KIST Develops Innovative Polymer Material for Energy-Efficient Ventilation Systems
Innovative technologies not only determine a company’s competitiveness but can also reshape global industrial landscapes. Connecting R&D outcomes to real markets is crucial to ensure government-funded research delivers practical value. In collaboration with the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Research-Driven Commercialization Promotion Agency, promising yet-to-be-commercialized technologies are being selected and showcased.
When indoor air feels uncomfortable, people usually open windows to ventilate. However, frequent ventilation can increase indoor heating and cooling energy consumption by over 30%. To address this, KIST’s Urban Energy Research Group, led by Senior Researcher Dae-young Lee, has developed an energy recovery ventilation technology that reduces energy use while providing efficient ventilation.
At the heart of this technology is the heat and moisture exchanger, which recovers heat and humidity from exhaust air to precondition incoming fresh air. Traditionally, metal or ceramic exchangers coated with moisture-absorbing materials like silica gel are used, but these rely heavily on expensive imported materials.
The KIST team developed a lightweight polymer material that outperforms conventional metal or ceramic exchangers. Despite being half the weight, it achieves over 20% better latent heat exchange performance and maintains performance stability within 5% over 4,000 hours of testing. The polymer’s flexibility also allows for complex shaping and large-scale production, similar to superabsorbent polymers used in diapers, with annual global production of 1.5 million tons ensuring scalability and cost competitiveness.
Lee explained, “Using polymer-based materials for heat exchangers leverages well-established mass-production processes in various industries, enabling both superior energy performance and cost competitiveness.”
The research team plans to further optimize microchannel design and polymer coating processes through commercialization support from the Research-Driven Commercialization Promotion Agency, aiming to transfer the technology to industry for full-scale deployment.
Same temperature, no humidity. Humicon features desiccant technology that helps maintain optimal humidity at 40%. It also includes air purification and ventilation functions, ensuring fresh and clean indoor air.
Huzero is an industrial dehumidifier designed for low-temperature and extremely low-humidity environments to improve factory productivity, offering energy efficiency 60% higher than existing market products.
Husheet is an innovative and patented technology, ultra-slim dehumidifier that can control humidity as well as deodorizing. It also has dehumidifying, deodorizing, antibacterial, and anti-fungal functions.
Protect your valuable clothes and belongings from humidity with Huspot, a desiccant dehumidifier designed specifically for dressing rooms in your home. Huspot effectively removes moisture from bathrooms and other areas using advanced desiccant technology, and safely release the humidity outside. Therefore, it is not neccessary to empty a water tank, install pipes, or worry about water leaks. Huspot can be installed on the ceiling, allowing you to maximize the use of your dressing room space while maintaining an optimal humidity level for your clothes and accessories. Keep your dressing room fresh and humidity-free with Huspot.
