrial use is gaining attention as an innovative technology to address water scarcity and climate change issues. However, serious environmental problems such as destruction of marine ecosystems due to concentrated brine produced during the desalination process and increased CO2 emissions from heavy energy use have arisen.”,
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, “Dr. Bang Jun-hwan’s research team at the CO2 Utilization Research Center of the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) has developed a technology called ‘Concentration seawater resource utilization and simultaneous CO2 treatment technology’ that utilizes high-concentration brine generated in the desalination process to reduce CO2 emissions and secure magnesium resources. The team successfully built and tested the world’s largest-scale pilot plant, demonstrating the potential for commercialization.”,
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, “Typically, in the desalination process, about 1.8 kg of CO2 is emitted to produce 1 ton of fresh water from 2 tons of seawater. In addition, issues such as the negative impact on marine ecosystems by concentrated salt accumulating in brine discarded back into the sea coexist.”,
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, “To address these issues, the research team has developed an eco-friendly integrated resource recovery technology that recovers valuable resources such as magnesium through mineralization of CO2 in waste concentrated brine discharge and reduces CO2 emissions. This technology is considered a key technology that can contribute to the preservation of marine biological ecosystems and realization of carbon neutrality by controlling the salt concentration in brine.”,
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, “While some overseas startups are actively seeking commercialization through similar technologies by attracting investment, the technology developed by the research team has proven its potential for commercialization through the construction of a pilot plant with the capacity to treat 10,000 tons of emission concentrated brine annually. It is expected that magnesium carbonate will be produced in excess of 60 tons per year and more than 22 tons of CO2 will be processed, contributing to greenhouse gas reduction and reducing dependence on overseas magnesium minerals.”,
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Resource utilization results of concentrated seawater desalination. [Provided by Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources],
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, “Based on this achievement, the research team plans to actively promote the commercialization of seawater desalination resource utilization technology and continue to pursue related technology development. They also plan to actively explore overseas market entry through international cooperation with countries such as Canada and Indonesia.”,
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, “Dr. Bang Jun-hwan stated, “By recycling concentrated brine, which was previously discarded as waste, into useful resources through pilot plant facilities, we aim to establish a circular economy and enhance industrial competitiveness by domesticating key materials such as magnesium.” He added, “I will do my best to contribute to solving environmental problems and sustainable development through active research and collaboration in the field of eco-friendly resource development.””,
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