South Korean engineers on Wednesday said they have developed a process to make limestone-based industrial products that could replace imports and permit better use of natural resources.
The indigenous technology to make precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) is expected help the country save 100 billion won (US$108 million) annually in imports, the Korea Institute of
Geoscience & Mineral Resources (KIGAM) said. It said that full-scale commercial operation can greatly bolster the value of the country's large limestone deposit.
South Korea is estimated to have 40 billion tons of the sedimentary rock. By developing its own PCC process, the deposit's overall worth could jump a thousand-fold due to its wide
industrial application, the state-run institute said.
PCC is made by hydration and subjecting the lime to extreme heat before "reacting" the resulting¡°milk-of-lime¡± with carbon dioxide. The resulting product is usually white, and can be used to make goods like car instrument panels, cable insulation, rubber products, paint and specialized plastic and paper. It can also be used to make calcium-based tablets, sold as healthcare products.
The process perfected by KIGAM allows the commercial production of 99.9 percent pure PCC, measuring 20-80 nanometers. It can also be made to produce 20-80 micrometer and 0.3-0.5 micrometer PCCs used for specialized paper.
Japanese manufacturers had held a near monopoly of the material for 80 years, with the United States entering the field in 1990s to grab a sizeable chunk of the world's specialized papers trade.
KIGAM said its own development started in July 2002 with 4.92 billion won in state research funds. It added the technology could be used as leverage, allowing South Korea to take part in the development of foreign limestone deposits. Vietnam and the Philippines have expressed interest in the joint development of their resources.
"Depending on applications, the PCCs that can be sold can fetch $400-1,000 per ton in the global market," said Ahn Ji-hwan, the chief developer at KIGAM.
The scientist said that the technology developed has received both local and international patents.