Japan's Tosoh Corporation focuses on producing raw material monomers from plastics

Japanese petrochemical producer Tosoh aims to develop its chemical recycling technology to produce raw monomers from mixed plastics, with the goal of establishing the technology by the end of March 2025
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The producer began researching the technology in November last year with state-owned research institute the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, packaging and industrial materials supplier Toppan, recycling company Keiwa Kogyo, water treatment company Tohzai Chemical Industry and Tohoku University
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The partners receive undisclosed subsidies from plans by state-controlled research and development agency Nedo to support the development of plastic recycling
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Tosoh Corporation and its partners plan to explore recycling of mixed plastics, including hydrolyzable polymers such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyamides, and non-hydrolyzable polymers such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS)
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They are trying to turn mixed plastics into raw monomers such as ethylene, propylene and styrene
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Tosoh is unsure when it will be able to begin testing chemical recycling with pilot facilities and when it will be able to complete commercialization of the technology
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With environmental regulations limiting waste exports, Japan's petrochemical industry is trying to push chemical recycling on the trend of decarbonization and increase the use of waste plastics
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Japanese refiner Eneos has launched two studies on the chemical recycling of scrap car tires, aiming to turn them into feedstocks for synthetic rubber, such as butadiene
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