Mitsui Chemicals on Tuesday said that it had started processing 3,000 tons of bio-naphtha at its Osaka ethylene cracker in Osaka, Japan. The Japanese petrochemical maker plans to combine bio-naphtha with crude-based naphtha to produce bio-petrochemical products like ethylene, propylene, benzene, polyolefins, and phenol as part of its decarbonisation efforts. In May, Mitsui agreed to purchase around 10,000 tons of bio-naphtha between October 2021 and March 2022 from Finnish biofuel producer Neste.
Mitsui also agreed with Microwave Chemical to set up a business to recycle mixed plastics into raw monomers to contribute to Japan’s 2050 carbon neutrality target. Fellow Japanese producer Sumitomo Chemical has also announced an investment of ¥120 billion ($1.1 billion) until the fiscal year ending March 2031 for its decarbonisation strategy. Sumitomo’s decarbonisation push will include the chemical recycling of plastics. It aims to recycle 200,000 tons/year of unused plastics resulting from the process of manufacturing products by 2030-2031.
