Study on the Destruction and Removal Efficiency (DRE) of Perfluorinated Compound Gases Used in Semiconductor and Display Processes in Korea: DRE and Uncertainty by Scrubber Type

In Republic of Korea, plasma scrubbers are a common technology employed in the semiconductor and display industries. However, there are numerous other types of scrubbers in use. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) does not provide destruction and removal efficiencies (DREs) specific to individual scrubbers, only DREs specific to greenhouse gases, which makes it challenging to consider the specific effects of different types of scrubbers. The semiconductor and display industries in Korea represent a significant market share and are experiencing a steady increase in emissions, underscoring the need for research on GHG-reducing DREs to effectively manage these emissions. In this study, data on Tier 3 DREs developed based on measurements from companies subject to GHG management were collected. The findings indicated that C3F8 gas exhibited a comparable performance to the 2019 IPCC G/L (guideline) for plasma and combustion wet scrubbers, although it surpassed the 2006 IPCC G/L value. The catalytic scrubbers exhibited values that were comparable to the 2006 IPCC G/L, but lower than the 2019 IPCC G/L. The uncertainties were minimal for c-C4F8 gases, both in the absence of consideration of the scrubber type and when each scrubber type was taken into account. In contrast, the uncertainties associated with CF4 gases were relatively high, depending on the scrubber type. Although there are differences between the greenhouse gases in question, failing to take the type of scrubber into account could result in under- or overestimates of certain emissions. Therefore, it would be beneficial to develop coefficients that take this into account, particularly where information on scrubbers by gas type is available.