SK units co-invest in S. Korean gas membrane developer to advance carbon capture techs

SK-carbon capture

SK units co-invest in S. Korean gas membrane developer to advance carbon capture techs

SEOUL, May 8 (Yonhap) -- SK Innovation Co., the energy unit of South Korea's SK Group, said Monday it has jointly invested with another SK affiliate in a South Korean developer of gas separation membranes to advance the technology for use in carbon capture.

The investment in Airrane, a Cheongju-based company, commits SK Innovation and SK IE Technology Co. (SKIET), which produces battery separators, to working together to develop and commercialize Airrane's technology for carbon dioxide separation, SK Innovation said.

No details on the value of the equity investment were disclosed.

Airrane has developed a membrane technology to separate gas, such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrogen, from flue gas and is seeking to bring its carbon capture solution at a larger scale.

Capturing carbon dioxide using separators is emerging as an alternative to existing capture methods using liquid absorbents or dry sorbents, as it is considered more environmentally friendly and cost-effective.

The three companies will work to integrate the technologies of SKIET and Airrane to develop high-performance separators and advance Airrane's technologies for separation membrane solutions, SK Innovation said.

They will also look for opportunities to enter foreign markets like North America and Europe.

SKIET manufactures separators for lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles. Battery separators prevent batteries from catching fire during the charging process.

SK Innovation wholly owns SK Earthon Co., SK's petroleum exploration arm that is expanding its carbon capture and storage segment.

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