Lotte Chemical Corp. (Seoul, South Korea) expanded the production line for EOA (Ethylene Oxide Adduct), a specialty material for architecture, within its Yeosu Factory.
EOA, produced based on ethylene, is an ingredient for concrete water-reducing agent that is used for the construction of large structures, such as skyscrapers, piers, and dams. Water usage is reduced by 30% with the water-reducing agent containing EOA in concrete and it also strengthens the durability of concrete. It is a high value-added specialty material that allows long-distance transportation of concrete while keeping its fluidity.
LOTTE Chemical expanded the production line for EOA (Ethylene Oxide Adduct), the specialty material for architecture, within Yeosu Factory (Source: Lotte Chemical)
The expanded EOA line is located within the Yeosu Factory 4 and added 100,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr) with the investment of 120 billion KRW. The construction began in August 2019 and commercial production was made available in January this year. LOTTE Chemical’s previous EOA production was a total of 230,000 m.t./yr, with 130,000 m.t./yr from Yeosu Factory, 50,000 m.t. from Daesan Factory, and 50,000 m.t. from Jiaxing Factory in China, and the new capacity is 330,000 m.t. with the expansion of Yeosu Factory.
The new EOA factory is a smart factory and operated based on the automated control system. It allows real-time monitoring and control of the entire process from raw and sub-material control to production and storage. It has remarkably enhanced the consistency of productivity and quality by adopting the facilities to inject the right amount of catalyst automatically when it used to take an average of 4-5 hours a day to inject them.
In addition, it includes the systems for facility data to analyze and correct any risk factors and abnormalities in the process, thus creating a production environment for quality and safety control and reducing the cost of maintenance repair.
“EOA is a high value-added specialty material that is expected to increase in demand by an average of 5% a year around the world,” said CEO Jin Goo Hwang of Basic Materials Division. “We will constantly enhance competitiveness through stable market supply and development of products that fit the purpose of customers through a vertical hierarchy of ingredients and products.”