Carbon Fiber Plant To Start In South Korea

In March, Taekwang Industrial will start up what it is calling South Korea’s first carbon fiber facility. The $130 million complex in Ulsan will include a 3,000-metric-ton-per-year plant for the precursor polyacrylonitrile, a 1,500-metric-ton carbon fiber plant, and associated R&D facilities. Taekwang, South Korea’s only acrylic fiber maker, says it developed the technology for polyacrylonitrile in 2009 and started building the two facilities last year. Aksa, a Turkish acrylic fiber maker, is expanding Turkey’s only carbon fiber facility in collaboration with Dow Chemical (C&EN, Jan. 2, page 12).