In Thailand, Cellulosic Biomass Technology Co., Ltd (CBT), a joint venture (JV) between Japan-headed Toray Industries, Inc (Toray), and compatriot Mitsui Sugar Co., Ltd (Mitsui Sugar) has held a grand opening ceremony of a demonstration plant for the production of cellulosic sugar ethanol in Udon Thani province. The grand opening ceremony was held jointly by the three companies and was attended by about 60 guests including a representative of the Embassy of Japan in Thailand.
Announced in 2017, the project is part of the Demonstration Project for an Energy-Saving Cellulosic Sugar Production System using Bagasse under the International Energy Conservation Technology and System Demonstration Project promoted by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and is the research and technological development of membrane bioprocesses that combines Toray’s water treatment membrane and biotechnologies.
Membrane technology
Membrane bioprocess is a technology that would enable the reduction of energy needed for separation and refinement by using membranes in the saccharification and fermentation and to improve the conversion efficiency of non-edible biomass thus contributing to making a supply chain for various biochemicals from non-edible biomass.
The plant is expected to start operations in late July 2018. By applying the membrane separation technology from Japan, the plant aims to reduce energy consumption by more than 50 percent compared with the conventional manufacturing system, which concentrates sugar solution by evaporating water.
Operate until 2022
Going forward, Toray plans to continue running the demonstration plant until the fiscal year 2022 to assess and verify the impact on energy savings, product performance, the economic viability of the system, amongst other things.
Also, Toray will hold educational seminars and PR activities regarding energy-saving useful material production technologies employing polymer membrane technology to disseminate the system to Thailand as well as to the other ASEAN countries.
Toray says that it will actively pursue open innovation, collaboration, and fusion of membrane-based bioprocessing between different industries and drive forward the development of the supply chain and provisioning of solutions.
