Sumitomo Chemical and JFE Engineering to Start Demonstration Test for CO₂ Recovery Using Membrane Separation Technology
The First Attempt in Japan to Recover CO₂ from a Waste to Energy Plant by Membrane Separation

Aug. 19, 2025

Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.
JFE Engineering Corporation

Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. (“Sumitomo Chemical”) and JFE Engineering Corporation (“JFE Engineering”) have decided to jointly conduct a demonstration test for CO₂ separation and recovery utilizing proprietary membrane technology. This is part of the Green Innovation Fund Project “Technology Development for CO₂ Separation and Recovery” (“the Project”) commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (“NEDO”). The demonstration test will begin in March 2026 at the Ukishima Municipal Solid Waste Disposal Center, a waste to energy plant managed and operated by the Environmental Protection Bureau, Kawasaki City. This will be the first attempt in Japan* to recover CO₂ from exhaust gases of a waste to energy plant by using membrane separation technology.

As efforts to achieve a carbon neutral society advance, demand for technologies to separate and recover CO₂ from exhaust gases at power generation and industrial facilities is growing. Meanwhile, to introduce such technologies to medium-scale emission sources, including waste to energy plants and small factories, it is necessary to develop a compact, lower cost system, which remains a vital issue. Since May 2022, under the Project commissioned by NEDO, Sumitomo Chemical has been working with OOYOO Co., Ltd. (“OOYOO”) to develop cost-effective technology for separating and recovering low-pressure, low-concentration CO₂ using separation membranes. To date, the companies have succeeded in manufacturing full-scale separation membrane elements and assembling modules that combine multiple elements. JFE Engineering, a comprehensive engineering company with extensive experience in the engineering, procurement, construction, and operation of waste to energy plants, as well as in energy plants and infrastructures such as bridges and steel structures, joined the Project in April 2025.

In this joint demonstration test, Sumitomo Chemical will undertake the assembly and processing of membrane modules using the CO₂ separation membranes it has developed with OOYOO, as well as the basic design of the separation process, and provide a system that enables energy-efficient separation and recovery of CO₂ from exhaust gas with low CO₂ concentrations (below 10%), such as that from a waste incineration process. JFE Engineering will handle the detailed design of the CO₂ separation and recovery process, and will also design, install, and operate a demonstration test facility capable of incorporating the CO₂ separation and recovery system. The facility will be installed at the Ukishima Municipal Solid Waste Disposal Center, which is aiming for carbon neutrality in waste management, and is scheduled to begin operation in March 2026.

  

Comment by Junpei Tsuji, Managing Executive Officer, Sumitomo Chemical
As the world strives to achieve a carbon neutral society by 2050, there is a growing demand for the implementation of CO₂ separation and recovery technologies across various sectors, including industry, power generation, and waste incineration. Against this backdrop, Sumitomo Chemical has been developing a CO₂ separation membrane technology by leveraging the support provided under the Green Innovation Fund Project initiative. We are pleased to begin a demonstration test of the technology in collaboration with JFE Engineering and Kawasaki City. We believe this test will be a significant step forward to become a global leader in the effort to achieve cost-effective separation and recovery of low-pressure, low-concentration CO₂.

 

Comment by Kazuyoshi Honobe, Managing Director, JFE Engineering
As a top runner in the engineering, procurement, construction, and operation of waste to energy plants, JFE Engineering has built over 200 such facilities both in and outside of Japan. By integrating our proprietary technologies in high-efficiency power generation, energy saving, and digital transformation with the CCU-Ready Plant functionality, we will further enhance the value of waste to energy plants in local communities.

 

*  The first demonstration test for CO₂ separation and recovery using separation membranes at a waste to energy plant. Based on the results of a survey conducted by Sumitomo Chemical as of the date of announcement, August 19, 2025.

Contact

Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.
Corporate Communications Dept.
https://www.sumitomo-chem.co.jp/english/contact/public/

JFE Engineering Corporation
Public Relation Office, General Affair Department,
https://vhib.f.msgs.jp/webapp/form/23187_vhib_2/index.do