Asahi Kasei to produce acrylonitrile using biomass-derived raw material

Asahi Kasei Corp. (Tokyo, Japan), a diversified Japanese multinational company, announces in Oct. 2021 that wholly owned subsidiary Tongsuh Petrochemical Corp. Ltd. (TSPC, Seoul, South Korea) acquired the widely recognized International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS for its acrylonitrile (AN) as a sustainable product. Production of AN using biomass propylene is scheduled to begin in Feb. 2022.

AN is used as a raw material to make ABS resin, acrylamide, acrylic fiber and various other chemical products. It is also used to produce polyacrylonitrile (PAN), the precursor of carbon fiber. According to Asahi Kasei, recent demand growth has been particularly robust for carbon fiber applications, including its use in wind turbine blades and nitrile rubber for medical gloves.

In order to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, measures to reduce CO₂ emissions throughout the product chain of fossil fuel-derivatives are gaining momentum, and AN customers are increasingly seeking to manufacture products using AN with low CO₂ emissions in order to contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction. Under these circumstances, Asahi Kasei and TSPC sought to reduce CO₂ emissions across the AN supply chain, and in Oct. 2021, TSPC became what is said to be the first AN manufacturer in Asia to acquire ISCC PLUS certification. The certification system enables TSPC to produce and sell AN using biomass raw material allocated by the mass-balance method. 

Moreover, in order to contribute to society’s carbon neutrality, the Asahi Kasei Group says it will continue efforts to further reduce CO₂ emissions by improving the AN catalysts and processes based on original technologies as well as the procurement of biomass raw material, aiming to be a global sustainable partner for its customers.