Selected for "Public-Private Young Researcher Discovery Support Project / Contract Department Type"

Kanazawa University (Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, President: Takashi Wada) and Daicel Corporation (Headquarters: Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, President: Yasuhiro Sakaki, hereinafter referred to as Daicel) have had their joint application for "Research and Development of Material Separation, Conversion, and Functionalization Technologies to Accelerate Biomass Value Chain Implementation" selected for the "Public-Private Young Researcher Discovery Support Project / Contract Department Type" implemented by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (NEDO).

This project is a program of up to six years aimed at contributing to the creation of human resources and new industries that will drive future innovation by supporting research and development in industry-academia collaboration systems towards practical application.

Kanazawa University and Daicel have continuously promoted research and development related to the advanced utilization of biomass resources. In 2023, the "Kanazawa University Biomass and Green Innovation Center (hereinafter referred to as BGIC)," a co-creation research and development base, began operations, and under a research and development system integrating industry and academia, they have deepened their efforts towards the realization of a sustainable circular economy.

Following the selection for this project, they will work integrally on research and development and human resource development, contributing to the creation of new industries, while also promoting the training of innovator-type specialized human resources who can lead regional industries and play a broad role in the international community, aiming to solve the universally shared social issue of "realizing a true circular economy."

[Implementing Organizations]

Kanazawa University https://www.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/

Kanazawa University, with support from Daicel Corporation, established the Kanazawa University Biomass and Green Innovation Center (BGIC), a co-creation research center aiming to realize a circular economy and solve social issues. This facility aims to realize a sustainable circular economy through the realization of a de-oil society using biomass (naturally derived materials), a shift to the utilization of forest resources, and innovation in production processes themselves. Through co-creation that transcends industry, academia, government, and industry boundaries, such as interdisciplinary fusion and inter-industry collaboration, it promotes the creation of new value and the speedy social implementation of research results.

Daicel Corporation https://www.daicel.com/

In its new mid-term strategy "Accelerate 2030" announced on May 22 of this year, Daicel Corporation positions the biomass value chain (full utilization of wood raw materials for high value-added products) and the provision of environmentally friendly solutions (CO2 reduction to CO / Solar Ultra Reduction®) as key initiatives (items to realize dreams).

Through this project, in collaboration with Kanazawa University, they will accelerate the social implementation of research results, promote a consistent value creation process from research to development, market development, and industrialization, and contribute to the training of highly skilled human resources who will be responsible for this process.

[Objectives of this Project]

This project aims to solve the universally shared social issue of "realizing a true circular economy" by integrally promoting research and development of material separation, conversion, and functionalization technologies to accelerate biomass value chain implementation, and human resource development, centered on the industry-academia collaboration developed at BGIC.

[Content of Research and Development]

BGIC aims to realize sustainable resource circulation with the following goals:

・Utilization of forest resources

・Functionalization of biomass and its product commercialization through environmentally friendly processes

・Contribution to carbon neutrality through CO2 recycling

To achieve these goals, three research challenges have been established, aiming to establish a flexible and robust business foundation that integrates continuous improvement of technologies looking 10 years ahead with the training of next-generation specialized human resources to support them.

Research Challenge 1: Development of highly selective metal adsorbents for cellulose

Through joint research between Kanazawa University and Daicel, materials that can selectively and highly efficiently adsorb useful and harmful metals by chemically processing cellulose have been developed. These not only allow for the recovery of useful metals simply by burning them after adsorbing metals, but also significantly reduce the amount of waste generated.

In this project, the research and development results to date will be systematized, and cost reduction, process optimization, and market development for practical application will be carried out.

Research Challenge 2: Development of biomass component separation and utilization methods using novel ionic liquids and enzyme/fermentation technology

Kanazawa University has succeeded in developing novel ionic liquids that can dissolve polysaccharides such as cellulose while maintaining the activity of enzymes and microorganisms. A key feature of these ionic liquids is that they allow for "dissolution of biomass components" and "application of enzymatic reactions and fermentation," which were previously difficult to achieve simultaneously, to be performed within the same process. This makes it possible to selectively dissolve polysaccharides from biomass and construct a process for producing ethanol under mild conditions in a single vessel by performing enzymatic saccharification and alcohol fermentation in the ionic liquid.

In this project, based on the research results of these novel ionic liquids, a process integrating dissolution, separation, and utilization will be developed.

Research Challenge 3: Development of a CO2 conversion technology platform using Solar Ultra Reduction®

Solar Ultra Reduction®, which Kanazawa University and Daicel have been jointly developing, is characterized by its unique reaction scheme that uses sunlight as the reaction driving force, spontaneously releases electrons from the electrode surface, and generates solvated electrons with extremely high reducing power. This method is attracting attention as an innovative approach because it can reduce substances that were previously thermodynamically difficult to reduce, while significantly reducing dependence on external electricity.

In this project, research and development for the industrial implementation of Solar Ultra Reduction® will be conducted.

[Industry-Academia Integrated Human Resource Development]

To realize the true circular economy that BGIC aims for, highly skilled researchers and specialized technicians who can oversee the entire process, not just individual technologies, and promote research and development with a view to social implementation are indispensable.

In this project, a curriculum for industry-academia collaboration will be established at the Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University (scheduled to start in April 2028), and researchers from Daicel Corporation will participate in education and research guidance, providing practical education with a focus on social implementation.

[Effects of this Project]

・It will lead to reduced environmental impact and effective resource utilization through the circulation of metal resources, full component utilization of biomass, and the resource recovery of CO2.

・It will contribute to the construction of internationally competitive value chains that are completed domestically, leading to the establishment of an industrial base that is not affected by external environments such as international situations.

・By developing the technologies developed in this project as fundamental technologies applicable to a wide range of fields, it will lead to the maximization of economic and social value, including the creation of licensing revenue, contribution to the regional economy and job creation, and the training of highly skilled human resources.

* "Solar Ultra Reduction®" is a registered trademark of Daicel Corporation.

Project Name: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (NEDO)

"Public-Private Young Researcher Discovery Support Project / Contract Department Type"

Project Overview: A framework to subsidize the implementation of purpose-oriented, creative basic or applied research through industry-academia collaboration, and the training of young human resources oriented towards industry-academia collaboration, by companies actively participating in university research through the provision of funds and human resources, and by establishing and operating degree programs in cooperation with universities (contract departments).

Project Period: Fiscal Year 2026 to Fiscal Year 2031 (up to 6 years)

Website: https://www.nedo.go.jp/koubo/SM2_100001_00119.html