Press release
Selected for NEDO's "CCU and Next-Generation Thermal Power Generation Technology Development / Technology Development at CO2 Effective Utilization Bases" project.
~Promoting research and development toward the commercialization of CCU technology using seawater~
TBM Co., Ltd., Ltd. (President and CEO: Nobuyoshi Yamasaki, Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), Sasakura Co., Ltd. (President: Shintaro Sasakura, Headquarters: Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture), Sumitomo Osaka Cement Co., Ltd. (President: Hironori Morohashi, Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo), and Waseda University (Chairman of the Board: Aiji Tanaka, Location: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo) applied for and were selected to participate in the "CCU and Next-Generation Thermal Power Generation Technology Development/Technology Development at CO2 Effective Utilization Bases (Subsidized Project)" (hereinafter referred to as "this project") publicly solicited by NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization), and commenced this project on July 3rd.
* The managing company for this project is Sasakura Co., Ltd. (Research Representative: Noriyuki Shimada), and the research supervisor is Professor Takao Nakagaki of Waseda University.
■ Background
At the NEDO CCU Demonstration Research Center on Osakikamijima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture (hereinafter referred to as the Demonstration Center), we are promoting research and development projects aimed at developing and facilitating the social implementation of technologies for the effective utilization of CO2. From 2022 to 2025, Waseda University and Sasakura Co., Ltd. conducted the "Demonstration of CCU technology with Co-production of Valuable Materials Using Seawater and Research and Development of Applied Products *1" (hereinafter referred to as the previous project) at the Demonstration Center.
In the previous project, a plant with a processing capacity of 20 tons/day of seawater was installed at the demonstration site, and continuous operation was established to obtain magnesium, which is a raw material for CCU, as well as high-purity by-products such as gypsum, in high yield. Magnesium was fixed as magnesium carbonate from CO2 at the demonstration site using methods such as gas-solid contact and gas-liquid contact. It was confirmed that this could be used as an applied product to create a new concrete material *2 that does not use any ordinary Portland cement and has compressive strength equal to or greater than conventional concrete, and was named WMaCS® and registered as a trademark *3. Furthermore, using gypsum produced from seawater, Yoshino Gypsum Co., Ltd., a collaborating company, successfully prototyped gypsum board conforming to JIS A 6901. These research results were recognized, and we received the STI for SDGs Award 2025 Encouragement Award *4 from the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST).
This newly selected project aims to commercialize CCU products, with Sasakura Co., Ltd. acting as the lead company to improve CCU material production process. In addition, Sumitomo Osaka Cement Co., Ltd. and TBM Co., Ltd. will work towards the practical application of CCU recycled products using WMaCS, and Waseda University will conduct research and development in collaboration with these three companies.
■ Implementation details
This project, which began on July 3rd, will implement the following research and development items.
• Research and Development Item A: Advancement of CCU material production process (jointly implemented by Sasakura and Waseda University)
Sasakura Corporation, a leading company in the manufacturing and engineering of equipment for seawater desalination plants and evaporation concentration systems, has addressed the challenges of commercialization in its previous business.
A-1: Improving Mg loss to increase CO2 fixation
A-2: Improvement of CCU material production process by gas-solid contact
A-3: Improving work efficiency and process continuity for commercialization
This project will be carried out in collaboration with Waseda University. As with the previous project, Yoshino Gypsum Co., Ltd. will be the cooperating company to commercialize the gypsum obtained as a by-product.
• Research and Development Item B: Performance Improvement and Practical Application Evaluation of CCU Material-Based Cement-Based Materials (Jointly conducted by Sumitomo Osaka Cement and Waseda University)
Sumitomo Osaka Cement Co., Ltd., which is developing technology for manufacturing and utilizing artificial limestone by carbonatering waste-derived Ca and CO2 as part of the NEDO Green Innovation Fund project, will now aim to commercialize WMaCS by undertaking demonstration research and evaluation of a new method of carbonatering and fixing CO2 with marine-derived Mg and using it as a cement substitute in construction materials. Specifically,
B-1: Performance improvement of concrete using CCU materials
B-2: Evaluation of the practical application of CCU material-based cement materials
B-3: Establishment of CCU material production process applicable to concrete products
This will be implemented in collaboration with Waseda University.
• Research and Development Item C: Development of new materials using CCU materials (jointly conducted by TBM and Waseda University)
TBM Co., Ltd., which manufactures and sells calcium carbonate and CCU building materials utilizing CCU technology, will develop and commercialize new WMaCS application materials. Specifically,
C-1: Development of high-filling technology for CCU materials into thermoplastic resins
C-2: Application development of CCU material-based materials
C-3: Demonstration test using actual equipment
C-4: Establishment of CCU material production process applicable to new applied materials.
This will be implemented in collaboration with Waseda University.
Figure 1: Flowchart of CCU system installed at the demonstration site.
■ Information on selected projects
・Business name
NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization) "CCU and Next-Generation Thermal Power Generation Technology Development / Technology Development at CO2 Effective Utilization Bases" - 2. Demonstration of CO2 Effective Utilization Technology at Research Bases (Subsidy Project (Subsidy Rate 2/3))
• Research project development name
Research and development toward the commercialization of CCU technology using seawater
Research and development period
July 3, 2026 to the end of March 2028 (tentative)
Organizational chart
Figure 2: R&D Organization Diagram
■ Glossary
*1 Selected for CCU /Next-Generation Thermal Power Generation Technology Development/Technology Development at CO2 Effective Utilization Bases/ CO2 Effective Utilization Technology Development and Demonstration Project at Research and Development Bases: "Demonstration of CCU technology with Co-production of Valuable Materials Using Seawater and Research and Development of Applied Products" Waseda University, Sasakura (Research Representative: Takao Nakagaki)
https://www.waseda.jp/top/news/85546
*2 As a highly practical CCU product, we have developed a completely new concrete made from seawater and CO2.
https://www.waseda.jp/inst/research/news/78391
*3 Trademark Registration No. 6829796
*4 STI for SDGs 2025 Encouragement Award: Demonstration of CCU technology that produces valuable materials using seawater. Organization: Waseda University, Sasakura Co., Ltd., Yoshino Gypsum Co., Ltd.
https://www.jst.go.jp/ristex/sdgs-award/result/2025/result202510.html