ECORENEW is engaged in research and development of continuous oil-water separation equipment for the treatment of marine oil and industrial wastewater, leveraging advanced nanofilter technology. ECORENEW’s innovative oil-water separation technology provides essential solutions for companies aiming to achieve ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) goals.
The products are primarily divided into ‘nanofilters’ and ‘continuous oil-water separators.’ The nanofilters are manufactured in two types: ‘metal mesh nanofilter’ and ‘super-hydrophilic polymer depthfilter.’
The ‘metal mesh nanofilter’ is a ‘2D metal nanofilter’ capable of selectively separating water and oil. It is durable and can be produced in various sizes, allowing for direct installation in industrial equipment. It can instantly separate wastewater and oil, thus reducing odors and contributing to the reuse of separated wastewater. Its specific advantages include ‘long life through cleaning,’ ‘applicability to various oil viscosities,’ and ‘modular usability.’
The ‘super-hydrophilic polymer depthfilter’ is a ‘3D super-hydrophilic nanofilter’ that selectively and rapidly allows only water to pass through via nanostructured surface treatment. It is user-friendly, capable of high capacity for immediate separation of wastewater, and is highly suitable for use in industrial equipment. Its advantages include ‘high capacity filtering performance,’ ‘high durability for long life,’ ‘various usability according to size,’ and ‘compatibility with existing housing types.’
ECORENEW also offers two types of oil-water separators: ‘Compact RenewFLOW’ and ‘Capacity-Variable RenewFLOW.’ The ‘Compact RenewFLOW’ is a lightweight, small-scale continuous oil-water separator designed for the separation of industrial waste oil. It simultaneously employs super-hydrophilic and super-hydrophobic nanofilters with integrated automatic control technology to adjust flow rates and efficiency. The separated water and oil can be recycled without physical changes. Its features include ‘excellent practicality for mobility and installation due to miniaturization,’ ‘custom flow and efficiency control through automatic control,’ and ‘recyclability of separated water and oil.’
The ‘Capacity-Variable RenewFLOW’ modularizes the super-hydrophilic filter to create a continuous oil-water separation system tailored to meet the treatment capacity and separation efficiency required by demand companies. The separated water can be used for circulation purification, and the separated oil can be recycled as refined oil.
“The main differentiator between existing products and ECORENEW’s items is that it enables rapid customized treatment of wastewater and waste oil at reduced costs. First, there is the differentiation of ‘instant separation.’ Unlike existing buoyancy-based products that separate water and oil naturally and take a long time, our system allows for ultra-fast oil-water separation through nanofilters. Traditional buoyancy products take time, and during this time, oil can decompose, leading to odor issues.”
The ‘miniaturization’ is also a significant feature. Existing products require large tanks for separating water and oil. In contrast, ECORENEW’s products can be installed in small spaces due to miniaturization. They are compact and lightweight enough for one person to easily carry.
“Thanks to the nanofilters and automatic control, oil-water separation efficiency is excellent. The oil content of treated water is only below 5 ppm, and the moisture content in the oil is below 40 ppm. Existing products yield separated water and oil of low purity, necessitating reprocessing or disposal. However, with ECORENEW’s products, the separated water and oil have high purity levels, allowing for recycling. The water can be reused for secondary purposes or purified for circulation, and if unnecessary, can be directly discharged as it is clean. The oil can also be reused without issues.”
ECORENEW is actively promoting its products through various channels. “Firstly, we plan to promote through PoC (Proof of Concept) validations with domestic and international companies. Currently, we are testing performance by supplying equipment to a mid-sized company in Changwon. Once this PoC is completed, we plan to introduce ECORENEW’s products and explore distribution channels through meetings with similar related companies both domestically and internationally, based on the secured performance and lifespan data. We anticipate that this PoC will help analyze the economic impact of ECORENEW’s products, allowing companies to understand the cost savings and environmental improvements they can achieve.”
Secondly, we are promoting through participation in domestic and international fairs and exhibitions. We promoted at the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers event held in Yeosu last April. Additionally, we showcased at the AMSM 2024 (Active Materials and Soft Mechatronics) international conference held in Songdo, Incheon from October 27 to 30, and will also participate in the ILS Innovation 2024 (Innovation Leaders Summit) in Tokyo, Japan, from December 2 to 5. We plan to promote ECORENEW’s products to global companies and VCs at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, USA, from January 7 to 10 next year.
ECORENEW successfully secured investment from KingoSpring Corp. in June 2024 and was selected for the Startup Growth Technology Development Project (TIPS). Additionally, we successfully raised angel investment in August 2024.
How did CEO Choi start this venture? “I was led to start a business through technical collaboration with my advisor at POSTECH. The desire of my advisor to commercialize the nano-surface control technology developed over more than 20 years through government and industry-academic support funds, along with my vision to focus on environmental and energy-related research, aligned perfectly, leading to the establishment of the company.”
After founding the company, CEO Choi stated, “I feel rewarded when I and my employees recognize the excellence of our product performance and differentiation, especially when it is validated during the PoC stage.”
ECORENEW has a total of 11 employees, including 5 from POSTECH. The team comprises 7 regular employees and 5 PhD-level staff.
Regarding future plans, CEO Choi emphasized, “We aim to produce and distribute products that can purify the vast amounts of waste oil generated in domestic industrial plants, thereby improving the working environment and health of workers and enabling resource recycling. We will strive to establish a foundation to pass on a clean environment to future generations.”
He also added, “We plan to expand the technology we possess for marine and ship applications to lead efforts in protecting marine ecosystems and to explore expansions into the petrochemical and bio sectors.”
**Establishment Date:** September 2023
**Main Business:** Manufacturing of Nanofilters and Continuous Oil-Water Separators
**Achievements:**
- May 2023: Selected for Startup-Centered University Pre-Startup Package
- June 2023: Approved as a Preliminary Venture Business
- July 2023: Selected for Laboratory Specialization Innovation Startup Laboratory
- September 2023: Established ECORENEW Co., Ltd.
- October 2023: Established Corporate Research Institute
- January 2024: Selected as a Tech Valley Company by the Korea Technology Finance Corporation
- April 2024: Selected for the Initial Startup Package of the Laboratory Specialization Startup-Centered University
- April 2024: Selected for ECORENEW Co., Ltd.’s Start-up Support Project
- May 2024: Certified as a R&D Type Venture Company
- May 2024: Selected for the Ocean Springboard Program by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries
- June 2024: Secured investment from KingoSpring Corp.
- July 2024: Selected for Startup Growth Technology Development Project (TIPS)
JINHO LEE reporter jinho2323@hankyung.com
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