Aug. 4, 2023Sojitz Corporation
Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry
Green Earth Institute Co., Ltd.
DIC Corporation
Toray Industries, Inc.
Daicel Corporation
Development of Innovative Biomanufacturing Technologies Using CO2 andH2 as Feedstocks for Hydrogen-oxidizing Bacteria-Accelerating Technological Development and Open Innovation underNEDOʼs Green Innovation Fund ProjectSojitz Corporation, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, Green
Earth Institute Co., Ltd., DIC Corporation, Toray Industries, Inc., and Daicel
Corporation, have concluded an agreement with Japanʼs New Energy and Industrial
Technology Development Organization (NEDO) for a joint project focused on thedevelopment of revolutionary biomanufacturing technology to engineer hydrogenoxidizing bacteria that utilize CO2. This project was selected for sponsorship underNEDOʼs Green Innovation Fund Project category, “Promotion of Carbon Recycling
Using CO2 from Biomanufacturing Technology as a Direct Raw Material.”[Project Overview]
This project entails R&D for manufacturing a variety of chemical products andfeed raw materials from CO2 and H2. This new biomanufacturing technology will be
the worldʼs first example of a commercialized bioprocess directly using CO2 and H2for productions of chemicals and presents a promising option for realizing a carbon
neutral society.
The hydrogen-oxidizing bacterium*¹ to be engineered is one of microorganismsthat have fastest CO2 fixation rate. Leveraging this high fixation capacity throughgenetic engineering, it is possible to engineer bacterial strains that can produce
useful chemical products with high efficiency. The resulting compounds are thenused as raw materials in a wide variety of daily applications including plastics, ink,paint, textiles, and cosmetics. Additionally, the bacterial residues produced in thebiomanufacturing process from the biomanufacturing process can be utilized as an1alternative protein source for feed which presents a solution to the recent rise indemand for alternative protein sources. This biomanufacturing technology will
therefore simultaneously raise the decarbonization value of businesses and provide
a solution to food problems.
Alongside the development of bacterial strains, scale-up demonstrations will be
conducted to establish a safe and highly efficient gas fermentation method and toaccurately measure CO2 reduction effects to add environmental benefits to products.
All six organizations will combine their acquired expertise, technologies, andfunctions to realize social implementation of this next generation biomanufacturing
technology in order to advance the structural transformation of chemical products
and materials industries which address growing decarbonization needs.

[Project Duration]
Consignment contract period:

FY2023 – FY2025

Total project duration (planned):

FY2023 – FY2030[Total Project Costs]
Approximately JPY 6.8 billion(FY2023 – FY2030)[Role and Responsibilities of Each Organization]
Sojitz Corporation
Sojitz Corporation is a general trading company developing a wide range ofbusinesses in countries and regions around the world. Sojitz will leverage itsbusiness expertise across diverse fields to strengthen material businesses adapted
for a decarbonized and recycling-based society.
For this project, Sojitz will serve as project manager, conduct product marketing,2and carry out demonstrations. Additionally, Sojitz will build a supply chain andrealize commercialization through the development of derivative products and highadded-value products as well as pursue essential infrastructure development forhydrogen, a raw material required for this biomanufacturing technology, to realizesocial implementation.
Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry
Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI), under its vision “torealize sustainable and socially acceptable energy system in 2050”, has selected thekey research subjects including “the establishment of resource circulation andcarbon recycling, and is working to develop essential component technologies.
For this project, CRIEPI aims to develop the foundational technology to culturehydrogen-oxidizing bacteria that enable to utilize CO2 as a raw material resource.
In order to ensure the safe and efficient use of gas, CRIEPI seeks to carry out
demonstrations for the culture process up to the pilot scale. Furthermore, CRIEPIwill conduct Life Cycle - CO2 assessments for the chemical production process toestimate the CO2 reduction effects when biomanufacturing replaces petrochemicalproduction.
Green Earth Institute Co., Ltd.
GEIʼs mission is “fostering green technology and walking with the earth.” As acompany specialized in biorefinery business, GEI aims at creating a platform ofbiomanufacturing.
In this project, GEI will engineer hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria to produce raw
materials for manufacturing bioplastics. In addition, GEI will perform theinvestigation of scaling-up of hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria culture to the pilot scaleand operation of the pilot-scale tests.
DIC Corporation
DIC is positioned as a global chemical manufacturing company that considers
sustainability as a critical management strategy, aiming to "build a business portfoliothat contributes to the sustainable prosperity of society" and "contribute to therealization of environmental and social sustainability."
As a global chemical manufacturer, DIC will leverage its strengths in a variety of3

basic technologies and biomaterial design technologies. DIC will utilize the bacteria
developed by GEI in order to pursue development and demonstration tests forbiochemical production processes. DIC aims to contribute to the realization of acarbon neutral society through commercialization of sustainable biochemicals
produced using hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria.
Toray Industries, Inc.
Toray Industries views sustainability as the most important shared global goal forthe 21st century. Toray Industries will exert its utmost efforts to address global
issues set out by the Paris Agreement and the U.N.ʼs Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) in accordance with its corporate philosophy of “Contributing to society
through the creation of new value with innovative ideas, technologies and products.”
In this project, Toray Industries will leverage its biotechnologies to develophydrogen-oxidizing bacteria that can produce monomers directly from CO2. At thesame time, Toray Industries will undertake demonstrations for production processes
with the aim of building a supply chain for its products manufactured from CO2.
Daicel Corporation
Since its founding, Daicel has been creating value and contributing to society
through manufacturing. Daicel aims to contribute to the realization of a sustainable
society by developing and advancing technologies that produce valuable products,
providing happiness to people, in a human and environmentally friendly manner.
In this project, Daicel will conduct technology development and production
verification to produce cosmetic ingredients from CO2. By replacing conventional
petroleum-based chemical processes with CO2-derived bio-processes and offering
highly refined products, Daicel aims to contribute to a carbon-neutral society.

4*1:Hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria: A type of autotrophic bacteria. Autotrophic
bacteria have a 50 to 70 times higher carbon fixation capacity compared to algae(cyanobacteria), which makes autotrophic bacteria a promising means of CO2
absorption. Hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria is a type of autotrophic bacteria
characterized by its lack of dependence on photosynthesis with a capacity for CO2
fixation using the reductive energy of H2. Hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria also has highpotential for industrial use as the bacteria can be cultured quickly at high densities.
Benefits include reduced CO2 emission compared to production processes using
fossil fuel resources as well as the additional double benefit of absorbing CO2 fromthe atmosphere. Biomanufacturing utilizing hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria therefore
has the potential to significantly reduce CO2 emissions. (Translation of excerpted
METI materials, “Promotion of Carbon Recycling Using CO2 from Biomanufacturing
Technology as a Direct Raw Material.” )For further details on selection for the Green Innovation Fund Project, please referto the following:https://green-innovation.nedo.go.jp/en/project/bio-manufacturing-technology/5[Related Information][Organizational Overview – Sojitz Corporation]
Head Office
Representative
Director

1-1, Uchisaiwaicho 2-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Masayoshi Fujimoto[Organizational Overview – Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry]
Head Office
Representative
Director

1-6-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Yoshiro Hiraiwa[Organizational Overview – Green Earth Institute Co., Ltd.]
Head Office
Representative
Director

3-5-6 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Tomohito Ihara[Organizational Overview – DIC Corporation]
Head Office
Representative
Director

7-20, Nihonbashi 3-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Kaoru Ino

[Organizational Overview – Toray Industries, Inc.]
Head Office
Representative
Director

1-1, Nihonbashi-Muromachi 2-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Mitsuo Ohya

[Organizational Overview – Daicel Corporation]
Head OfficeRepresentative
Director

3-1, Ofuka-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka
Yoshimi Ogawa

Contact:
DIC Corporate Communications Department: dic-press@ma.dic.co.jp

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