Achieving carbon neutrality with biomass

A raw material for polyethylene and other plastics, as well as for various chemicals more broadly.

A raw material for polypropylene and other plastics, as well as for various chemicals more broadly.

A raw material for various chemicals, including styrene, phenol and cyclohexane. Also finds use in solutions.

A raw material for products including phenolic resins and BPA. Also used as a raw material for dyes, surfactants, disinfectants, agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals and more.

A raw material for products including polycarbonate and epoxy resins.

A raw material for products including BPA and acrylic resin. Also used in paints, adhesives, cosmetics and various solvents.

A raw material for products including ethylene glycol - which finds use in the likes of detergents and polyester fibers - and ethanolamine. Also used as a sterilizing gas for the likes of medical instruments and precision equipment.

A raw material for urea resin. Also used to break down exhaust gas from diesel engines and thermal power stations, and as a material in moisturizing creams, fertilizers and more.

Polypropylene is one of the world’s most commonly used plastics. It finds use in all sorts of applications, spanning automobiles, home appliances, packaging materials, daily necessities, furniture and more.

Polypropylene compound products are used for various auto parts, ranging from bumper bars to instrument panels. As a lightweight material, polypropylene is vital in the push to reduce vehicle weight.
* ISCC certification has so far only been acquired here for products made in Europe, where the shift to biomass is progressing at a rapid rate.

Polyethylene is one of the world’s most commonly used plastics. Evolue™, a linear low-density polyethylene made using a metallocene catalyst, offers an impressive balance between the uniform molecular quality provided by the metallocene catalyst and the moldability enabled by a proprietary two-stage polymerization process.
Compared to conventional polyethylene, Evolue™ offers excellent strength, transparency and sealing performance, and is vital in the push for thinner, lighter materials.

Polyethylene is one of the world’s most commonly used plastics. Evolue™ H, a medium- to high-density polyethylene made using a metallocene catalyst, offers strength, rigidity and chemical resistance that could not be achieved with conventional polyethylene. It contributes significantly toward saving resources by reducing weight and thickness, as well as toward saving energy by increasing molding speed.

Polyethylene is one of the world’s most commonly used plastics. ULTZEX™, a linear low-density polyethylene, is a copolymerized ethylene made using C₆ as the monomer. Its low-temperature sealing performance, seal strength, impact resistance and other such characteristics cause it to see particular use as a film for the sealant layer of food packaging, stand-up packaging and more.

Polyethylene is one of the world’s most commonly used plastics. NEO-ZEX™, a linear medium-density polyethylene, is a copolymerized ethylene made using C₄ as the monomer. It finds use in various applications, including films, bottle caps, large tanks and pipes.

Polyethylene is one of the world’s most commonly used plastics. HI-ZEX™, a high-density polyethylene, has high tensile strength and rigidity, on top of which it particularly excels at impact resistance. The material also exhibits good thermal stability while molding, stretching resistance, long-term weather resistance, anti-creep performance and cold resistance.

TAFMER™ is a non-crystalline or low-crystalline alpha-olefin copolymer. Both as a resin modifier that dramatically improves resin properties, and as a flexible and lightweight soft molding material, it finds use across a wide range of sectors, including in auto parts, molding materials, sports products, power lines, construction materials, decorative building materials, stationery, daily necessities and more. Further, since TAFMER™ can be added during the material recycling process to improve characteristics, it has been making significant contributions to resource circulation in recent years.
* ISCC certification has so far only been acquired here for a limited number of offerings. Please inquire with our Elastomers Division for more information.

Leveraging Mitsui Chemicals’ excellent polyolefin polymerization technology, MITSUI EPT™ was Japan’s first domestically produced ethylene propylene rubber (EPDM). On top of excelling at workability, weather resistance, ozone resistance, heat resistance, cold resistance, chemical resistance and electrical resistance, the material’s functionality and economy have seen it picked up for use across a wide range of sectors, including in auto parts, civil engineering and construction materials, power cables, industrial chemicals and more.
* ISCC certification has so far only been acquired here for a limited number of offerings. Please enquire with our Elastomers Division for more information.

ADMER™ is a modified polyolefin that has been given adhesive properties through the introduction of a functional group. It is able to adhere strongly to EVOH and other gas barrier resins, as well as to various base materials such as metal, glass and ceramics, enabling then the use of co-extrusion molding to create multilayer molded products such as sheets, films, tubes and bottles.
What is more, ADMER™ exhibits excellent long-term adhesion and food sanitation properties, which has earned it a great deal of confidence in the food packaging sector. And through the behavior of the introduced functional group, the material can be expected to prove effective both as a filler in polyolefins and as a dispersant or compatibilizer in pigments, wood powders and other materials – showing a positive impact then in recycling processes, where different resins often mix together. * ISCC certification has so far only been acquired here for products made in Europe, where the shift to biomass is progressing at a rapid rate.

Coming in a wide range of hardness grades, MILASTOMER™ has lower density and a lighter weight than other soft resins. It finds use in a wide range of auto parts, where it helps to improve fuel efficiency. MILASTOMER™ is also highly moldable, exhibiting compatibility with options spanning injection molding through to extrusion molding and blow molding. It exhibits characteristics similar to those of vulcanized rubber while also being recyclable.
* ISCC certification has so far only been acquired here for products made in Europe, where the shift to biomass is progressing at a rapid rate.

Mitsui Chemicals Tohcello offers various polypropylene film products. The company has a wide-ranging lineup, including the likes of cast polypropylene films and biaxially oriented polypropylene films.

Alpha-methylstyrene is an aromatic hydrocarbon that is used to improve the heat resistance of ABS resin; act as a raw material for pigments, paints and adhesives; serve as an additive to rubbers and plastics; and more.

1-hexene is used as a copolymer for the likes of higher alpha olefin linear low-density polyethylene (HAO-LLDPE), enabling significant contributions to polyethylene performance. It is also used as a raw material for fragrances and other products.

para-DIPB is a raw material for hydroquinone. Hydroquinone, in turn, is used as a polymerization inhibitor, a rubber chemical, a pigment and more.

Ammonia is used as a fertilizer, dye, raw material for acrylic fibers, etc.
In addition to being used as a reducing agent as a countermeasure against NOx emitted by thermal power plants and diesel vehicles, In recent years, since it is a substance that does not contain carbon, its potential as a next-generation energy for carbon neutrality has been reconsidered.

Ethylene glycol is used as a raw material for PET resin and polyester fiber.
It is also used as an antifreeze in automobiles due to its low toxicity, water solubility and low melting point.

DMAE is used as a raw material for flocculant, ion exchange resins, urethane catalysts, paints, pharmaceuticals, etc.

Diethylene glycol is used in antifreeze, solvents, paints, polyester resins, lubricants, brake fluids, adhesives, etc.

hydroquinone is used in photographic agents, anti-aging agents for rubber, pigments, etc.
It is also used as a polymerization inhibitor for acrylic acid, methyl methacrylate and acrylonitrile.

HI-ZEX MILLION™ is an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene with an average molecular weight of 500,000 to 6,000,000 developed by Mitsui Chemicals. Due to its excellent mechanical properties, it is used in various fields such as industrial materials, medical equipment, and food-related fields. The density is as light as 935kg/m³, which makes it possible to reduce the weight of products. We have a lineup of brands that are hygienic and conform to FDA standards, as well as a wide variety of lineup. We can meet a variety of customer needs.

Toluene is used as a raw material and solvent for various chemical products.

PEG is used as an emulsifier, dispersant, and cleaning agent for cosmetics.

TPX™ is a High-performance polyolefin resin with heat resistance, releasability, transparency, and the lightest among thermoplastic resins.
Due to its safety, it is widely used from food wraps to industrial materials.
Although TPX™ is a crystalline polymer, it has high transparency and light transmittance that is equal to or higher than that of acrylic. In addition, it has excellent heat resistance with a melting point of 220℃ to 240℃, and has many features such as peelability, gas permeability, and chemical resistance.

Metapara cresol is used as a synthetic raw material for varnishes, laminates, epoxy resins, agrochemicals, antioxidants, plasticizers, phenolic resins, disinfectants, and intermediates for agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and fragrances.

Raw materials for extracting butadiene, a raw material for synthetic rubber.

Raw materials for extracting isoprene, a raw material for synthetic rubber.

Epoxy resin is a thermosetting resin that is used in a wide variety of applications, from paints and adhesives to electronic components and CFRP, due to its features such as high adhesiveness, electrical insulation, water resistance, and chemical resistance.
* Produced by Japan Epoxy Resin Mfg. Co., Ltd.

Econykol™ is a bio-polyol that is manufactured using non-edible castor oil, meaning that it does not detract from available food sources. The oil is sourced from India, the world’s largest producer of castor oil.
* Registered on the positive list for the JBPA’s BiomassPla certification system

Mitsui Chemicals was the world’s first company to develop a bio-based isocyanate - pentamethylene diisocyanate (PDI™) – as well as a polyisocyanate hardener made from this. The material exhibits chemical resistance, scratch resistance and a high level of gloss, as well as high reactivity to speed up hardening, which in turn helps to minimize energy consumption.
* Received an Incentive Award as part of the 2019 Green Sustainable Chemistry Awards

An adhesive used for sticking together films made of different materials. Finds use in the adhesion of various packaging materials – including food containers and packaging, as well as stand-up refill pouches.
* Recognized as a Biomass Mark product by JORA

An optical lens material made using plant-derived raw materials. Its optical performance is on par with petroleum-derived alternatives, and the available refractive index grades of 1.60 and 1.74 allow for thin, lightweight lenses.
* Recognized as a Biomass Mark product by JORA, and as a BioPreferred product by the USDA

A biomass brand representing grades of ADMER™ – itself an adhesive polyolefin resin used in multilayered bottles, tubes, films, sheets and more – that have a biomass content of at least 50 percent. ADMER™ EF exhibits adhesive strength, moldability and molded appearance on par with conventional petroleum-based alternatives.

A polyester resin produced using molasses, which is itself a by-product from the sugar refining process. Primarily used in plastic bottles.

We offer a lineup of raw materials for thermosetting high-biomass coating materials with excellent chemical resistance and adhesion to substrates, and UV-curable high-biomass coating materials with excellent scratch resistance.
By using OLESTER™, you can shift to eco-friendly paints and coating materials.

Raw material for thermosetting high biomass coating material with scratch resistance and low temperature curing characteristics.
It is mainly used as a raw material for coating materials on plastics, metal substrates, and films.
By using U-VAN™, you can shift to environmentally friendly paints and coating materials.

Many plants have unique ingredients that can be useful to humans, with these then finding use as active ingredients in the likes of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. But while these active ingredients are typically acquired by felling the plants and extracting the ingredients, there is an issue in that a considerable number of them are derived from rare plants.
Developed in response to this issue, PC-LABO technology is able to take just a small fragment from a plant and cultivate to multiply it by a factor of tens of thousands or even infinitely. Hokkaido Mitsui Chemicals is currently taking original active ingredients that have been created using this plant cell cultivation technology and offering them for use in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

This is a biotechnology that uses genetically modified E. coli as an optimal catalyst for chemical production. Mitsui Chemicals is operating a process that utilizes bio-catalysts to produce acrylamide, which finds use as a water treatment agent in water and sewer services, among other applications. This production process enables production at normal temperature and pressure conditions, and makes for significant reductions to greenhouse gas emissions.
The same technology is also finding use in the speedy diagnosis of bacteria for sepsis and the like. And the catalyst here is being utilized in continued research that looks to create bio-PP through the chain of plants → IPA → PP.

When it comes to the segregation method, there are significant hurdles to manufacturing polypropylene from biomass materials, and the technology for this has yet to be demonstrated on an industrial level. We are therefore taking on the challenge of conducting world-first bio-polypropylene manufacturing trials by harnessing new proprietary technology in which fermentation is a key reaction.
By mainly using non-edible plants as the biomass raw material and converting the raw material residue to electricity, we aim to establish a sustainable technology that can be put to effective use.

Both carbon capture and storage (CCS), which stores CO₂, and carbon capture and utilization (CCU), which makes use of CO₂, are important to develop as effective measures in the push for carbon neutrality. Mitsui Chemicals has technology for synthesizing methanol from CO₂ and hydrogen – and with the times changing in recent years, this technology has come into the spotlight again.

By having naphtha crackers – which are central to petrochemistry – switch over from conventional methane-based fuel to fuel in which ammonia is the principal component, this project looks to reduce CO₂ emissions from combustion to virtually zero. The project has been adopted as part of NEDO’s Green Innovation Fund.

In the effort to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, we have established the Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. - Carbon Neutral Research Center within Kyushu University’s International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (I²CNER). Aims through this are to develop cutting-edge environmental infrastructure technologies to contribute to carbon neutrality.