Highlights 2022
CO2 as a Resource for Engineering Plastics
Innovative Solution making “Carbon Negative” possible
Until recently, the raw materials for engineering plastics have been derived mainly from fossil fuels.
Shifting to sustainable raw materials is the new solution for achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2050, ultimately Carbon Negative.
We will introduce one of the innovative solutions Polyplastics is developing.
POM Suitable for Sustainability
POM, one of our leading products, is a resin that is extremely suitable for being made from sustainable raw materials. Methanol can easily be produced by fermenting biomass materials, therefore, the biomass methanol is relatively popular in the market.
Given this background, we have begun manufacturing and marketing DURACON® bG-POM utilizing biomass methanol. The chemical formula of methanol is CH3OH, which means that it is made from carbon dioxide (CO2) or monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2). Taking advantage of this feature, we are starting
to develop innovative POM.
Challenge for Carbon Recycling to Produce POM with CO2 as its Resource
Our newest product under development is POM called “POM contributing to carbon recycling,” made from CO2 and H2 captured from manufacturing processes of the Daicel Group.
This POM is a low PCF product because the amount of CO2 used as raw material can be subtracted from the CO2 emissions generated by the manufacturing process.
This manufacturing process also reduces the amount of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere, making it an effective measure against climate change. “POM contributing to carbon recycling” is scheduled to be manufactured and sold by FY2027.
Realizing Carbon Negative Products
Until now, we have emitted CO2 into the atmosphere as waste, but now we have developed a carbon recycling technology that uses CO2 as a resource. As a result, in the future, we can see the realization of methanol that uses CO2 as a raw material not only from the manufacturing process but also from the atmosphere. Using this methanol, we will work to realize Carbon Negative products with a carbon footprint of zero or less. We will simultaneously work to reduce CO2 emissions by conserving energy during the manufacturing process and using renewable energy, aiming to further reduce our products’ carbon footprints.
Producing Methanol with Less Energy
When producing methanol from CO2 it must be reduced to CO, and this process consumes a large amount of energy. To create more Carbon Negative products, we need a catalyst technology that can efficiently produce such a reaction using less energy.
Daicel’s nanodiamond catalyst technology offers the potential to realize innovative energy-efficient methanol, and its practical application is undergoing research and development.
Promoting the Switch to Sustainable Raw Materials in all Engineering Plastics
The Daicel Group has defined four types of sustainable raw materials: “biomass raw materials,” “recycled materials,” “atmospheric CO2 utilization,” and “reusing waste products.” The carbon-recycling raw materials introduced here contribute significantly to the categories of “recycled materials,” “atmospheric CO2 utilization,” and “reusing waste products,” but we are also making progress in the following initiatives to convert them into sustainable raw materials.
- Preparations for expanding the Re-compounding business (Re-compounding Service)
- Development of DURANEX® rG-PBT, made with 30% recycled PET
- Development for environmental grades of PLASTRON® LFT (grades with long cellulose fiber or recycled PP) (Low GHGE grade PLASTRON® LFT)
We are shifting from raw materials derived from fossil fuels to sustainable raw materials, both for the POM introduced here and for all Polyplastics products. We will continue to strongly implement group-wide efforts to provide innovative solutions to realize Carbon Neutrality, ultimately Carbon Negative.
