Focus on 'Marine Glass' Helping Restore Marine Ecosystems, LG Electronics Expands B2B New Material Business

[Financial News] LG Electronics is strengthening its functional new material business in the B2B area by introducing 'Marine Glass', a water-soluble glass powder independently developed to promote the growth of marine life.
LG Electronics announced on the 27th that it signed a business agreement with Seoul National University's Blue Carbon Business Group on the 26th for 'Technology Exchange for Blue Carbon Industry Activation'. 
Under this agreement, LG Electronics and the Blue Carbon Business Group plan to conduct a demonstration project for marine ecosystem restoration using 'Marine Glass', and to explore new business opportunities and technology development for the activation of the blue carbon industry domestically and internationally. 
Blue carbon refers to the carbon absorbed and stored by marine and coastal ecosystems. It is known for its fast carbon absorption rate and large carbon storage capacity compared to terrestrial ecosystems, 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 meets water. LG Electronics has developed and applied a technology that precisely controls the dissolution of these components at a certain amount and speed through more than six years of research and development. The mineral ions become nutrients for seaweed and microalgae, helping to restore the marine forests destroyed by pollution, overfishing, etc., and further aiding in marine ecosystem restoration and carbon reduction. 
In particular, 'Marine Glass' not only allows the setting of dissolution speed but also enables the implementation of the desired type and amount of minerals, as well as the shape of the product, making it highly versatile. By producing it in the form of solid and heavy spheres or flat chips, it is possible to quickly create dense marine forests within a certain range, even in fast-moving waters. 
LG Electronics is also exploring various business opportunities by collaborating with other industries using 'Marine Glass'. Microalgae inhabiting the sea are used as raw materials for pharmaceuticals, health functional foods, etc., and are also noted as a sustainable energy source as they generate biomass used as fuel for generators.
Meanwhile, LG Electronics is strengthening its capabilities by marking the new material business as one of the new B2B business areas. So far, it has filed 420 patents related to glass powder and has an annual production facility of 4,500 tons at the Changwon Smart Park in Gyeongnam. Since 2023, it has also started selling the antibacterial functional material 'PuroTec™' and is expanding its business to major Asian markets such as Vietnam and India. This year, it is also promoting technical cooperation to maintain food safety by applying PuroTec in the transportation, processing, and packaging processes of Atlantic salmon farms.
Baek Seung-tae, Vice President and Head of LG Electronics' Kitchen Solution Business Division, said, "This agreement is the first step to prove the technological prowess of the new material 'Marine Glass' and explore various application methods," adding, "We will continue to develop new functional glass materials to strengthen our business competitiveness." 

soup@fnnews.com Lim Soo-bin Reporter