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Co-JUNKAN platform towards beyond zero-carbon society
Co-JUNKAN Project – Successfully demonstrated the combustion of a novel biofuel derived from Tanegashima’s biomass in a commercial diesel engine at JAXA’s Okinawa Tracking and Communications Station to generate electricity.
Co-JUNKAN platform towards beyond zero-carbon society
1. Abstract
The research center for the “Co-JUNKAN Platform towards Beyond Zero Carbon” (project leader: Professor Yasunori Kikuchi, Institute for Future Initiatives, The University of Tokyo (IFI-UTokyo); hereinafter referred to as the “Co-JUNKAN Project”), which is part of the Program on Open Innovation Platforms for Industry-academia Co-creation (COI-NEXT) by Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST-COI-NEXT), is led by the University of Tokyo and aims to address regional challenges by promoting the efficient utilization and sustainable circulation of regional resources. A research group*, led by Project Professor Satoshi Ohara of the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo (RCAST-UTokyo) and serving as a deputy project leader, has launched a research theme “Demonstration and implementation of GX technologies to enhance food production and ecosystem conservation.” They are conducting a demonstration study on biofuel production on Tanegashima Island in collaboration with participating organizations such as Solariant Capital LLC, Sumitomo Corporation, and Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd. On February 21, the research team successfully conducted a demonstration test at the Okinawa Tracking and Communications Station (Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa) of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), one of the participating organizations, using a diesel engine to generate electricity by combusting a novel biofuel derived from biomass produced on Tanegashima Island. Building on the results of this demonstration test, we will scale up the demonstration to a plant-level operation and strive to establish a sustainable system that simultaneously reduces greenhouse gas emissions and revitalizes local industries.
2. Background
The research group is developing technology to manufacture high-value products, such as biofuels and green chemicals, from biomass sourced from Tanegashima, such as bagasse (a by-product of sugarcane milling) and wood chips from forestry. By introducing a new avenue for producing high-value products within the region’s core industries—agriculture, forestry, and sugar mill—we aim to intensify these key industries, generate new employment opportunities, and foster sustainable agriculture and forestry.
*Research group
The University of Tokyo / Tohoku University / Chiba University / Shinshu University / National Agriculture and Food Research Organization for Kyushu Okinawa Agricultural Research Center / Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences / Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency / Shinko Sugar Mill Co., Ltd. / Solariant Capital LLC / Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd. / TAKUMA Co., Ltd. / JGC Holdings Corporation / Sumitomo Forestry Co., Ltd. / TSUNEISHI Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. / Sumitomo Corporation / Mitsui DM Sugar Co., Ltd. / Suntory Holdings Ltd. / Otsuka Diesel Co., Ltd. / Nippon Nozzle Seiki Co,Ltd. / Queensland Government (Australia)
Contact:
The research center for the “Co-JUNKAN Platform towards Beyond Zero Carbon”
web-coi-riec-group[at]g.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp