Sustainability

Producing materials

Asahi Kasei is developing grades of our XYRON™ modified PPE and TENAC™ POM resins that use biomass-derived ingredients via mass-balance approach (*1). These materials have earned certification under ISCC PLUS (*2), an international certification program for sustainable products. 

Our XYRON™ modified PPE resins have earned ISCC PLUS certification as PPE materials whose ingredients include methanol/phenol derived from biomass via mass-balance approach.
​Because biomass-certified PPE resin retains properties on par with those of conventional petroleum-based PPE resin (including heat resistance, flame retardance, low weight, electrical insulation, dimensional stability, and low water absorption), they can help to achieve sustainability in a wide range of application domains.

We are also developing recycled XYRON™ grades combining PPE with recycled resins, working with customers to design recycling schemes, and pursuing a variety of other initiatives to assist in building sustainable future societies.

By acquiring ISCC PLUS certification, we can produce and sell POM resin using sustainable raw material assigned by the mass-balance method.
By applying the mass balance method, we are able to support our customers around the world in their efforts for sustainability while maintaining the excellent performance of POM resin (friction and wear properties, strength and rigidity, resistance to oil and organic solvents, etc.).

(*1)ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) is an international certification system that offers solutions for the implementation and certification of waste and residue raw materials, non-bio renewables and recycled carbon materials and fuels. ISCC PLUS is a certification system that covers mainly bio-based carbon materials which are produced outside of the EU and supplied globally, and to manage and ensure sustainable raw materials in the supply chain.

(*2) In the case of a mixture of sustainable raw materials and fossil fuel-derived raw materials in the production process, the portion of sustainable raw material is assigned to certain products based on ISCC PLUS System Documents and its recognized management methods.

Polyamide (PA) 610 is a biomass plastic featuring a 60% plant-derived polymer content. The primary grades of Asahi Kasei’s LEONA™ family of PA products are based on PA66, which is made from two raw ingredients: hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid. PA610 is also made from two raw ingredients: hexamethylenediamine and sebacic acid. Sebacic acid is derived from castor oil, a type of vegetable oil obtained from the ricinus plant. Thus, PA610 is a biomass polyamide whose polymer content is 60% plant-derived. Compared to PA66, PA610 contains a longer chain of molecule and has two key properties:

1. Lower water absorption and better dimensional stability. 2. Higher chemical resistance and calcium-chloride resistance
These properties make PA610 well suited for applications to a variety of components, including automobile radiator tanks, various types of pumps, sensors, and battery components.

Asahi Kasei currently uses fossil fuel–derived HMD as an intermediate to manufacture LEONA™ polyamide 66 (also called nylon 66), an engineering plastic featuring outstanding heat resistance and rigidity.

As the world moves toward carbon neutrality, attention is increasingly focused on solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from chemical products derived from fossil fuels. The strategic alliance with Genomatica provides Asahi Kasei with preferential rights to access the early volume of bio-HMD to evaluate the possibility as a feedstock of polyamide 66, enabling Asahi Kasei to accelerate trials of polyamide 66 made using biomass-derived intermediate. Genomatica has an established track record of commercializing manufacturing technology for various chemical products using biotechnology. By using this bio-HMD with its own polyamide 66 polymerization technology, Asahi Kasei aims to support its goal to be first-to-market with more sustainable polyamide 66 made using biomass-derived intermediate for the automotive and electronics application of plastics components and industrial fiber.

The CNFs developed by Asahi Kasei are biomass fibers containing cotton-linter constituents that are miniaturized via sophisticated techniques to sizes as small as nanometer scales.

As indicated by the figure on the right, Asahi Kasei’s CNFs can reinforce resins by serving as biomass fillers with higher heat resistance than conventional CNFs. These materials have good recycling properties—they can be recycled for use as ingredients in the same products—and boast low specific gravity (1.5 g/cm3). Other superior properties of these materials include high elasticity, a low linear expansion coefficient, a low friction coefficient, low abrasion, and high gas-barrier strength.