Heesung Catalysts Wins the 2025 Patent Technology Award for Innovation in Dehydrogenation Catalysts
2025.11.07
Heesung Catalysts was honored with the Jiseok-Young Award at the 2025 Patent Technology Awards, hosted by the Korea Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) in partnership with the JoongAng Ilbo. The award ceremony took place on November 6 at the JoongAng Ilbo headquarters in Mapo, Seoul.
The winning patent, “Method for producing catalysts of high regeneration efficiency for dehydrogenation of light straight-chain hydrocarbons,” was recognized for its originality and contribution to industrial innovation.
Advancing Korea’s Petrochemical Catalyst Independence
The patented technology significantly enhances both catalytic activity and regeneration efficiency in the production of olefins, a critical feedstock for plastics, synthetic fibers, synthetic rubber, and numerous everyday materials. Improving olefin production efficiency directly contributes to energy savings and reduced carbon emissions across the petrochemical value chain.
Although catalysts account for nearly 85% of domestic petrochemical processes, Korea has long relied heavily on imported products. In response, Heesung Catalysts has been committed to developing locally produced, high-performance catalysts to strengthen national technological competitiveness and supply-chain stability.
The awarded patent enables precise control of metal distribution and alloy structure, minimizing carbon deposition during reaction, while significantly improving durability and regeneration efficiency. This leads to higher process stability, more efficient resource utilization, and meaningful environmental benefits.
Breakthrough Achieved Through Persistent R&D
The technology is the result of years of research led by Principal Researcher Hodong Kim and his R&D team. Through extensive experimentation and data-driven optimization, the team successfully overcame the limitations of existing commercial catalysts and established an optimal manufacturing process that enhances both catalyst lifetime and regeneration performance.
The patented catalyst meets industrial requirements for durability, cost-effectiveness, and environmental performance, setting a new milestone in Korea’s pursuit of self-reliant petrochemical catalyst technologies. It also reinforces Heesung Catalysts’ role as a trusted partner that develops solutions aligned with customers’ real-world operational challenges.
Driving Carbon-Neutral Innovation Through Domestic Technology and Global Leadership
This award further strengthens Heesung Catalysts’ vision to become a leading provider of catalyst-based, eco-friendly technologies that enable a carbon-neutral society.
Building on its proven expertise across automotive, environmental, and petrochemical catalyst sectors, the company will continue to deliver high-efficiency, low-carbon catalyst solutions—advancing Korea’s domestic catalyst capabilities while expanding its presence in the global market.
Heesung Catalysts remains committed to enabling a more sustainable industrial ecosystem and accelerating the clean-energy transition through responsible technology development and continuous innovation.
