Participating in the CIIE for the first time, Toray of Japan imagined the future of four ideal worlds
Toray of Japan, which participated in the CIIE for the first time this year, focused on the issue of sustainability, and the four exhibition areas on the site presented Toray's imagination of the four ideal worlds of the future.
"Materials are in the upstream of all products, and when materials are innovated, downstream products will follow the innovation. Therefore, Toray firmly believes that materials have the power to change lives, and devotes itself to the research and development of materials every day. Toray (China) Investment Co., Ltd. Vice Chairman Yoshio Himeshima said.
Founded in 1926, Toray is a large-scale integrated chemical company with 310 affiliates in 29 countries and regions around the world, and is engaged in a wide range of related businesses in various fields such as textiles, functional chemicals, carbon fiber composites, life sciences, environment, and engineering.
"China's trade and investment liberalization and the high development of industries and supply chains will continue to accelerate. Our group agrees that China will continue to be the world's largest market in the future. Yoshio Himejima said that the exhibits at the Expo, including carbon fiber product TORAYCA® ®, reverse osmosis RO membrane, microfiber suede artificial leather material ultrasuede® ®, and nano-laminated film PICASUS®, the star product developed by Toray's unique film technology, are all representative products of Toray's "sustainable innovation business" in the new year.
Four ideal worlds
In March of this year, Toray announced its new three-year medium-term management project, AP-G 2025, which aims to achieve "sustainable and healthy development" by "contributing to the resolution of the global issue of harmonious coexistence between development and sustainability" as set forth in the Toray Group's Sustainability Vision. In particular, we are emphasizing the promotion and expansion of our products for sustainable innovation.
姬岛义夫表示，本次进博会，东丽的展出主题就是“为社会性课题提供解决方案，创造美好的可持续社会”，并以新能源、环境、回收再利用和生物质、医疗关怀4大部分，来诠释到2050年，东丽在“可持续发展愿景”中所期望实现的Four ideal worlds形态。
In the new energy section, Toray showcased its products that accelerate its response to climate change, in the recycling and biomass sections, Toray showcased products that contribute to sustainable and circular resource utilization and production, in the environment section, Toray showcased products that provide safe water and air and help reduce environmental impact, and in the medical care section, Toray showcased products that contribute to strengthening access to healthcare and promoting public health.
"As a B2B company, we are at the upstream end of the industry, and there are very few end products that belong to Toray itself and can be displayed, but our products are hidden in every aspect of life. Therefore, this exhibition is set up with applications in multiple life scenarios. Yoshio Himejima said that carbon fiber and water treatment membrane products are products that contribute to society and have a great impact on Toray, and they are responding to new environmental changes every day.
Specifically, in the new energy part, the application of Toray's carbon fiber products in fuel cells is displayed. As a major global supplier of carbon paper for fuel cells, Toray's 2021 survey data shows that Toray's carbon fiber market share is as high as about 40%. "We started working on carbon paper as early as 1982, and the study of the gas diffusion layer in fuel cells dates back to 2008. Yoshio Himejima said that Toray's carbon fiber has become more well-known as it has partnered with Boeing and has become the main load-bearing structural material of the body.
In addition to aerospace, carbon fiber materials are used in the transportation sector. It is worth noting that at the Expo, Toray also exhibited carbon fiber Torayca®CHG cylinders, which are indispensable high-pressure hydrogen storage cylinders for hydrogen transportation. Yoshio Himejima said that Toray has made full use of the lightweight and strong characteristics of carbon fiber, which can more safely store and transport hydrogen, which is an important energy source for a sustainable society in the future.
As recognized as the cleanest and most efficient green energy in the world, the development of hydrogen energy industry has attracted extensive attention. Recently, the China Hydrogen Energy Alliance released the "China Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cell Industry Development Report 2022" for the fourth consecutive year, showing that in 2022, China's hydrogen production capacity will be about 48.82 million tons/year, a year-on-year increase of about 1.2%, and the output will be about 35.33 million tons/year, a year-on-year increase of about 1.9%. China's renewable hydrogen production capacity is about 56,000 tons, and renewable energy hydrogen production projects are accelerating. At the same time, in 2022, the promotion of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will be accelerated, relying on major demonstration projects such as the "Fuel Cell Vehicle Demonstration City Agglomeration", the sales volume of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in China will increase by 3,367 units, and the number of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in China will reach 12,682, a year-on-year increase of about 36%, and a total of 358 hydrogen refueling stations will be built, a year-on-year increase of more than 40%.
Yoshio Himejima said that most of China's hydrogen energy is currently gray hydrogen, but the development of green hydrogen is currently developing rapidly, and the use of renewable energy to make hydrogen is also an area of interest in China, and Toray is working on related product development.
For example, in the case of hydrogen production by electrolysis of water using green electricity generated by solar and wind power, it is important to improve conversion efficiency in order to reduce electricity consumption in addition to long-term stable operation. Conversion efficiency can vary greatly depending on the equipment design, and individual components can also become technical bottlenecks. Therefore, as a material manufacturer, Toray will contribute to higher efficiency and lower power consumption. In addition, it is necessary to reduce equipment costs and accelerate promotion.
Yoshio Himejima said that China has rapidly built a hydrogen energy industry chain, and Toray has also developed many materials and technologies related to hydrogen energy in Japan, including the manufacturing, transportation, storage and use of hydrogen energy. As a result, Toray can use its achievements and experience to contribute to the development of China's hydrogen energy industry.
Currently, Toray manufactures and sells hydrogen-related products, including carbon fiber for blades for wind power generation, separators for hydrogen electrolysis production, carbon fibers for hydrogen transportation and storage, carbon paper (CP) and gas diffusion layer (GDL) for fuel cell vehicles, CCM with a catalyst coating on the electrolyte membrane, and MEA with a gas diffusion layer.
In the environmental segment, Toray's water treatment membrane products have a long history, a wide range of products, and excellent performance, and are widely used in municipal wastewater treatment and a series of large-scale desalination projects in various countries and regions. Toray provides water treatment membranes for water treatment plants engaged in wastewater recycling. Today, about 12.3 million tonnes of treated water are returned to the ground every year, contributing to the conservation of groundwater resources.
Toray also exhibited meltblown nonwovens for air filtration materials and a "horizontal printing system for flexible packaging" developed by Prospect for packaging. "We believe that the Flexible Packaging Horizontal Printing System, which uses Toray's non-horizontal printing system and water-soluble UV/EB inks, will dramatically reduce CO2 emissions by up to 80% by reducing VOC emissions during the printing process and reducing power consumption to less than 1/6 of the printing process. Yoshio Himejima said.
In the biomass and regenerative section, Toray showcased its own plant-based materials. Synthetic fibers rely on fossil raw materials, and if biomass is used as a raw material, it is possible to reduce dependence on petroleum products and contribute to a carbon-neutral society. Therefore, many companies have been trying to break through the proportion of biomass in raw materials. Toray has succeeded in achieving 100% plant-based nylon fiber, and a certain percentage of polyester fiber manufacturing has been realized, and some products have already begun mass production and sales.
At this year's CIIE, Toray exhibited Ultrasuede, a suede® ® artificial leather material that has spanned half a century since 1970.
At the same time, Toray also exhibited the Renewable Fiber Brand&+®, which is a brand that recycles plastic bottles, which use waste plastic bottles as raw materials and recycle them into fibers for clothing production.
In the medical care area, Toray also showcased the diverse use of carbon fiber products, such as prosthetics for para sports. Para sports were originally conceived as an "extension of rehabilitation" for people with disabilities, and Toray's high-strength, lightweight carbon fiber products can make people with disabilities no longer special, allowing them to run freely and set their own brilliant records. In addition, in the field of medical dialysis, Toray has introduced a new technology, the adsorption blood purifier, which can be used in the treatment of intractable diseases such as cancer, as well as in emergency treatment such as burns and postoperative complications.
The next step in sustainable R&D
"We believe that the world will face global issues that balance "development" and "sustainability", such as population growth, aging, climate change, water scarcity, and resource depletion. The Toray Group's mission is to propose fundamental total solutions to these issues by providing innovative technologies and cutting-edge materials. Yoshio Himejima said that Toray has taken "contributing to society through business," "managing people as the foundation," and "managing from a long-term perspective" as important values, and based on these values, we will create a win-win situation with customers and business partners upstream and downstream of the supply chain and provide new value to society, starting with materials.
"When selecting exhibits, our first priority is to be in line with the theme of the Expo, and secondly, we hope to demonstrate Toray's R&D technology and our strong products on the platform of the Expo. Yoshio Himejima said.
Yoshio Himejima said that Toray has many materials that contribute to sustainable development, but from the perspective of R&D, the main thing is to build a recycling system of materials and biochemistry of raw materials.
In terms of the recycling system of materials, we are promoting the recycling of polyester and nylon, which are the basic materials. Yoshio Himejima said that reuse includes the reuse of raw materials that recycle polymers and the chemical reuse of recycled polymers by decomposing them into raw materials and polymerizing them again, and it is important to be able to obtain recycled polymers with few inclusions. As a raw material manufacturer, Toray will focus on technology development to build a process that is less affected by the quality of raw materials, and to produce reusable polymers with stable quality at low cost.
In terms of biochemistry of raw materials, Yoshio Himejima said that corn is currently widely used as a biological raw material in China, but in the future, the use of non-edible cellulose-based raw materials will become important. In this field, Toray is currently conducting demonstration experiments in Thailand with the goal of practical application. There are reports that Toray is working with DM Mitsui Sugar Co. to make sugar from inedible biomass for the production of fibers, resins and films.
In addition, Toray is also working on the research and development of other biologics, among which raw materials for clothing are being promoted first. At present, it is still a long time to develop a technology to make 100% biomaterials for clothing, but the current method is to achieve partial biochemistry and mixing with bio-based materials without compromising the function of the raw materials. Yoshio Himejima said that if the price of bio-based raw materials falls, it is expected that the scope of their applications will expand in the future.
China is transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy and a circular society, with rapid development in energy conservation, CO2 emission containment and CCS (carbon capture and sequestration). Yoshio Himejima said that Toray will continue to innovate and contribute to the development of the Chinese market by starting from renewable energy, recycling, biotechnology, and energy conservation.
