New Environmentally-friendly LCP Polymer Plant

LCP is an essential material for the development of next-generation high-speed communication technology. In 2024, we are building a new LCP polymer plant with an annual production capacity of 5,000 tons at our Kaohsiung Plant, our first overseas LCP polymer plant. This plant not only supports the sales expansion of LCP, but is also environmentally-friendly.

The synthesis process for LCP uses a lot of nitrogen. In the past, we used a nitrogen gas generator, but it required a large amount of energy. The new plant will therefore introduce new nitrogen circulation equipment to recycle nitrogen that has once been used. This reduces the amount of nitrogen used to one-tenth of the conventional amount and greatly reduces the energy required to produce nitrogen. As a result, the entire LCP plant is expected to attain energy savings of approximately 30% and significantly reduce CO₂ emissions. The entire LCP plant at our Kaohsiung Plant is expected to reduce its annual CO₂ emissions by approximately 9,000 tons.

The new plant will also include exhaust gas combustion equipment to reduce VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emissions. This equipment reduces VOCs by combusting exhaust gas generated in the manufacturing process. This allows almost 100% reduction of VOC emissions, and enables compliance with strict local VOC emission control standards.
We will continue to support the accelerating development of a DX society with engineering plastics, as well as promoting the construction and operation of environmentally sustainable plants.

Heat Pinch Analysis at Kuantan Plant

As one of our energy conservation efforts, we have been using a waste heat recovery method called “dual utility,” by which heat is reused between multiple distillation columns at each plant. Currently, in order to achieve the GHG reduction target for 2030, we have begun full-scale efforts to further optimize the use of such heat, which will lead to further energy conservation throughout the Group.
As the first step, in FY2023, we conducted a “heat pinch analysis” to study technologies to optimize heat utilization, using our Kuantan Plant in Malaysia as a model plant.
This analysis identifies areas where waste heat is generated and areas where additional heat is required in the manufacturing process, and also numerically visualizes the amount of heat required, making it possible to identify efficient heat exchange combinations. Based on the results of this analysis, we have now also finished compiling our items to improve for energy conservation. One of the improvement items includes vapor recompression (VRC) technology, which makes it possible to reuse low-temperature steam, which cannot be recovered by conventional dual utility, by compressing it to a higher temperature.

If we can optimize the use of heat throughout the plant while also introducing these new technologies, we see the potential to reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 68,200 tons/year (40%).
We will continue to study specific measures to fully realize the potential for such reduction. In the future, we plan to use the same heat pinch analysis to optimize heat utilization at plants other than the Kuantan plant, which served as the model plant in this example, and develop Group-wide initiatives to achieve our GHG reduction target for 2030.

Improving Energy Efficiency by New System

At the Leuna Plant (Germany), we have improved the efficiency of the plant’s energy use in order to achieve the group’s GHG reduction target. Until now, the Leuna Plant used a cooling tower to cool flash steam generated from high-pressure, high-temperature drain water (distilled water), which meant that the thermal energy of the distilled water could not be used effectively.
Therefore, we have introduced new equipment that adjusts the pressure of distilled water to produce low-pressure steam. The low-pressure steam is used for heating in other processes. Surplus heat is also used for heating and cooling the buildings within the plant.
This initiative has enabled us to reduce steam usage by 1.4 MWh/year, and is expected to reduce CO₂ emissions by approximately 130 tons/a. This energy-saving result was highly praised by the German government, and a subsidy was granted.
Our company will continue to work on reducing environmental impact throughout the group.

Environmental Monitoring Conference

At the Environmental Monitoring Conference held at the Fuji Plant every June, we explain the environmental efforts of the Fuji Plant to local residents , exchange opinions, and have them tour the environmental facilities within the plant. In FY2023, 16 representatives from six neighboring districts participated.

Comments

Through the plant tour and the environmental report for FY2022, I was reassured to learn that the company is implementing various initiatives for environmental measures. One of the most impressive features was the air conditioning system that effectively utilizes well water. We were shown around the actual site and were surprised to hear that it was very cool and energy-efficient. Furthermore, the plant has many sorting bins for scrap wood from the manufacturing process, which shows that the company is actively working to recycle products. During the Q&A session, I was relieved to receive a detailed explanation along with the actual test results. We expect that the company will continue to make environmental efforts in the future.