Japan-based companies Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Tokyo) and Toyota Tsusho Corporation (Nagoya) have begun a joint-consideration that will manufacture and sell ethylene, propylene, as well as their byproducts using bioethanol as a raw material. The companies have plans to begin operations in 2025.
As hopes to achieve the realization of a sustainable recycling-oriented society grow, so does the need for plastic reuse and recycling. Additionally, there are high expectations for accomplishing a sustainable life cycle by using plant-derived materials.
Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation and Toyota Tsusho are working to commercialize several recycling processes, and aim to achieve a recycling-oriented society by switching from raw materials derived from fossil fuels to plant-derived materials.
The companies have decided to study the most efficient way to commercialize the manufacture and sale of ethylene, propylene, and their derivatives made from plant-derived raw 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.
MCC and Toyota Tsusho will evaluate the production of completely plant-derived ethylene (bioethylene) and its byproducts using bioethanol as a raw material. They will also assess the manufacture and sale of the first plant-derived propylene in Japan (biopropylene) and its derivatives using the bioethylene as its raw material.
