In Japan, the U.S Grains & BioProducts Council estimates that U.S. corn ethanol exports to Japan for use as ETBE reached approximately 197 million gallons in 2025, worth $400 million and accounting for roughly 90 percent of Japan’s total ethanol imports. The Council achieved this outcome with a $60,000 investment of MAP funds in FY 2025 — delivering an ROI of $6,700 for every $1 of MAP funds invested. […]
In Japan, Hitachi, Ltd. and Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to conduct Japan’s first pilot test on Kume Island, Okinawa Prefecture, utilizing Direct Ocean Capture, a technology that directly separates and captures CO2 dissolved in seawater. In this pilot test, the three companies aim to confirm the applicability of DOC […]
In Japan, Mitsui Chemicals has announced a minority investment in bioplastics developer Materia Bioworks. Based in Ontario, Materia uses computational chemistry and AI to efficiently design and formulate sustainable materials, including bioplastics. The company’s Material Application Prediction System formulates and designs materials to meet target performance specifications, including thermal, mechanical, permeability and physical properties. AI […]
In Japan, Zeon Corporation has completed construction of a bench-scale facility at its Tokuyama Plant to demonstrate technology for highly efficient production of butadiene from ethanol derived from plant-based and other sustainable materials. Construction of the facility began in July 2025. This technology will advance the realization of a carbon-neutral society through the use of […]
In Japan, photocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide to methane offers a promising route for carbon recycling, but its low efficiency and unclear mechanisms limit its practical use. Researchers at Chiba University have now examined how light-driven and heat-driven processes can work together in Ru–Ni–ZrO2 catalysts, achieving record methane production rates. This work clarifies the reaction […]
In Japan, some plants are thought to supplement their carbon needs by obtaining carbon through underground fungal networks connected to other plants. This symbiotic relationship is known as mycoheterotrophy. Researchers from Chiba University found evidence that Gentiana squarrosa, a Gentian family plant, can receive carbon through arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal networks in addition to photosynthesis. The […]
In Japan, the company T2 and Isuzu Motors Limited have begun collaborating to promote the widespread adoption of next-generation biodiesel fuel, aiming to achieve carbon neutrality in the trucking sector. Starting this summer, Idemitsu Kosan will supply T2 with its next-generation biodiesel fuel, “Idemitsu Renewable Diesel. T2 will test IRD in the commercial operation of […]
In Japan, FUJIFILM Corporation, Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. and Tokyo Gas Engineering Solutions Corporation have reached an agreement for the supply of city gas linked to biomethane produced overseas to Fujifilm’s Ashigara Site at the Kanagawa Factory. This agreement marks the first initiative in Japan’s chemical industry to use such city gas at a manufacturing […]
In Japan, ITOCHU ENEX CO., LTD. delivered bio-blended fuel procured from Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. to Nanotsu, a RORO vessel operated by Kinkai Yusen Co., Ltd. at the Port of Hakata on June 16, 2026. This initiative marks the first delivery of bio-blended fuel at the Port of Hakata for a regular domestic RORO vessel. The marine […]
In Japan, photocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide to methane offers a promising route for carbon recycling, but its low efficiency and unclear mechanisms limit its practical use. Researchers at the Chiba University have now examined how light-driven and heat-driven processes work together in Ru–Ni–ZrO2 catalysts, achieving record methane production rates. This work clarifies the reaction […]
