United Microelectronics (UMC) has opened an NT$1.8 billion (approx. US$58 million) circular economy center at its Tainan campus, launching an in-house facility that will convert semiconductor waste into reusable industrial materials as part of the company's long-term sustainability plan.
SC Chien, UMC president and chief sustainability officer, said the center will process wastewater, chemical residues, and sludge from the company's Taiwan fabs through collaborations with specialized treatment partners. He said the facility is designed to convert about 15,000 metric tons of waste into usable products each year, which would reduce UMC's Taiwan waste volume by roughly one third and generate more than NT$100 million in annual green economic value.
Chien said the center is the first waste-to-resource site in Southern Taiwan Science Park focused entirely on circular economy development and represents an important step in the semiconductor sector's broader shift toward sustainable manufacturing.
Recovering chemicals and sludge
The facility applies purification, thermal cracking, and mineral processing technologies to recover materials that would otherwise be sent to external waste handlers. Waste isopropyl alcohol and edge bead removal liquids from wafer cleaning can be purified into industrial-grade inputs. UMC intends to refine these processes so the recovered chemicals can eventually reach electronic-grade purity and return to chip-production lines.
Solvents that cannot be purified are converted into gas through thermal cracking and used as fuel within the fab. Calcium fluoride sludge is processed into synthetic fluorite for steel production, which reduces steelmakers' reliance on natural fluorite and lowers environmental impact.
Advancing zero-waste strategy
UMC said circular resource development is a central pillar of its sustainability roadmap. The company aims to reduce outsourced waste treatment by increasing on-site recycling capacity and improving purification technologies.
UMC has already carried out several circular reuse projects. These include converting diluted sulfuric acid for wastewater treatment and air-pollution control, recycling discarded photomasks into quartz substrates, and extracting copper from copper sulfate waste to produce commercial copper rods. Chien said the new center will help accelerate these programs by consolidating waste-recovery R&D under one roof.
Green building with solar and hydrogen power
The Tainan facility covers 5,900 square meters with a total floor area of about 9,000 square meters. The building was constructed to Taiwan's green-architecture standards and features rooftop solar panels. UMC is also preparing to integrate a stationary hydrogen fuel-cell system to increase the site's renewable-energy self-sufficiency.
UMC said the investment strengthens its ability to turn waste into economically valuable materials and supports the company's long-term goal of achieving zero waste in semiconductor manufacturing.
Article edited by Jack Wu
