Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (MCC) and Toyota Tsusho Corporation have begun a joint-consideration to manufacture and sale ethylene, propylene, and their derivatives using bioethanol as a raw material, with an aim to commence operation in 2025, according to Indian CHEMICAL News.
There is a growing need for plastic reuse and recycling to achieve the realization of a sustainable recycling-oriented society. There are also strong expectations for realizing a sustainable life cycle by using plant-derived materials.
MCC and Toyota Tsusho are working on the commercialization of various recycling processes and aim to realize a recycling-oriented society by switching from raw materials derived from fossil fuels to plant-derived materials.
In order to make a wide range of products more sustainable, including products which are generally difficult to collect and recycle among packaging/containers and sanitary goods, both companies have decided to examine how to commercialize the manufacture and sale of ethylene, propylene, and their derivatives made from plant-derived raw materials.
MCC and Toyota Tsusho will evaluate the manufacture of 100% plant-derived ethylene (bioethylene) and its derivatives using bioethanol as a raw material, and the manufacture and sale of the first plant-derived propylene in Japan (biopropylene) and its derivatives using bioethylene as its raw material.
Both companies will investigate the market need for bioethylene, biopropylene, and their derivatives and conduct a concrete feasibility assessment with an aim to commercialize by 2025.
As MRC reported earlier, in February 2022, MCC and its subsidiary, Mitsubishi Chemical Methacrylates (MCM announced plans to design and build a pilot plant to further validate the technology. Three possible pathways to creating sustainable MMA, including the molecular recycling of acrylic resin; substituting conventional materials with drop-in plant-derived raw materials in the existing MMA monomer manufacturing process; and the direct production of MMA monomers from plant-derived raw materials by fermentation were explored. The promising results using the drop-in route have now led to the decision to commence with the design process for a new pilot plant using this technology.
Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,487,450 tonnes in 2021, up by 13% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market totalled 1,494.280 tonnes, up by 21% year on year. Deliveries of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whreas.shipments of PP random copolymers decreased significantly.
The Japanese integrated chemical company Mitsubishi Chemical was established on October 1, 1990 as a result of the merger of Mitsubishi Kasei and Mitsubishi Petrochemical Co. Due to the wide scope of its activities, it is one of the ten leading chemical companies in the world.
MRC