Sumitomo Chemical and OOYOO's Joint Project to Develop and Demonstrate CO₂ Separation and Capture System from Factory Exhaust Gas Using Separation Membrane Selected as a NEDO Green Innovation Fund Project

May. 13, 2022

Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. (Head office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Keiichi Iwata; "Sumitomo Chemical") and OOYOO Ltd. (Head office: Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto City; President: Makoto Kuwahara; "OOYOO") announced today that their joint project to develop a new system for separating and capturing CO₂ from factory exhaust gas using CO₂ separation membranes (the "Project") has been selected by Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) as one of NEDO's Green Innovation Fund Projects in the category of "Development and demonstration of cost reduction technology for CO₂ separation and capture from low-pressure and low-concentration gas."

While the use of renewable energy and the development of various recycling technologies are progressing toward the goal of achieving a carbon-neutral society, the need for technology to separate and capture CO₂ at low cost from exhaust gases emitted by the electricity and industrial sectors will further increase in the future. In order to expand the introduction of CO₂ separation and capture processes into not only large-scale emission sources, such as thermal power plants, but also small- to medium-sized emission sources, such as factory exhaust gas, space-saving and energy-saving CO₂ separation systems will be required going forward.

In this Project, Sumitomo Chemical and OOYOO will develop and demonstrate a system using a high-performance CO₂ separation membrane to separate and capture CO₂ at low cost from combustion exhaust gas emitted from boilers in factories and other facilities. OOYOO will develop high-performance separation membranes and their manufacturing processes by fully leveraging its advanced membrane technology and expertise. Sumitomo Chemical, in cooperation with Renaissance Energy Research Co., Ltd. (Head office: Fushimi-ku, Kyoto; President: Osamu Okada), will develop and pilot membrane modules and separation processes by making use of its knowledge and technology regarding assembly and performance evaluation of membrane modules and separation system design.

Sumitomo Chemical has defined contribution to reducing environmental impact as one of the material issues the Company addresses as management priorities. In December 2021, the company also formulated its grand design toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, and is striving to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on the two fronts of obligation and contributions—fulfilling its obligation to bring the Sumitomo Chemical Group's GHG emissions close to zero, while, at the same time, making contributions to reducing emissions across society through its products and solutions.

OOYOO is developing high-performance membranes that separate and purify air and various gases in order to bring about a sustainable future. Through this Project, OOYOO will aim to contribute to the reduction of CO₂ emissions by widely supplying and deploying CO₂ separation and capture systems, not only for large-scale plants but also for small- to medium-scale plants in the future, and help a broad range of stakeholders to achieve carbon neutrality.

Overview of the Project

Project term: 9 years, from FY2022 to FY2030
Project overview:

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