LG Chemical Develops
New Process for TPAL
LG Chem, Ltd., the largest chemical company in Korea, has developed a new environment-friendly process to mass-produce terephthalaldehyde (TPAL).
TPAL is an organic synthesis intermediate for dyestuffs, pharmaceuticals, specialty polymers, electronic materials, and at present it is mostly used to produce fluorescent whitening agents.
The existing TPAL production process involves chlorination of para-xylene and hydrolysis of the chlorinated xylene. The process is harmful to the environment as it uses chlorine as a reactant and emits hydrochloric acid as a by-product. Another problem with the existing process is that it is not cost effective enough to mass-produce. Currently, China and India are major producers.
LG Chem? new manufacturing process resolved these problems by using air instead of chlorine, thus making the process environment-friendly. Furthermore, LG Chem lowered production cost by implementing its own high performance catalyst and optimized the overall production process.
The company? ability to mass-produce, could cut the price of TPAL down to more than half of its current price, broadening its usage and opening a wider market for the product. One of many applications where TPAL can be used is in specialty fibers for protective fabrics such as bulletproof vests, flame retardant clothes and space suits.
?he new process holds great significance as it is both environment-friendly and cost effective,?said Yeo Jong-kee, president and CTO of LG Chem.
Overall, LG Chem has already applied for several patents and currently waits for approvals from the U.S, Japan, Germany and nine other countries. Future plans for the company are to sell its technology license and start mass production by 2008.
LG Chem, Ltd., is the leading chemical company in Korea in terms of both size and performance. It is a vertically integrated chemical company that manufactures a wide range of products from petrochemical goods to high value added plastics and high performance industrial materials. It also extends its chemical expertise to high-tech materials for electronics and information technology such as state-of-the-art rechargeable batteries and display materials.

HI-MACS Manufacturing Facility in U.S.
LG Chem has opened its first U.S manufacturing facility, LG Chem Industrial Materials Inc. (LG CIM), in Gordon County, Georgia. The grand opening of the facility was held on October 3, 2005.
The new facility will produce LG HI-MACS, which is an artificial acrylic solid surface, mainly applied to bathroom and kitchen counter tops.
The company invested a total of $40 million into the facility. The specification of the HI-MACS, which LG CIM will start to produce, is 760mm(width) x 3680mm(length) and the thickness will range from 6mm to 12mm. The annual production capacity will be 300,000 sheets.
Georgia was strategically selected as the most suitable location due to its stable supply of raw materials, low labor cost, and fast delivery. Other advantageous are logistics, and reduction in import tax. Furthermore, the enthusiasm and support from the State of Georgia was one of the major attractions for the investment.
"Not only will the project hold a great significance for our company but also it will be beneficial to the State of Georgia as well. This is truly a win-win situation,"said President and CEO of LG Chem, No Ki-ho, during his commemoration speech.
"This marks a great significance for LG Chem as it will be the first manufacturing facility in the North America,"the CEO added.
Overall, the global markets size for acrylic solid surface in 2004 was KRW 1.2 trillion. Out of the total global market size, LG Chem's market share was 14% and the company plans to increase its market share to 20% by 2008.
LG Chem became the first chemical company in Korea to launch a manufacturing facility in North America. nw

LG Chem opened its first U.S manufacturing facility, LG Chem Industrial Materials Inc. (LG CIM), in Gordon County, Georgia.