What is the LIMEX business?
Last updated: October 4, 2023
LIMEX is an inorganic filler dispersion composite material that contains more than 50% inorganic matter such as calcium carbonate and is an alternative to plastics and paper, developed exclusively by TBM in Japan. LIMEX is an environmentally friendly material that can contribute to resource depletion and climate change, and can be produced as an OEM material in our own domestic factories or in cooperation with domestic and overseas partners using a fabless model. Compared to conventional products, it is possible to reduce the amount of petroleum-based plastic used and the CO2 emissions generated during the product's life cycle. It has already been adopted by more than 10,000 companies and local governments for use in products such as bags, container packaging, printed materials, and promotional materials.
About limestone
The material name LIMEX is a combination of the English name for limestone, "Limestone," and the letter "X," which stands for "infinite possibilities." Limestone is a rock that is mainly composed of calcium carbonate (CaCO 3) and is abundant all over the world. There are 220 limestone mines operating in Japan * 1, and it is one of the few natural resources that can be self-sufficient even in resource-poor Japan. Therefore, the price is cheap and stable.
With LIMEX, even in areas where water resources are scarce or in inland areas, it is possible to use raw materials that can be obtained locally. We can build a model of local production for local consumption around the world with a compact supply chain that is less subject to location restrictions and does not require long-distance transportation.
LIMEX global patent
In 2014, we obtained a domestic patent for "LIMEX". Currently, we have more than 200 LIMEX-related patents in over 40 countries around the world. Our efforts in utilizing intellectual property have been recognized, and we received the "Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award" as an intellectual property utilization venture at the "Intellectual Property Achievement Award" given by the Japan Patent Office of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in 2022. In addition, LIMEX has been introduced at international conferences such as COP and G20, and is registered on the UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) Sustainable Technology Dissemination Platform as an excellent Japanese technology. In the future, we aim to export the technology and brand as a technology originating from Japan, and to make it a material that is commonly used around the world.
Manufacturing method of LIMEX
LIMEX is made up of more than 50% (by weight) inorganic materials such as calcium carbonate, with the remainder being thermoplastic resins and various additives. Our unique technology allows us to mix these materials evenly and turn them into a molten composite.
LIMEX Pellet is an intermediate product made by cutting the molten composite from the extruder into uniform sizes and shapes and forming them into pellets (granules). On the other hand, LIMEX Sheet is an intermediate product made by passing the composite extruded from a mold called a T-die through a metal roll and forming it into a uniform sheet.
Diverse molding methods
LIMEX is capable of not only extrusion molding and inflation molding, but also vacuum molding and injection molding. As a composite material, LIMEX does not require specialized equipment to manufacture, and LIMEX products can be molded using existing machinery and manufacturing methods. LIMEX has been adopted by more than 10,000* companies and local governments.
Recycable material
Compared to polypropylene (PP), a petroleum-based plastic, LIMEX has the advantage of being able to suppress deterioration in its physical properties, as there is little change in resin properties such as fluidity and impact resistance before and after recycling. This makes it suitable for mechanical recycling, and there have been many examples of recycling to date.
Furthermore, TBM operates the Yokosuka Circular Factory, one of the largest recycling plants in Japan, which can collect waste plastic along with used LIMEX, and automatically sort and recycle it.
Using the Yokosuka Circular Plant as a model case, the company plans to expand this scheme as a solution for building recycling systems in other areas of Japan that rely on incineration and thermal recovery to process waste plastic, as well as in overseas areas where household plastic sorting systems are underdeveloped.
In order to meet the growing global need for plastic alternative alternatives and recycled materials, TBM is promoting material recycling and contributing to the realization of a circular economy through CirculeX, which recycles used LIMEX and used plastics as raw materials, and MaaR, a service that coordinates material circulation of used LIMEX and plastic mechanical recycling.
Click here for more information on material circulation
Future of LIMEX
Regarding LIMEX material circulation, we are promoting material circulation using the recycling plant "Yokosuka Circular Factory" operated by TBM and existing recycling facilities. Furthermore, using the Yokosuka Circular Factory as a model, we plan to expand mechanical recycling of LIMEX and plastics that were previously burned both domestically and overseas. To that end, we are also focusing on creating infrastructure for resource material circulation to collect and recycle LIMEX and plastics from businesses and general consumers.
Regarding technological development, ventures and large companies around the world are now 2 As part of this initiative, TBM is collaborating with external partners to separate, capture and effectively use carbon dioxide emitted from factories, power plants and other facilities. 2 In the future, we will use emitted CO2 instead of limestone, which is a mineral resource. 2 Using LIMEX, whose main ingredient is calcium carbonate derived from wood, we aim to develop a material that can further reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Meanwhile, with regard to the plastic that is a secondary raw material in LIMEX, technological development is underway to replace it with plant-based, biodegradable, marine biodegradable plastics and recycled plastics, and actual products have already begun. We will continue to work to further expand its use, including mass production.
In order to further improve the environmental performance of LIMEX, we will expand the material compatibility of LIMEX's main raw material "calcium carbonate" and its secondary raw material "plastic" and reduce CO 2 We will increase our contribution to reducing GHG emissions through these and other measures, and realize the development of carbon negative materials in the future.
CO 2 For more information about the next-generation LIMEX This way
LIMEX and SDGs
SDGs are international goals for the period from 2016 to 2030 listed in the "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" adopted at the United Nations Summit in September 2015.
TBM mapped the relationship between each stage of the value chain and the 169 targets of the SDGs, and identified the points of contact between business and the SDGs. In doing so, we analyzed both the impact of TBM's value chain on SDGs and the impact of trends surrounding SDGs on TBM's value chain. We have established eight core goals where TBM's business can have a particularly large impact.
<Core goals>
The LIMEX project focuses on SDG 12 "Responsible consumption and production", 6 "Conservation of water resources", 13 "Climate change countermeasures", 14 "Conservation of marine ecosystems", 15 "Conservation of terrestrial ecosystems", We will proactively contribute to the eight core goals: 8. Job creation, 9. Industry creation, and 17. Collaboration.
LIMEX as JSA standard
The JSA standard (JSA-S1008) aims to clarify the definition of "inorganic/organic composite materials whose main components are inorganic materials" including LIMEX, expand the market, stabilize quality, and lead to fair trade. Published by the Japanese Standards Association on April 19, 2021.
JSA-S1008 specifies that the main constituent materials (among the constituent materials, the largest mass fraction For materials that are one type of inorganic substance and the total amount of inorganic substances exceeds 50% in mass fraction, ``Measurement of the mass fraction of the total amount of inorganic substances'', ``Confirmation of the presence or absence of thermoplastic resin'', and ``Major It stipulates the confirmation and testing methods for the types and mass fractions of constituent materials and secondary materials.
