April 23, 2026

Sumitomo Heavy Industries Process Equipment Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; President: Takushi Murakami; a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd.; hereinafter “Sumitomo Heavy Industries Process Equipment”) announces that its next-generation distillation system Column-In-Column, which offers excellent energy-saving and space-saving performance, has been selected as an eligible equipment for subsidy support under the Energy-Saving Investment Promotion and Demand Structure Transformation Support Project in the FY2025 supplementary budget (the “Project”), a subsidy program operated by the Sustainable open Innovation Initiative.
The Project provides subsidies for advanced equipment with high technical capabilities and energy-saving performance that are selected in accordance with screening criteria determined by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
As a result of this selection, Column-In-Column is eligible for subsidy support under the following project category:
(I) Factory and Business Site Category – Advanced Equipment Framework

In addition, in the current fiscal year, the system has also been certified as a designated equipment under the category of “Other high-performance equipment recognized by SII.”
Accordingly, it is also eligible for subsidy support under the following project categories:
(I) Factory and Business Site Category – General Framework / SME Investment Promotion Framework / Supply Chain Collaboration Framework
(III) Equipment Unit Category – Conventional Framework
Note: This category applies under a separate program, the Energy-Saving Investment Promotion Support Subsidy.

■ Features of Column-In-Column
Column-In-Column excels in energy efficiency and space savings. It is a next-generation distillation column that operates with reduced energy consumption and suppresses CO2 emissions in the distillation processes of the chemical industry, which is known for its high CO2 emissions, compared with conventional multi-column systems.
In typical multi-component distillation systems, separation is achieved by connecting multiple distillation columns. This configuration requires repeated heating and cooling in each column, resulting in high consumption of utilities such as steam, heat media, and cooling water, and consequently high running costs.
In contrast, Column-In-Column integrates the functions of multiple distillation columns into a single column by installing a vertically divided internal partition (dividing wall) inside the column. This structure significantly contributes to a reduction in utility consumption, including steam, heat media, and cooling water.

Sumitomo Heavy Industries Process Equipment has delivered approximately 50 systems, both in Japan and internationally, helping to realize up to approximately 40% reductions in energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Looking ahead, Sumitomo Heavy Industries Process Equipment will continue making active efforts to develop and promote energy-saving technologies in order to reduce negative environmental impacts and contribute to the realization of a sustainable society.

Further details about Column-In-Column are available here:
https://www.shi-pe.shi.co.jp/english/products/jyouryu/cic/

For inquiries and advice about this topic, please contact us here:
https://page.shi-pe.shi.co.jp/distillation_contact_eg.html

For further information related to the Project, please refer to the following resources (Japanese Only):
-Sustainable open Innovation Initiative (SII)
https://sii.or.jp/
-Energy-Saving Investment Promotion and Demand Structure Transformation Support Project
https://syouenehojyokin.sii.or.jp/
-Public Summary of “Advanced Equipment and Systems” under the “Factory and Business Site Category”
https://sii.or.jp/file/koujou_system_search_07r/R7Hsen-153.pdf
-List of “Other High-Performance Equipment Recognized by SII” under the FY2025 Supplementary Budget Energy-Saving and Non-Fossil Energy Conversion Subsidy Program
https://sii.or.jp/setsubi07r/uploads/kouseinou_setsubi.pdf