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CARBON-U took part as a local company in the Tongyeong Sustainable Development Policy Forum (Oyster Shells, 2nd session).
Read the article →CCUS is one of the ten green industries, and decarbonization of key industries and circular-economy special zones are being pursued. We summarize the links with C-PCC.
K-GX policy fit →Moved into Tongyeong Restart Platform, establishing an on-site business model next to the oyster-shell source.
We are pursuing a pilot to secure oyster-shell data on quality, yield, cost, carbon and customers.
Developing OCC · ultra-high-purity calcium carbonate · solid bio-CaCl₂.
Technology Insight
CCU turns CO₂ into products; CCS isolates CO₂ for the long term. CARBON-U starts from CCU — fixing CO₂ in a product, calcium carbonate — and is extending step by step to mineralization based on process residue and to onshore storage.
Read more →44% of the mass of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) comes from CO₂. This is the stoichiometric share of CO₂ fixed in the product, not the net reduction of the whole process. Net reduction must be calculated separately through LCA.
C-PCC →Media
“How should we handle oyster shells?” — exploring new materials and markets that work alongside the existing upcycling facility
On October 13, CARBON-U attended the Tongyeong Sustainable Development Policy Forum (Oyster Shells, 2nd session), held at the Tongyeong Marine Protected Area education center. Hosted by the Tongyeong Council for Sustainable Development, the forum was themed “How should we handle oyster shells?” and brought together local stakeholders from government, the city council, the fisheries cooperative and businesses.
The agenda covered ▲the status of the fishery by-product upcycling facility ▲the facility's economics and market ▲local acceptance ▲institutional improvement and deregulation ▲public–private governance and roles.
Tongyeong is Korea's largest oyster-producing area, accounting for about 70% of national output. The city completed a fishery by-product upcycling facility in 2024 at a cost of KRW 16 bn, with capacity to process 80,000 tonnes a year. In an August report, KNN projected that about 30% of the shells generated would still remain even if the facility runs as planned and private processing is added, and the head of the city's fishery by-product management team said, “Besides power plants, we are running demonstration tests with other materials companies,” signalling a plan to diversify markets.
CARBON-U is developing technology that turns oyster shells into calcium carbonate for plastic fillers and eco-friendly construction materials (OCC, Oyster Calcium Carbonate), and is pursuing a 500 t/yr pilot in Tongyeong. The pilot will measure quality, yield, manufacturing cost and carbon reduction with oyster shells.
CARBON-U does not aim to replace the existing upcycling facility. Respecting the large-scale processing system already in place, it aims to complement Tongyeong's oyster-shell cycle by adding new materials and buyers for the shells that remain.
Building on this forum, CARBON-U plans to keep working with local government, the fisheries cooperative, producers and businesses, and to help build a cycle that runs from generation → collection and pre-treatment → upcycling → materials → buyer validation → links with local industry.
| Event | Tongyeong Sustainable Development Policy Forum (Oyster Shells, 2nd session) |
| Theme | How should we handle oyster shells? |
| Date · Venue | Tue, October 13, 2026, 10:00–12:00 · Tongyeong Marine Protected Area education center |
| Host | Tongyeong Council for Sustainable Development |
| Agenda | Upcycling facility status · economics · market · local acceptance · institutional improvement · public–private governance |
Related coverage (in Korean)
Publications
Ha Seong Jang, CEO, CARBONU Co., Ltd.
Original: Korea Mine Rehabilitation and Mineral Resources Corp. (KOMIR) “Technology & World” Vol. 5