| | DECEMBER 20238IN MY OPINIONHYDROGEN AS A FEEDSTOCK FOR CARBON CAPTURE & UTILIZATION (CCU)By Tadashi Ito, Head of Decarbonization Advancement Office, Chiyoda CorporationIntroductionWhat if you could put on clothing made from CO2 and hydrogen? The R&D teams of Toyama University, HighChem Company, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Chiyoda Corporation are trying to do just this! Toyama University has developed and now owns the seed catalyst to be used in the synthesis of para-xylene from CO2 and hydrogen. HighChem, a known catalyst manufacturer, is developing mass production methodologies for the targeted catalyst, so it can be made efficiently and reliably at an industrial scale. Chiyoda, a leading engineering firm, is in a parallel effort, developing the process around this novel catalyst. Mitsubishi, a top trader of para-xylene, is developing the business. The R&D initiative for this exciting new technology is a national project, funded by New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), which is in turn, a funding agent of Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), an arm of the Japanese Government.This innovative project brings together key players from academia, industry and government, whose collective aim is to someday, bring this concept to commercial reality.Outline of the TechnologyA comparison of the conventional path for producing polyester from petrochemicals and ongoing R&D to produce polyester from the new technology is shown in fig.1. The feedstock for the so-called renewable para-xylene is CO2 and hydrogen only. These feed stocks are directed to a reactor filled with catalyst to be operated at a certain temperature and pressure to selectively produce para-xylene. Para-xylene is further processed by conventional technologies to Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), polyester fiber and, finally, to commercial goods such as clothing. As a result, such clothing contains the carbon from CO2 and hydrogen, ideally from a renewable energy source. R&D StatusAs of August 2023, the pilot plant shown in Fig.2 is being operated at Chiyoda's R&D center in Yokohama, Japan. Product para-xylene as synthesized from CO2 and hydrogen is shown in Fig.1 Outline of the Technology
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