Press Release

[Interview] Lee Gang-woo, CEO of Sunjin Environment Co., Ltd.

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admin
Date
2021-12-06 00:43
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780
"Goal to achieve 40% of sales and return of 100 billion won in 5 years".
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"If the release of waste refrigerants into the atmosphere is suppressed by thorough management of waste refrigerants, it will prevent climate change and global warming"

It can be the best cost-effectiveness plan. Sunjin environment Co., Ltd. started as a research and development company.

The developed waste refrigerant treatment technology is one of the technologies designated by the United Nations and is the first to obtain new technology (NET) certification.

I registered and applied for 120 domestic and foreign patents."

선진환경의 주요사업.

▲ Main business of Sunjin environment Co., Ltd.

 

Sunjin environment Co., Ltd. has built facilities that can recycle or thermally destroy waste refrigerants generated when maintaining and disposing of various refrigeration and air conditioning facilities (industrial and business refrigerators, waste automobiles, waste home appliances, etc.) in a single factory in Gangseo-gu, Busan.

 

With the support of the Ministry of Environment's national research project, it has completed the first new technology certification related to waste refrigerant treatment and registration of more than 20 patent applications at home and abroad. Based on this, it is a company that contributes to the treatment of waste refrigerants, greenhouse gases that have a great impact on climate change and global warming, while also doing business that can contribute to the government's implementation of the Paris Convention by reducing greenhouse gases. Lee Gang-woo, an air environment expert, leads Sunjin environment Co., Ltd.

■ If you evaluate the domestic waste refrigerant market (trend) as a company specializing in waste refrigerant treatment,

According to data submitted by Ahn Ho-young and others from the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy during the 2020 parliamentary audit, the recovery rate was only 0.37 percent (267 tons) compared to refrigerant production (34,998 tons) in 2017, and 0.84% (291 tons) in 2019.

He pointed out that the average annual recovery performance of refrigerants between 2017 and 2019 was 0.76%, and that in fact, all of the refrigerants, which are global warming and ozone-destroying substances, are being discharged into the atmosphere without being recovered.

In other words, as the Global Warming Index (GWP) is expected to release more than 99% of waste refrigerants, which are thousands to more than 10,000 greenhouse gases, into the atmosphere, there are too many things to do not only in commercial terms but also in the national and global environment.

■ Why is waste refrigerant treatment important?

According to the "National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report" published by the Ministry of Environment in 2019, estimated greenhouse gas emissions from refrigerants in 2017 alone increased 33% year-on-year to 11.7 million tons based on HFC and PFC included in statistics.

Compared to 1990, it has increased by 870%, reaching 1.7% of the total national emissions, but it is excluded from the national BAU calculation and is neglected without being included in companies' greenhouse gas reduction activities.

Other data also predicted that greenhouse gas atmospheric emissions from domestic waste refrigerants exceed 33 million tons of CO--eq every year. For this reason, suppression of atmospheric release by legal and thorough management of waste refrigerants can be the best cost-effective way to prevent climate change and global warming.

 

선진환경의 폐냉매 연소기 특징.

▲ Characteristics of waste refrigerant combustors in advanced environments.

 

■ What kind of waste refrigerant treatment techniques do you have?

In various refrigerators, etc., refrigerants that have reached the end of their lives, that is, waste refrigerants, are largely recycled or thermally decomposed (thermal destruction), decomposed into substances other than greenhouse gases, and then discharged into the atmosphere through post-treatment processes.

Recycling technology is to make waste refrigerants into recycled refrigerants that can be sold by fractional liquefaction (deep cooling) method, fractional distillation method, separation membrane technology, and adsorption technology. Thermal decomposition technology includes thermal decomposition by gas fuel (methane, LPG, etc.), decomposition technology by plasma, and injection into a firing furnace or an incinerator.

 

■ Sunjin environment Co., Ltd.'s waste refrigerant treatment technology

Sunjin environment Co., Ltd. applies thermal decomposition technology by city gas (methane) to non-recyclic or non-economic waste refrigerants. This technology is one of the waste refrigerant treatment technologies designated by the UN and is the first new technology certification in the related field, as well as registered and applied for more than 20 domestic and foreign patents.

In addition, the recycling technology of Sunjin environment Co., Ltd. applies the most efficient separate liquefaction technology. In addition, it is a process technology developed and completed by itself by adding Korea's best gas separation technology and adsorption technology, and produces and sells recycled refrigerants after removing impurities contained in waste refrigerants in consideration of resource circulation.

It's a skill to do.

■ If you were to explain the waste refrigerant treatment technology in detail,

Waste refrigerant decomposition technology is a technology that stably destroys refrigerants that cannot be recycled due to technical or economic problems after removing impurities contained in waste refrigerants in consideration of resource circulation.

A key point is a combustion technology dedicated to a waste refrigerant capable of reducing energy use required to decompose a thermally stable waste refrigerant in destroying a waste refrigerant including a halogen element such as fluorine (F) at a high temperature.

The core technology is to cool the combustion chamber with combustion air instead of refractory construction and to improve energy efficiency by using air preheated during the combustion chamber cooling process as a waste refrigerant oxidant.

When combustion air is supplied to a flow path formed between the inner wall and the outer wall of the combustor, it is preheated by about 200°C or more while cooling the inner wall of the combustion chamber. Preheating air discharged into the combustion chamber rotates along the inner wall of the combustor and then joins the flame formed in the center of the combustion chamber to be used as an oxidant for combustion.

The lower part of the combustion chamber cools the combustion chamber using liquid waste refrigerant vaporization heat, and supplies the vaporized waste refrigerant into the combustion chamber for destruction treatment. At high temperatures above 1,000℃, the thermally stable decomposition rate of waste refrigerants was 99.99% or higher by mixing waste refrigerants, auxiliary fuels, and oxidants by Turbulence and securing sufficient residence time.

In particular, when cooling the combustion air using vaporized heat of the waste refrigerant and supplying it as an oxidizing agent, the temperature of the outer wall of the combustor is operated below the legal standard of 120℃.

■ The difference from the existing waste refrigerant treatment technology is

There is a difference in many areas. It is possible to quickly and economically maintain waste refrigerant recycling and disposal (technology) facilities and all facilities in Korea's first single factory as subsidiaries, as well as NET certification, 20 patents, and national research support projects by the Ministry of Environment.

In particular, in addition to the waste refrigerant treatment project in the future, it has technologies that can export waste refrigerant treatment plants (facilities) and business models overseas.

In addition, after the ongoing smart factory construction is completed, it will have advanced refrigerant treatment technology that is safe and most efficient by combining IT technology.

폐냉매 정제기술.

▲ Waste refrigerant purification technology.

 

■ From refrigerant recovery to disposal, collecting seems important.

That's the right question. Sunjin environment Co., Ltd. systematized the entire process from the construction of facilities and factory facilities to recovery, transportation, refining, processing, and administrative management.

As we run the company, there are still insufficient parts, but when the current smart factory business is over, any customer who deals with our company can start related work by phone and operate it based on the best convenience and service.

Starting with the expansion of facilities in 2020, the company plans to establish a second business site in 2021 to dramatically increase the number and throughput of waste refrigerants every year. Based on this, it plans to enter overseas plant markets and promote business models and technology sales.

■ Current status and improvement plan of emission trading system related to waste refrigerant treatment

There are many regrets about the emission trading system related to waste refrigerants. Recently, about two methodologies related to refrigerants have been registered. Sunjin environment Co., Ltd. is also registering as a methodology with the Ministry of Environment, but considering the contents, it is difficult to produce effective greenhouse gas reduction results through this methodology.

Rather, institutional supplementation that should be preceded is more urgent. Although low-pressure refrigerants are greenhouse gases and HFCs, it should be corrected that they are subject to legal regulations (or management) only with high-pressure refrigerants. Currently, only refrigerators with a refrigeration capacity of 20RT or higher are regulated, and this part needs to be further expanded.

In addition, to achieve the effect of the revision of the law and the national greenhouse gas management goal, the absence of a management plan (sanction means) for refrigerant leakage △ the lack of a management system for the entire process of purchasing, injecting, discharging, recovering, refining, and refining. In particular, the penalties that follow when the regulations are not properly observed are so weak that it is questionable whether the strengthened refrigerant management standards will actually be effective.

■ I think foreign companies are interested in it.

There are some companies interested in our company. In fact, some companies are exploring better relationships while conducting business cooperation. One of the parts is that it signed a business agreement with Eco Maister, a KOSDAQ-listed company, in September last year to strengthen its nationwide business power, including the Seoul metropolitan area, where recovered waste refrigerants are concentrated.

I'm thankful and it's a good thing. Perhaps if our company develops and grows as it is now, more companies will pay attention in the future.

It can have a partnership with Sunjin environment Co., Ltd. and any company or organization that becomes win-win. This is because it is most of what I, the CEO, will do to study how small venture companies can become valuable companies as soon as possible.

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■ We're also actively doing R&D.

In fact, the start of Sunjin environment Co., Ltd. was a research and development company, so it has a great advantage in this area and is still actively conducting R&D. However, the biggest advantage of our company is that it already has two to three commercializable technologies in addition to the waste refrigerant treatment business. Sales are also expected to be generated within this year.

The direction of research and development of Sunjin environment Co., Ltd. is clear. The fields are environmental, energy, recycling, and goals can be commercialized (especially commercialized) immediately after development.

There are significant advances in ultra-fine dust precursor removal technology, hydrogen industry application technology using separator technology, and carbon resource conversion technology. These technologies will be the main players in our company's creation of new added value within a year or two.

■ This year's business goals and mid- to long-term vision are

Over the past three years, it has more than doubled its sales growth and expanded profits every year. If the current trend continues, sales of more than 10 billion won will be possible in 2022. Sales in recycling industries such as our company are very different in meaning from general manufacturing. So 10 billion won in sales is a milestone for a bigger step. Transaction banks and investors are also looking forward to the future.

Although still hasty, achieving 100 billion won in sales and 40% return before listing, which is the goal in five years, is the consistent company and personal goal since the establishment of the company.

 

Reporter Kang Eunchul. eckang@kharn.kr

http://kharn.mediaon.co.kr/news/article.html?no=15423