Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering, Ltd. (MHIENG), a group company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI; Tokyo), has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Tokuyama Corp. (Tokyo), one of Japan’s leading chemicals/cement manufacturers, on the implementation of a CO2 capture demonstration testing program at their cement plant. This program will take place for a period of nine months commencing in June 2022, and will be the MHIENG’s first implementation to perform demonstration test at a cement plant in operation.
Tokuyama’s Nanyo Plant
Photo provided by Tokuyama Corp.
A mobile CO2 capture test unit manufactured by MHIENG is being installed at Tokuyama’s existing cement plant in Shunan, Yamaguchi Prefecture, where Tokuyama is based. Flue gas from cement kiln, which contains CO2 and other components would be introduced to the mobile unit for the demonstration test. MHIENG will evaluate its performance and study optimum technology and design suited for cement application. These insights will enable MHIENG to realize CO2 capture in the cement industry, and will also contribute to achieving the industry’s decarbonization goals.
MHIENG’s CO2 capture technology has already been successfully used in commercial applications at chemical and coal fired power plants, and MHIENG has many experiences of conducting demonstration tests for industrial fields such as in biomass-fueled power plants and waste-to-energy plants. With this first demonstration test in a cement plant, MHIENG will acquire profounder expertise and knowledge of its technology, which will realize stable and continuous CO2 capture with optimized process. MHIENG’s robust operational track record, resulting data and expertise will further accelerate the carbon neutrality in diverse industrial fields both within Japan and around the world.
Besides cement production, Tokuyama is also known for various products in the areas of chemical, life science and the environment. Tokuyama is very proactive in promoting the development of products and technologies that solve the issues the society faces, such as global warming. The demonstration test agreed under this MOU is part of Tokuyama’s commitment to implement specific measures to enable a carbon-neutral society.
MHI Group is currently strengthening its position in the energy transition, and development of a CO2 ecosystem is central to those initiatives. Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) is garnering attention as an effective means for realizing carbon neutral society. Going forward, MHIENG will continue to contribute toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions on a global scale by promoting broad adoption of high-performance CO2 capture technology worldwide. It will also press ahead in developing new proprietary technologies to protect the global environment.