Press Release

July 15, 2020

WASEDA University
JGC Corporation
Sasakura Engineering Co., Ltd.

New Technology Development to Utilize CO2 by Converting it into a Stable
Resource has been Selected as a ‘NEDO Project Contributing to a
Sustainable Society by Significantly Reducing Greenhouse Gases’<Key points of announcement>• There is a growing need to effectively utilize carbon dioxide (CO2) as part of global
warming countermeasures.
• This project will work on the development of a technology that reacts CO2 with themagnesium contained in seawater, producing a resource that can be used as a building
material such as the aggregate in concrete.
• If this technology is established and commercialized, it is expected to lead to asignificant reduction in CO2 emissions while effectively utilizing waste. It could therefore
contribute to the realization of a sustainable society.

Waseda University, JGC Corporation, and Sasakura Engineering Co., Ltd. announced
today that their joint proposal for “CO2 mineralization using desalination brine or seawaterwith profitable polyproduction of commodities*1,” led by Professor Takao Nakagaki, Facultyof Science and Engineering, Waseda University, has been selected for a fiscal 2020 public
call project of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization(NEDO): “Development of Technologies for Carbon Recycling and Next-Generation
Thermal Power Generation / Development of Technologies for CO2 Reduction andUtilization / Development of Technologies for CO2 Utilization in Carbonates, Concrete
Products, and Concrete Structures.”

As global warming countermeasures become increasingly important around the world,
reducing greenhouse gas emissions has become one of the key challenges. Given thissituation, CO2 mineralization technologies that convert emitted CO2 into a stable resource
are expected to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases.

This project will develop a series of technologies that react CO2 emitted from power plants,industry, and the like with magnesium contained in seawater and desalination brine*2, whichis the waste water from seawater desalination plants. This process converts CO2 into a stablemineral called magnesium carbonate, which can then be used as a building material such as
the aggregate content of concrete. Since seawater and desalination brine are abundant, thistechnology is expected to provide a significant amount of CO2 reductions. The other major
ions in seawater and brine (calcium, sodium, potassium, and sulfur) are also converted into
industrial products (gypsum, salt, fertilizer, sodium sulfate, and hydrochloric acid) andadditional fresh water is produced. The production of multiple commodities increases
profitability and societal co-benefits. This technology development project will aim to establish
the reduction of CO2 emissions throughout the entire process while securing profitability andmarket scale.

Waseda University, JGC Corporation, and Sasakura Engineering will contribute to therealization of a sustainable society by establishing solutions to social issues such as CO2
reduction and effective utilization of waste through the development of this technology andsubsequent commercialization efforts.

<Example development process><R&D items and responsibility>
Waseda UniversityDevelopment of a process to produce magnesium oxide from waste brine andmagnesium oxide from magnesium chloride

Development of a process for gas-solid mineralization of CO2 using magnesium oxidePractical evaluation of magnesium carbonate usage in concrete

JGC Corporation

Evaluation of the usefulness of magnesium carbonateEvaluation of process scale-up and implementation

Sasakura Engineering Co., Ltd.


Development of a low-energy method for magnesium chloride production via
nanofiltration (NF membrane)*3<Notes>*1 Co-production of multiple valuable commodities
The development of technology to use seawater or brine from seawater desalination plants
and renewable energy to co-produce valuable commodities such as soft water, gypsum,sodium sulfate, salt, fertilizer, and hydrochloric acid without adding any chemical additives.
Solid magnesium oxide is obtained via a hydrate of magnesium chloride, reacted withgaseous CO2 (from flue gas or the air) to form magnesium carbonate, and utilized
effectively as aggregate in concrete.

*2 Desalination brine
The wastewater discharged in the process of separating freshwater from seawater. It has asalt concentration nearly double that of seawater. Because of its high salinity, per unit
volume, more magnesium can be extracted from brine than seawater.

*3 NF membrane
NF (nano filtration) membranes selectively allow monovalent ions such as Na+ and Cl− topass through while preventing the transmission of divalent ions and pigments. This makes it
possible to extract magnesium efficiently.

<Contact for content inquiries>
Takao Nakagaki
Professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering
Waseda University
Phone: 03-5286-2497
E-mail: takao.nakagaki@waseda.jp

Akihiro Yamagami / Seiji Minami
Corporate Communication Group, Group Management Development Dept.
JGC Holdings Corporation

Phone: 81-45-682-8026
E-mail: yamagami.akihiro@jgc.com, minami.seiji@jgc.com

Yoshiaki Miho
Manager, Research & Development Sect.
Sasakura Engineering Co., Ltd.
Phone: 06-6473-2138
E-mail: miho@skm.sasakura.co.jp<Press contact / release source>
Office of Information and Public Relations
Waseda University
Phone: 03-3202-5454
E-mail: koho@list.waseda.jp* As part of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, office hours are 11 AM to 3 PM onweekdays.

Akihiro Yamagami / Seiji Minami
Corporate Communication Group, Group Management Development Dept.
JGC Holdings Corporation
Phone: 81-45-682-8026
E-mail: yamagami.akihiro@jgc.com, minami.seiji@jgc.com

Presidential Affairs Office
Sasakura Engineering Co., Ltd.
Phone: 06-6473-2131
E-mail: k-kishikawa@skm.sasakura.co.jp