recycling used plastics

The importance and social needs of promoting plastic Resources circulation are increasing due to issues such as marine plastic waste and climate change.
In Japan, of the approximately 8.2 million tons of used plastic produced each year, only about 20% is used for recycled products. More than 50% of used plastics are difficult to recycle, so they are incinerated as thermal recycling ^*, emitting large amounts of CO₂. As one solution to this issue, unprecedented, revolutionary chemical recycling technology is required.

*Thermal recycling: A recycling method that recovers and uses the thermal energy generated when burning plastic and other waste.

Idemitsu Kosan is working on oil chemical recycling. The collected used plastic is heated and decomposed using a catalytic cracking method called HiCOP to produce oil equivalent to crude oil. This is an Resources to recycle it into chemicals and other products through processes such as refining and decomposition using our oil refining equipment and petrochemical equipment.
We are currently constructing an oil chemical recycling facility (processing capacity: 20,000 tons/year) in the area adjacent to Chiba Complex, with the aim of commercial operation in fiscal 2025.
In April 2023, we established Chemical Recycle Japan Co., Ltd., a joint venture with Kankyo Energy Co., Ltd., which has been working together to establish technology for oil-based chemical recycling equipment, to produce oil produced from used plastics. was established.
We are also considering collaborating with major recyclers to ensure stable procurement of used plastic raw materials.

Our company has been working with fossil fuels for many years and has been deeply involved in plastic manufacturing. Because of this, we believe that we should take responsibility for recycling used plastics.
The oleochemical recycling that we are engaged in can effectively utilize existing equipment such as oil refining equipment and petrochemical equipment, so it is one of the businesses that can leverage the unique strengths of our company, which has developed both oil refining and petrochemical businesses. It's one.