The need for clean technology
In the IPCC special report “Global Warming of 1.5℃” published in 2018, human activities are estimated to have already caused 1.0℃ of global warming above pre-industrial levels. To limit global warming to below 1.5℃, the report recommends making global carbon emissions neutral and drastically reducing greenhouse gases by 2050. In addition, it is expected that more than one in four people will live in countries and regions with water shortages in 2050 due to global warming and population growth, so it is critical to secure safe water supplies.
Even though a lot of us do not want to realize it, but there is an urgent need to change towards net-zero emissions. We can not continue to live selfishly and to use fossil fuels when it has a negative impact on the climate. Therefore, the well-being of all is in danger.
Yokogawa Bio Frontier Inc. – a young company
Yokogawa Bio Frontier Inc. was established in March 2021. This new company will actively contribute to our target of a circular economy. It will develop businesses that produce or sell innovative plant-derived biomass materials, as well as associated licensing and consulting activities.
In focus are plant-based biomass materials, such as nanocellulose and lignin monomer. Both can be used to substitute chemicals and materials conventionally derived from fossil resources, thereby enabling a sustainable carbon cycle. Nanocellulose and lignin have a number of promising applications: nanocellulose
can be used in products such as plastics and transparent films and lignin can be used in medicine, food, and adhesives.
As you know, we are experts in industrial automation. With these skills, we will develop highly efficient extraction and production processes and facilities. The goal is to market biomass materials to a wide range of customers in the chemical, food & beverage, pharmaceutical, and other industries.
Why using biomass is good
Fossil resources such as oil and gas took hundreds of millions of years to form may be used up in just a few
hundred years by our modern society.
Huge amounts of energy are consumed to mine and process these natural resources. In emerging countries, where energy consumption is expected to expand, issues involving environmental measures, energy efficiency, recycling technology, and the like will need to be addressed. We need global solutions.
Human activities such as manufacturing, the extraction and processing of raw materials, and the
operation of motor vehicles are all sources of CO2 emissions. Though the burning of biomass materials causes CO2 emissions, these materials also play an important role in absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere through the process of photosynthesis, and as such are regarded as being carbon neutral.
S-CNF™ Powder
Yokogawa Bio Frontier announced in a press release on June 15, 2021, that they start selling S-CNF™ powder.
What is S-CNF™ powder?
Our CNF is classified into S-CNF. S stands for sulfate ester.
It is a cellulose nanofiber powder with a sulfate ester group developed with our own technology.
The strong electrostatic repulsive force of the sulfate ester group introduced into the S-CNF molecule enables it to disperse water after powdering, which had previously been difficult. In addition, S-CNF has physical characteristics unique to general cellulose nanofibers.
Building a sustainable future with bioeconomy
Bioeconomy is an important pillar for building a sustainable society. It is one of the focus areas defined in our long-term business framework. The biomass materials market is rapidly expanding, a field in which we can leverage our core technologies and global network.
Yokogawa Bio Frontier is not our first initiative in the bioeconomy sector. For example, we are investing and partnering with AlgaEnergy, a global technology leader in the production and application of microalgae. But that’s not all. Another example is Bloom Biorenewables SA, a Swiss startup focusing on the utilization of biomass. Therefore, they developed a highly efficient lignin extraction technology.
So each one of them is producing best-in-class sustainable products that help future generations to live on this planet.
What’s even better than that?
To join forces. Yokogawa Bio Frontier will work with these and other strategic partners to contribute to a circular economy.
Vision of Yokogawa Bio Frontier
Mitsuhiro Iga (Ph.D.) is the president and CEO of Yokogawa Bio Frontier.
“We believe that all industries must work together to realize a grand vision for all humanity, namely, the achievement of a sustainable society. We would like to play an important role in this undertaking as a member of such a community.
Our mission is to provide environmentally friendly biomass-derived materials and contribute to the development of a carbon cycle society. Specifically, we provide biomass-derived materials such as nanocellulose and lignin. We produce these materials ourselves and work with strategic partners as needed to deliver them to our customers.” Mitsuhiro Iga (Ph.D.). president and CEO of Yokogawa Bio Frontier Inc.
Are net-zero emissions also important for you and your company? What measures have you taken? Feel free to discuss with us in the comment section!
For more information about Yokogawa Bio Frontier, please also visit the Yokogawa Bio Frontier website .
