Inauguration Ceremony Held for Bio-Manufacturing Research Building Utilizing Gas Circulation Fermentation

JGC Holdings Corporation (Chairman and Group CEO: Masayuki Sato, hereinafter "JGC HD") announces the completion of its bio-manufacturing research building (hereinafter the "Research Building") on Port Island in Kobe, which incorporates the world's first gas circulation fermentation base facility, and the holding of its inauguration ceremony on-site today (June 9th). JGC HD positions the period from this year to 2030 as the creation phase for its bio-manufacturing business, and will integrally promote research and development, scale-up, and commercialization.

Scene of the inauguration ceremony ribbon cutting Exterior view of the first research building

Amidst the increasing prominence of issues related to economic security and the realization of a sustainable society, our company anticipates a significant expansion in demand for bio-manufacturing products. Bio-manufacturing is a method that utilizes microorganisms to produce chemicals, materials, energy, food, etc., without relying on fossil resources. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates that the global market size will reach 200 trillion yen by 2030.

This Research Building is the first building (JBX1) of the "Bio-Process Research Center" (common name JBX), which JGC HD is developing as a base for gas circulation fermentation technology. In the R&D at JBX, we will use hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria, a type of microorganism, with carbon dioxide (CO2) as the raw material to produce various useful substances. In the gas fermentation process, the "gas handling technology" that our group has cultivated over many years for safely handling flammable gases is indispensable.

JBX will promote the "Development of Microbial Direct Polymer Synthesis Technology from CO2" project, jointly proposed to the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (NEDO) by four companies: JGC HD, Bacchus Bio-Innovation Co., Ltd., Kaneka Corporation, and Shimadzu Corporation.

This project has been adopted as a national project, "Green Innovation Fund Program / Promotion of Carbon Recycling Using CO2 as a Direct Raw Material through Bio-Manufacturing Technology," aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Approximately 60 stakeholders attended the inauguration ceremony, including JGC HD Chairman and CEO Masayuki Sato, Kaneka CO2 Innovation Laboratory Director Shunsuke Sato, Bacchus Bio-Innovation President and CEO Akihiko Kondo, and Shimadzu Corporation Managing Executive Officer Masami Tomita. Congratulatory speeches were given by guests including Mr. Hiroya Hirose, Director-General for Commerce and Service Policy, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; Mr. Narikazu Hayashi, Executive Director of NEDO; and Mr. Kiizo Hisamoto, Mayor of Kobe City.

The bio-manufacturing business is central to the expansion of the solutions business, which is a key strategy in JGC HD's medium-term management plan "Building a Sustainable Planetary Infrastructure 2030." Towards further scale-up, we have begun planning for a second building (JBX2) on the same site, aiming for completion by the end of 2027.

JGC HD will continue to promote the social implementation of bio-manufacturing and contribute to the realization of a sustainable society.

Overview of the First Building of the Bio-Process Research Center

Construction Site: 7-3-7 Minatojima Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture

Start of Construction: August 2024

Completion: January 2026

Site Area: Approximately 10,000 m²

Research Building Scale: 4 stories, approximately 3,400 m² of total floor area

Main Equipment:

Multiple bench-scale gas fermenters ranging from 5L to 200L will be installed within the building to achieve phased scale-up and production demonstration of the manufacturing process.