On November 2, Gwangyang in South Jeolla Province resembled a scene from the movie 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.' The city is dotted with production facilities of the POSCO Group, creating an impression of a vast 'POSCO village.' The Gwangyang Steelworks electric furnace, POSCO International's liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, POSCO Air Solution's rare gas plant, POSCO Future M's cathode material factory, POSCO Pilbara Lithium Solutions' lithium refining plant, and POSCO HY Clean Metal's battery recycling facility all showcase POSCO Group's future as it expands beyond steel into materials and energy.
The Gwangyang LNG terminal, which stores LNG at minus 162 degrees Celsius, is impressive in size. Towering cylindrical storage tanks, approximately 55 meters high, line the waterfront.
Seok Gi-sik, head of the terminal construction team at POSCO International, explained, "The internal diameter of the storage tanks is about 84 meters. They are designed for a lifespan of 40 years to store LNG in liquid form at minus 162 degrees for extended periods." The terminal has a total storage capacity of 1.33 million cubic meters, the largest for a private company in South Korea, enough to supply heating gas for the entire population for about 40 days.
At the newly established unloading dock, long docking facilities and LNG transfer pipelines were visible. A site official noted that when LNG at minus 162 degrees flows through the pipes, surrounding moisture freezes, creating a winter-like scene even in summer. Passing by the pipes felt like stepping into winter.
POSCO Air Solution produces rare gases essential for the semiconductor and aerospace industries. The company utilizes gases obtained from the oxygen production process at the Gwangyang Steelworks. The process involves separating rare gas components from the raw materials and removing impurities to create high-purity products.
The plant has an annual production capacity of 130,000 normal cubic meters, which is expected to meet about 52% of the domestic demand for rare gases.
The following day, at the Gwangyang Yulchon Industrial Complex, key battery material production facilities were gathered.
The POSCO Future M Gwangyang cathode material plant, with a production capacity of 90,000 tons per year, employs automation technology in the manufacturing and quality inspection processes. The quality analysis lab is equipped with automated systems for measuring particle size and residual lithium content, as well as X-ray analysis equipment and electron microscopes.
The cathode materials, baked in a kiln, resembled slightly burnt brownies. The plant operates using a 'top-down' method, where precursors and lithium are mixed on the upper floor and sent down to the kiln below. The noise from the machinery was incessant and quite loud.
At POSCO Pilbara Lithium Solutions, lithium hydroxide, a key raw material for cathode materials, is produced. Upon entering the raw material warehouse, a massive pile of sand came into view.
This was spodumene ore imported from Australia. Unlike typical ores that resemble large rocks, it appeared as finely ground white sand.
Son Hong-rok, head of the technology quality department at POSCO Pilbara Lithium Solutions, explained, "We import spodumene ore mined from Australian mines, which is then crushed and sorted for lithium content." The secured ore undergoes heat treatment at around 1,000 degrees Celsius and is mixed with sulfuric acid. Water is then used to extract lithium components into a solution while removing impurities. This process extracts essential battery materials from what initially looks like a simple pile of sand.
The plant employs two different production technologies. The first line uses an electric dialysis method developed by POSCO, applying electricity to an ion exchange membrane to separate lithium. The second line produces lithium hydroxide through a chemical reaction using sodium hydroxide. POSCO Pilbara Lithium Solutions can produce 43,000 tons of lithium hydroxide annually.
Son explained the rationale for operating both processes: "The optimal method can vary depending on electricity costs and environmental regulations in different countries." The aim is to compare the advantages and disadvantages of both technologies for future overseas plant construction.
Finally, at POSCO HY Clean Metal, the last link in the supply chain for secondary battery materials is recycling. This facility processes waste batteries and scrap generated during battery manufacturing to produce black mass.
The factory is filled with large tanks that trigger chemical reactions and equipment for separating liquids and solids. The leaching process uses sulfuric acid to dissolve metals, followed by extraction processes to separate individual metals and crystallization processes to produce solid products.
A POSCO Group official stated, "This site exemplifies the 'Triple Core' strategy focused on industrial resources, strategic resources, and energy resources, promoted by Chairman Jang In-hwa. We are expanding our business areas into energy and advanced industrial materials by leveraging the technology and production capabilities built on steelmaking."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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