From Research to Action: ASE Kaohsiung Drives Sustainable Innovation Through Industry-Academia Collaboration

Amid the global push for net-zero emissions and sustainability challenges, leveraging technology and innovation for green transformation has become a critical priority for industrial development. Guided by the philosophy of “driving sustainability with technological innovation”, ASE Kaohsiung continues to strengthen environmental governance through industry-academia collaboration.

The 11th Environmental Technology Research Outcome Presentation, held at the TASS Asia Sustainable Supply and Circular Economy Exhibition and Forum in the Kaohsiung Exhibition Center, brought together National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) and Tunghai University. This year’s event highlighted research on water resource circulation, plastic waste reuse, climate change adaptation, and carbon capture, showcasing ASE’s proactive commitment to sustainability through scientific research.

Since its launch in 2015, the Kaohsiung plant's Environmental Technology Research Program has become a cornerstone of ASE’s ESG initiatives. By fostering cross-sector collaboration, knowledge exchange, and experimental verification, the program continually injects innovation and sustainable momentum into corporate environmental management. This year's research outcomes demonstrate ASE's practical capability to implement sustainability via technology, spanning smart monitoring, water resource management, and carbon circulation technologies.

The research team successfully developed an AI water quality screening system for upstream monitoring of reclaimed water plants. Using artificial intelligence to detect trace substances in effluent, the system provides early warnings of abnormal water quality, ensuring a stable supply of reclaimed water and enhancing process safety.

In another project, the team evaluated the feasibility of recycling plastic waste from packaging processes into solid recovered fuel (SRF), confirming the stability of the calorific value and the effectiveness of emission control. This opens new avenues for carbon reduction and high-energy waste recycling.

In another project, the team evaluated the feasibility of recycling plastic waste from packaging processes into solid recovered fuel (SRF), verifying the stability of the calorific value of plastic waste and the feasibility of emission control. This opens new avenues for carbon reduction and the recycling of high-energy waste.

Facing the threat of extreme weather, the team combined climate projection and flood simulation to create a data-driven disaster prevention framework, supporting enhanced climate resilience.

Additionally, targeting flue gas emissions from boilers and incinerators, the team developed an integrated carbon capture technology using microalgae fixation and chemical absorption. This approach not only verified carbon capture efficiency but also demonstrated the potential for byproduct reuse, highlighting the practical application of carbon circulation technology.

“The Environmental Technology Research Program has spanned eleven years, engaging fifteen partner universities and nearly seventy collaborative projects.” said Ellis Yan, Director of ASE Kaohsiung. “Sustainable development is not a slogan – it is a long-term commitment to action. Through this program, ASE transforms academic research into practical applications, strengthening process resilience and carbon reduction, while exploring new directions in environmental management with academia.”

He further highlighted that this year's projects address global climate change and the low-carbon transition in the global supply chain, underscoring the importance of comprehensive planning – from source management to technological innovation – based on scientific data to gain early advantages in sustainable competition.

Over the past eleven years, ASE Kaohsiung has consistently advanced environmental technology research across energy, water resources, waste, and climate resilience, investing more than NT$80 million. All project outcomes are publicly disclosed in ASE’s sustainability report. Moving forward, ASE will continue to prioritize industry-academia collaboration, deepen the application of low-carbon technologies, implement circular economy principles, and work closely with the supply chain and society to build a sustainable future – turning corporate sustainability commitments into tangible actions.

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