LG Chem starts building its fourth CNT plant

LG Chem has started construction of its fourth carbon nanotube (CNT) plant at its Daesan Complex, 80km southwest of Seoul., following the beginning of CNT 3 Plant operation.

The South Korean company is expected to double its annual CNT production capacity to 6100 tons by 2025 at the completion of its CNT 4 Plant, supplying CNT materials to automotive partners such as Mitsubishi Motors.

Prior to this, LG Chem’s 1200-ton CNT 3 Plant in Yeosu was also recently put into full operation, enabling LG Chem to secure a total production of 2900 tons/year, adding on to the existing 1700 tons.

LG Chem is expanding its CNT production capacity with the aim of gaining a strong competitive advantage in the global CNT market rapidly evolving around EV battery materials.

It is building new plants every year since 2020 to meet growing demand.

A fluidised bed reactor means production lines at all four LG Chem’s CNT plants can produce up to 600 tons on a yearly basis.

“With the nation’s largest CNT production capacity, we will continue building a strong competitive advantage in the battery materials sector and actively explore new business opportunities by moving faster than our competitors,” says LG Chem’s petrochemical business president Noh Kug-lae.

CNT materials produced by LG Chem will be supplied as conductive additives to battery makers including global EV battery market leader LG Energy Solution, with plans for usage to be expanded to a broader range of industries.

When used as conductive additives for cathodes, CNT can reduce the volume of conductive additives in batteries by nearly 30% while achieving 10% more conductivity than carbon black, says LG Chem, adding CNT-based batteries can deliver higher capacity and longer lifespan as more power-generating cathode materials can be used in place of the conductive additives.

CNT is also an attractive conductive additive of next-generation anode, lithium-sulphur and solid-state batteries, LG Chem explains.

LG Chem has recently started supplying CNT-added, metal-replacing electrostatic coating plastics to Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors, which is now applying the material to the front fenders of its three vehicle models.

This plastic can be varied and customised to make other types of automotive parts such as bumper panels, hoods, tailgates, fuel doors, and side mirrors.

LG Chem is also supplying CNT to a Korean automotive maker, allowing the company to apply the material to its radar-absorbing system for electro-magnetic interference (EMI) purposes.

CNT has an infinite range of applications in batteries, semiconductors, automotive components, and surface heating elements, says LG Chem, pointing out the global CNT conductive additive market is expected to grow to $3.827 billion (US$2.3b) contributing to the total demand of CNT increasing from 14,000 tons in 2022 to 95,000 tons by 2030.