News Post
JGC, Ebara, Ube and Showa Denko to collaborate on plastic waste gasification
The Ebara Ube Process (“EUP) for gasification of platic waste has been chosen for a study of collaboration to build an EPC business in Japan to improve resource cycling systems. This collobaration was finalized in a non-disclosure agreement on July 31, 2019 between JGC, Ebara Environmental Plant, Ube Industries and Showa Denko.
The four companies aim to conclude an EUP licensing contract within the year, and then actively implement sales efforts for gasification facilities for plastic waste adopting EUP in Japan and other countries and conduct EPC activities. They also intend to promote the spread of gasification chemical recycling and use of recycling in Japan and other countries via proposals for chemical production facilities utilizing ammonia, olefins, and other chemicals made from facilities which adopt EUP.
Promotion of plastic waste recycling has become a global issue, as seen in ocean microplastics. Japan recycles 86% of its plastics, much through incineration, but only 13.5% as a resource. Japan urgently needs more resource recycling systems in the face of tightening regulations for solid waste import in China and Southeast Asian countries.
Gasification recycling of plastic waste can decompose a mixture of various kinds of plastics and impurities and regenerate various chemical materials. Impurities such as metals present difficulties for other recycling methods. EUP, developed by Ebara Corp and Ube Industries in 2000, is a process using partial oxidation with oxygen and steam to gasify plastic waste. It produces synthesis gases that can be used to synthesize ammonia, olefins, and other chemicals.
A 70,000 tpy EUP gasification facility has been steadily operating at Showa Denko’s Kawasaki Plant since 2003 to produce ammonia, liquefied carbon diosxide and dry ice, giving operational knowhow for stable production over a lengthy period. EUP technology has the longest track record of commercial operation for gasification chemical recycling in the world.
Engineering company JGC has accumulated gasification-related engineering technologies bfor many plant facility construction projects that adopt gasification processes, including construction management of the first commercial Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) plant in Japan completed in 2003.
JGC hopes to make proposals that contribute to enhanced business value for recycled material production and utilization firms and implement EPC for related facilities by applying its accumulated gasification process engineering technologies and advanced EPC project management capabilities through this collaboration.
Ebara Environmental Plant has accumulated extensive technology information related to low-temperature gasification equipment used in the gasification system, the main characteristic of EUP technology, based on its proprietary fluidized bed technology. EUP technology, which was commercialized jointly with Ube Industries, extracts gases with value as feedstock from combustible materials incinerated in past years.
Ube Industries, Ltd. has accumulated extensive technology information related to high-temperature gasification equipment used in the gasification system, the main characteristic of EUP technology. Knowhow obtained through operation of a demonstration gasification facility (annual plastic waste processing capacity: 30,000 tons) built in Ube city was applied to the commercial facility at Showa Denko’s Kawasaki Plant
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