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3 business domains

Ammonia does not emit CO₂ when burned, so it is attracting attention as a potential energy alternative to coal and heavy oil. Idemitsu has long handled ammonia in the oil refining process. Utilizing this knowledge, we aim to set up an ammonia import base at Tokuyama Complex (Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture) using existing infrastructure and supply ammonia to industrial complexes. In addition to participating in a clean ammonia production project in Lake Charles, USA, and considering importing it there. In Australia, we will leverage the business foundations we have cultivated in the coal business to participate in studies and surveys related to ammonia production and export, and plan procurement. We are steadily accumulating knowledge regarding supply chains. We are also working on the development of technology that does not reduce thermal efficiency even when ammonia is co-combusted with petroleum or heavy oil, and research and development that will significantly reduce CO₂ emissions during ammonia production. The Haber-Bosch process, which is currently widely used to produce ammonia, requires a large amount of energy to generate ammonia by reacting hydrogen and nitrogen under high temperature and high pressure, resulting in high CO₂ emissions and high costs. To resolve this issue, we aim to achieve a carbon-free ammonia manufacturing process. In collaboration with the University of Tokyo, we are working to establish a technology to manufacture ammonia under mild reaction conditions at ambient temperature and pressure, and to mass-produce it.

Although there is growing interest in the problem of marine plastic litter and climate change, only 20% of used plastic resources in Japan are recycled. In order to break through this current situation, Idemitsu Kosan is working on "oil conversion technology, "which breaks down used plastic to a state similar to crude oil, and is one of the method called "chemical recycling. "We are working on developing technology that can convert plastics into oil even when multiple plastics are mixed together, which has been considered a bottleneck in recycling. The "generated oil" produced through oil conversion is recycled as a raw material for petrochemical petrochemicals and Petroleum equipment.