• 2022.09.26 ｜

  News Release

  Yasunori Kikuchi, Associate Professor

Publication on Joint Research

The Institute for Future Initiatives at the University of Tokyo (hereinafter referred to as “UTokyo”), Neste Ojy (hereinafter referred to as “Neste”), and Toyota Tsusho Corporation (hereinafter referred to as “Toyota Tsusho”) have conducted joint research on life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of biomass- and waste-derived hydrocarbons (together referred to as “biomass-derived”). The paper was published in Process Safety and Environmental Protection.

In this study, the GHG emissions were evaluated on the Neste’s hydrocarbons produced from various types of biomass-derived feedstocks (e.g., biomass naphtha) over their entire life cycle, including the cultivation and collection of feedstocks, production of hydrocarbon oil, cracking, production of plastics and other chemical products, and final disposal. As a result, we found that compared to hydrocarbons produced using petroleum (e.g., naphtha), the GHG reductions are approximately 28% to 38%*¹*². On the other hand, since GHG emissions vary greatly depending on the conditions of the raw materials, it was verified through specific case studies that an appropriate understanding and selection of raw material conditions is necessary for sustainable chemical product manufacturing.

*¹Annual reductions at Neste’s Singapore plant based on manufacturing capacity through 2030 using raw materials recovered in the Asian region.
*²Final disposal is assumed to be simple incineration, and all carbon in the biomass-derived feedstock is assumed to be derived from CO2 absorbed from the air as plants grow.

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