Sangwoo

What Sangwoo does

Sangwoo Co., Ltd. (상우기업) is a South Korean specialty chemical manufacturer founded in 1986 and headquartered in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do. The company is recognized as the first domestic producer of liquid calcium hydroxide (slaked lime) in Korea, having launched commercial production in April 1988, and has built a 36+ year track record in industrial alkaline chemistry. Its core offering is liquid calcium hydroxide, used for incinerator flue gas desulfurization, wastewater pH adjustment and neutralization, and food-grade applications, supplemented by a secondary product line that includes liquid sodium bicarbonate (PS-2000), urea solution (NOS-30), and a high-concentration liquid harmful gas remover.

The company's technology base rests on a portfolio of registered patents covering high-concentration liquid calcium hydroxide manufacturing (Patent No. 1095879), impurity-containing quicklime crushing (Patent No. 1054333), the original 1993 manufacturing process (Patent No. 125820), and a demand-based manufacturing device (Patent No. 2799991, 2022). It also holds a 2024 patent on liquid sodium bicarbonate. Manufacturing runs across four South Korean plants — Hwaseong (HQ, 2010), Iksan (acquired 2010 from Geukdong Environmental Chemical), Cheonan (2016), and Icheon (2024) — providing regional coverage of Gyeonggi-do, Chungcheongnam-do, and Jeollabuk-do. The company carries ISO 9001, ISO 45001, Korean Green Technology certification (2021), and Green Technology Product Confirmation (2024), plus hazardous chemical sales, water treatment chemical manufacturing, and food additive manufacturing permits.

Sangwoo operates a direct-to-enterprise B2B model, selling through quote-based pricing and direct delivery to customer facilities. The company has been a subsidiary of SGPE Group since 2020, giving it access to group-level capital and resources. Customers include industrial incinerator operators, wastewater treatment plants, and food processors; a notable technology collaboration is the ACQC (Advanced Combustion Quality Control) injection method co-developed with Samsung and trialed at Samsung's Pyeongtaek Godeok facility in January 2017. All revenue is domestic (South Korea), pricing is not publicly disclosed, and the company was upgraded from small to medium-sized enterprise status in 2018.

Name

Sangwoo

Legal name

상우기업(주)

Website

https://sangwoo.co.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Sangwoo Co., Ltd. (상우기업) is a South Korean specialty chemical manufacturer founded in 1986 and a subsidiary of SGPE Group. It pioneered domestic production of liquid calcium hydroxide in 1988 and supplies it for incinerator flue gas treatment, wastewater processing, and food-grade applications through four plants nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Chemicals

NAICS

Lime Manufacturing (32741), Other Basic Inorganic Chemical Manufacturing (325180)

SIC

Industrial Inorganic Chemicals (2810), Chemicals & Allied Products (2800)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Treatment & Process Specialty Chemicals (IMAEABAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Membranes, Consumables & Chemicals (Elements, Antiscalants, Cleaning) (EUANAFAJ), Industrial Water Reuse Utilities (ZLD/MLD & Process Water Recycling) (EUANAGAG), Produced Water Management & Treatment (Handling, Disposal, Reuse) (EUAAAAAN)

Keywords

• Liquid calcium hydroxide
• Industrial chemical manufacturing
• Flue gas desulfurization
• Wastewater treatment chemicals
• Slaked lime production

Headquarters

HQ city

Seongnam

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Liquid calcium hydroxide products: Sale of liquid calcium hydroxide products for incinerator use and wastewater treatment applications
2. Other chemical products: Sale of other handling chemicals including water treatment chemicals and sodium bicarbonate products

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Sangwoo manufactures and sells liquid calcium hydroxide (액상소석회) for industrial applications, primarily for incinerator flue gas desulfurization and wastewater treatment. The company is the first domestic producer of liquid calcium hydroxide in Korea, having pioneered the product in 1988. It also offers other handled chemicals including sodium bicarbonate solution (PS-2000), urea solution (NOS-30), and high-concentration liquid harmful gas remover products.

Product overview

Sangwoo is a manufacturer specializing in liquid calcium hydroxide (액상소석회) products for industrial applications, primarily for incinerator flue gas treatment and wastewater processing. The company operates as a single-product-focused business with its core offering being liquid calcium hydroxide, supplemented by other chemical products including sodium bicarbonate solution (PS-2000) and urea solution (NOS-30). The company was founded in 1986 and is recognized as the domestic pioneer in liquid calcium hydroxide production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Liquid Calcium Hydroxide (액상소석회) Industrial-grade liquid calcium hydroxide used for incinerator flue gas desulfurization (소각장용) and wastewater treatment (폐수처리용). Sold directly to industrial enterprises and wastewater treatment facilities through quote-based ordering.
• Other Handled Chemicals (기타취급약품) Complementary chemical product line including sodium bicarbonate solution (PS-2000), urea solution (NOS-30), and high-concentration liquid harmful gas remover. Targeted at industrial applications including harmful gas removal and supplementary water treatment.

Quantifiable outcome

• First domestic production and commercialization of liquid calcium hydroxide in Korea

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Samsung (Samsung Electronics)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology collaboration with Samsung for ACQC (Advanced Combustion Quality Control) injection method development. Sangwoo developed and tested the technology at Samsung's Pyeongtaek Godeok facility in January 2017, demonstrating expertise in industrial combustion optimization solutions.
• Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (한국생산기술연구원)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesignated as a partner company in 2010, establishing formal collaborative relationship for technology development made in Korea.
• SGPEcoreOthersSangwoo became a subsidiary of SGPE group in 2020, gaining access to broader corporate resources and group synergies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Sibelco: Global material solutions company with industrial minerals including calcium-based specialty products. Comparable to Sangwoo in industrial mineral processing and lime-related reagent supply chains.
• United States Lime & Minerals: U.S. lime producer with operations in Texas, Arkansas, and other states serving industrial, environmental (FGD, water), and construction markets. Comparable to Sangwoo as a smaller, focused specialty lime company with industrial water-treatment exposure.
• Imerys: France-based global specialty minerals company producing calcium-based functional additives and mineral solutions including for water and environmental applications. Comparable to Sangwoo as a broader specialty chemicals/minerals supplier with calcium-hydroxide-related industrial chemistry.

Direct peers

• Lhoist Group: Belgian-headquartered global leader in lime, limestone, and dolomite products — including hydrated lime used in water treatment and flue gas desulfurization. Compares to Sangwoo as a direct peer in liquid calcium hydroxide (slaked lime) production for industrial water and air emissions applications.
• Nordkalk: Nordic European producer of limestone and lime products, including hydrated lime for water treatment, flue gas cleaning, and industrial processes. Comparable to Sangwoo as a regional specialty lime producer focused on water and air-quality applications.
• Carmeuse: Global lime producer headquartered in Belgium with major North American operations, supplying hydrated lime and lime-based reagents for water treatment and air pollution control. Highly comparable to Sangwoo in product mix (liquid/hydrated lime) and end-use segments.
• Graymont: Canada-headquartered lime producer serving North America and the Asia-Pacific with high-calcium and dolomitic lime products for flue gas treatment, water, and industrial markets. Closely comparable to Sangwoo in hydrated-lime focus and FGD/water treatment end markets.
• Mississippi Lime Company: U.S. producer of high-calcium quicklime, hydrated lime, and specialty lime derivatives for water treatment, FGD, and industrial chemistry. Direct peer to Sangwoo as a specialized hydrated-lime manufacturer with industrial-process customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sangwoo