Japanese refiner Idemitsu and oil producer J-Oil Mills plan to co-operate in the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), plastics recycling and the use of bio-petrochemical products after signing an initial agreement on 31 January.
They target to raise unspecified inedible plants as sources of raw oil, to manufacture and build a supply chain of SAF, as well as expand the use of recycled plastics and bio-petrochemical goods made from bio-naphtha. They will sort out detailed schedules but consider 2030 as their target for now.
Idemitsu plans to invest ¥290bn ($2.2bn) in its "carbon-neutral" businesses, including SAF, during the April 2023-March 2026 fiscal years. The firm set a goal to produce 100mn l/yr of SAF through an alcohol-to-jet production process at its Chiba refinery in east Japan's Chiba prefecture, targeting to begin supplies from 2026-27.
Idemitsu has also accelerated its efforts in chemical recycling and bio-petrochemical production. The refiner plans to incorporate a chemical recycling unit, which can convert 20,000 t/yr of used plastics into raw oils, at its Chiba plant. Commercial operations are targeted to start by 2025-26. Idemitsu will work with Finnish refiner Neste, Taiwanese chemicals firm Chimei and Japanese trading house Mitsubishi to set up a bio-plastic supply chain and to begin production in this year's first half.
