Concrete steps to fight climate change and find alternatives to fossil fuels
Fighting climate change is a global challenge. Average global temperatures are rising every year, and it has been suggested that global warming causes problems such as rising sea levels and increased occurrence of extreme weather disasters.
It is suggested that the rapid climate change currently occurring caused primarily by the anthropogenic increase in greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane gas, nitrous oxide, and fluorocarbons. Greenhouse gases have the effect of re-warming the earth by absorbing infrared radiation escaping from the earth to outer space, and converting it to heat (the greenhouse effect).
Currently, global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are underway as part of efforts to curb global warming. Fossil fuels such as petroleum are widely used as raw materials for chemicals and as fuel for automobiles, and are eventually converted to carbon dioxide. Ever since the Industrial Revolution, the use of fossil fuels has increased the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which has resulted in an exceedingly high greenhouse effect. For this reason, it is important to convert from fossil fuels for curbing global warming, and the chemical manufacturing industry has been strongly encouraged to develop materials that can replace petrochemical products.
KH Neochem’s Solution Technology
We are developing the bioplastics from natural plant-derived raw materials. Plants grow by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, so even if the bioplastic is discharged as carbon dioxide after disposal, the total amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will not increase, and this is expected to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
In addition, we are developing the bioplastics through a process of microbial fermentation from natural plant-derived raw materials. This production process is environmentally friendly because it is an energy-conserving fermentation process at normal temperature and pressure.
Our bioplastics have not only their bio-derived characteristics, but also offer highly practicality. As it is a thermoplastic resin, it is easy to process, and we expect it to be used in diverse forms, such as bottles, packaging materials, and more.
*Bioplastics: Plastics produced using biomass as a raw material
