SK Hynix to apply more water scrubbers in factory cooling systems
New scrubber conserves 79,000 metric tonnes of water per day
SK Hynix said on Thursday that it plans to install more water scrubbers in the cooling systems at its chip factories.
Water scrubbers are used to block gas and chemicals formed during chip production from being released to the atmosphere. Catalysts and water are used during this process.
SK Hynix said its new water scrubber uses water to control the temperature. However, the cooling water moves around the piper and doesn’t come into contact with the gases. This allows the cooling water to be reused.
SK Hynix manger Cho Mi-hyun said at Semicon Korea that this could conserve water use by 79,000 metric tonnes per day. The amount is equal to used by 240,000 people living in the city per day.
Less use of water also means less cost spent in processing wastewater, the company said.
SK Hynix said it also plans to install DeNox6 equipment to reduce the amount of air pollutants from its factories.
The company will also convert electricity used at its factory in China to 100% renewable energy next year. The goal is to reach 100% renewable energy for all its businesses by 2050.
The chip maker will also aim to increase water conservation rate by 300% in 2050, it said.