Technology
A joint
venture jointly founded by Research Institute of Innovative Technology for theEarth (RITE) and the University of Tokyo Edge Capital will start to produce
chemical raw materials from rice straws. The joint venture company, Green EarthTechnology, has established a cultural method that can synthesize only the
target substance efficiently, while reducing the consumption of energy
necessary for the growth of bacteria. Using the newly developed technology, it
will be possible to produce phenol resins and amino acid at one dollar (about
77 yen) per kilogram. If the oil price maintains the current level of more than
80 dollars per barrel, chemical raw materials produced using the new
established cultured method will have enough competitive edge in terms of
production cost.
RITE’s
new technology is based on the gene recombination of corynebacteriaceae in
soil. This technology makes it possible to produce various kinds of chemical
raw materials from plant fibers. Corynebacteriaceae resolves plant fibers and
synthesizes the target substance using the resultant sugar. A recombinant
bacterium is used for the synthesis of electronic and auto parts, another
recombinant bacterium is useful for the synthesis of lactic acid that is a raw
material of biodegradable resins, and another recombinant bacterium is
effective for the synthesis of valine that is amino acid for animal
consumption. The joint venture will build a production facility with an annual
production capacity between 2,000-3,000 tons with an investment of 3 billion
yen coming summer. Private companies including Teijin, Sumitomo Bakelite, and
Idemitsu Kosan will participate in the research on biodegradable resins, electronics
parts, and various petrochemical raw materials, respectively. It is
estimated that the market to produce chemical raw materials from plants grow to
more than 100 billion dollars in 2020, the same market size of biofuel.
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