Hyundai partners with 5 universities for carbon neutrality center

In a bid to accelerate the development of carbon-neutral technologies, Hyundai Motor Group has joined forces with prominent domestic universities.

The automotive group on July 26 established the carbon neutrality joint research center in collaboration with five domestic universities, including Gyeongsang National University, Kongju National University, Korea National University of Transportation, Korea Institute of Energy Technology, and Hanyang University.

Together, the partners will investigate techniques for extracting carbon from the atmosphere and repurposing it into energy or useful materials by 2026.

The collaborative research consortium comprises two divisions.

The first, termed DAC (direct air capture), involves Gyeongsang National University, Kongju National University, and Korea National University of Transportation, who will investigate technologies capable of efficiently collecting carbon dioxide, which exists at a concentration of 0.04% in our atmosphere.

The second division, focused on CO2 utilization, will see Gyeongsang National University, Korea Institute of Energy Technology, and Hanyang University working on projects that aim to transform collected CO2 into substances like methanol, methane, and carbon materials for use in synthetic fuels and batteries.

Once fundamental technologies are established, the consortium plans to create a business model based on a mobile carbon capture device, suitable for vehicle mounting, and a high-capacity fixed module system that can be installed in commercial premises and buildings.

Hyundai Motor Group will be responsible for managing the consortium and has pledged a research budget of 4.5 billion won ($3.53 million) to aid in technology development. The group also intends to contribute to the internalization and verification of the developed technologies. Moreover, the government has expressed plans to actively engage in consortium activities from the onset, facilitating the sharing of information so that the results can be effectively implemented in the businesses of the consortium members.

"In order for Hyundai Motor Group to achieve true carbon neutrality by 2045, we need technology to actively collect carbon in the atmosphere and convert it into useful energy," said Hong Seung-hyun, the executive director of the basic materials research center at Hyundai Motor Group.

Write to Hyung-Kyu Kim at khk@hankyung.com