October 02, 2024

Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Head Office: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President, and CEO: Shinji Shimomura; hereinafter “SHI”) is participating in the FY2024 activities of the Carbon Cycle Innovation Consortium (hereinafter the “Consortium”), led by The Japan Research Institute, Limited (Head Office: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President and CEO: Katsunori Tanizaki), Kyoto University (Head Office: Kyoto-shi, Kyoto; President: Nagahiro Minato), and Kyoto University Original Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Kyoto-shi, Kyoto; CEO: Seiji Miwa). One aspect of SHI’s participation will be the commencement of a study to establish “a Carbon Cycle Material Industry Model that utilizes biomass and CO2 as carbon sources” (hereinafter the “Model”) aiming to achieve local production and consumption for specific areas in Yamagata and Miyagi Prefectures (hereinafter the “Pliot zone”).

■ Background and purpose
Recent efforts to achieve carbon neutrality are making it necessary to break away from dependence on petroleum, the main source of CO2 emissions. As this break occurs, the production of gasoline and other products is expected to decline, as will the production of naphtha, a co-product in the manufacture of these products. Such a decline will inevitably affect manufacturers’ ability to produce petroleum-based materials made from naphtha that are essential for daily life—namely plastics, synthetic fibers, synthetic rubber, and synthetic fertilizers.
The Model will create an industrial ecosystem centered on technologies for generating “carbon cycle materials” that substitute biomass and CO2 for petroleum-based materials. This ecosystem will use biomass from agriculture, forestry, and fisheries as well as CO2 emitted from biomass power plants, paper mills, and other such facilities as resources. The goal will be to realize a “carbon cycle” that recycles and utilizes the CO2 generated within the region.

■ SHI’s role
SHI’s Energy & Lifeline Segment, which is one of the company’s four business segments, defines (1) carbon neutrality business and (2) renewable energy promotion business as major strategic issues for the “realization of a decarbonized, resource-recycling society.” The segment handles biomass power boilers, turbines, water treatment facilities, and process equipment (agitators and distillation equipment) and develops energy storage technology and biomass gasification equipment. It is also investing in the mass production of basic structures for offshore wind power generation as a new business.
Both the Energy & Lifeline Segment and SHI’s Technology Research Center conducting R&D across the four segments are participating in the Consortium. We have delivered biomass power plants to our customers all around the world. We will contribute to the realization of the carbon cycle in the pilot zone by examining CO2 separation and recovery from flue gases and investigating CO2 utilization while leveraging our expertise gained through extensive learned and experience.