We are developing a strategy to leverage external technologies as well as company-wide technologies, with “Contribute to carbon neutral and circular society” and “Contribute to regional society” as key challenges.
The R&D system consists of Advanced Technology Research Laboratories and research laboratories for each division, which are responsible for specialized development. We have also established a Research & Development Committee that spans the entire company, not only to consider directions and strategies but also to strengthen collaboration among research laboratories and improve technological capabilities.
Research field | Name of laboratory | Japan | Over seas |
Outline of initiatives | ||
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Corporate R&D | Advanced Technology Research Laboratories |
Environment & Energy Research Laboratory | ● | GHG reduction and resource-recycling (biomass, CO2-derived fuels, bio-chemicals) | ||
Environment & Biotechnology Laboratory | ● | GHG reduction and resource-recycling (resource crops, biofuels) Development of functional materials (bio-materials) |
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Advanced Organic Materials Research Laboratory | ● | Development of functional materials (organic macromolecule materials) | ||||
Advanced Inorganic Materials Research Laboratory | ● | Development of functional materials (inorganic materials) | ||||
Analytical Technology Center | ● | Providing advanced analysis and solutions to a wide range of fields throughout the Group (including computational science) | ||||
Idemitsu Kosan Collaborative Research Cluster for Advanced Materials | ● | Creating next-generation materials, enhancement and expansion of technologies | ||||
Production engineering |
Technology & Engineering Center | ● | Technology development in the area of engineering design,
construction, operation, quality control & assurance, and asset integrity & reliability of production facilities Technology-driven contributions to new businesses through the development of production processes |
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Lubricants | Lubricants Research Laboratory | ● | Research and development of lubricants and tribology (lubrication technology) | |||
Idemitsu Lubricants America Corporation R&D Center | ● | Local-based research and development of lubricants Global development of lubricants products and technologies with the Lubricants Research Laboratory (Japan) as the mother research center Rapid product development and provision of technical services to meet local needs overseas |
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Idemitsu Lube (China) Co., Ltd. Research & Development Center | ● | |||||
Idemitsu Lube Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. R&D Center | ● | |||||
NIPPON GREASE Co., Ltd. Technical Research Laboratory | ● | Research and development of grease, heat treatment oil, metal processing oil, etc. | ||||
Advanced materials & performance chemicals |
Performance Materials Laboratories | ● | R&D and development of applications for engineering plastics, adhesive base materials, liquid rubber, electronic materials, etc.
Provision of solutions based on catalyst, synthesis, material design, compounds, and practical assessment technologies |
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Idemitsu Unitech Co., Ltd. R&D Center for Plastic Products | ● | Research and development of molded plastic products | ||||
IDEMITSU FINE COMPOSITES CO., LTD. Composite Materials Research Laboratory |
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Research and development of plastic composite materials that meet market requirements |
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Electronic materials |
Electronic Materials Development Center | ● | Research and development of OLED materials | |||
Idemitsu Research and Business Development Europe AG | ● | |||||
Bitumen | Technology Section | ● | Basic and applied research on asphalt and its applications Development of high-performance asphalt |
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Pesticides and functional feed | SDS Biotech K.K. Tsukuba Research & Technology Center | ● |
Development of pesticides and feed additives derived from microorganisms and natural products Development of safe and useful products for the protection of plants and livestock and the prevention of diseases |
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Lithium battery materials |
Battery Material Development Center | ● | Development of sulfide-based solid-state electrolyte materials, which are key to all-solid lithium-ion secondary batteries (all-solid lithium batteries), and development of manufacturing processes and mass production technology development | |||
Technology & Engineering Development Center | ● | Development of manufacturing technology and design/ construction of mass production facilities for the commercialization of the aforementioned solid-state electrolyte materials | ||||
Technology Planning Office | ● | Examining and exploring recycling technologies and next-generation battery materials | ||||
Solar power generation | Solar Frontier K.K. Kunitomi Office | ● | Exploring solutions for new business development Research and development for the commercialization of recycling technologies for solar panels, including crystal silicon panels |
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Coal and the environment |
Coal & Environment Research Laboratory | ● | The only private research specializing in coal Provision of technical services and development of clean use technologies for coal for a low-carbon society, such as biomass fuels that help reduce GHG emissions as well as carbon recycling and highly efficient combustion technologies |
We conduct R&D related to petroleum, functional materials, and resources as well as new business creation. Under our R&D system, our departments pursue R&D activities in close mutual cooperation.
R&D expenses | 23,640 | |
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R&D expenses by business segment |
Petroleum | 396 |
Functional Materials | 12,703 | |
Power and Renewable Energy | 258 | |
Resources | 368 | |
Others | 9,914 |
Our technologies are highly appreciated by the international community. As an example, for six consecutive years since 2017 Idemitsu has been ranked 1st in the world in their industry subgroup* for “Opportunities in Clean Tech,” which is one of the items evaluated by MSCI, an ESG evaluation organization. (See the table below.)
We will continue to make the most of our advanced R&D capabilities to contribute to the solution of global issues through collaboration with others.
Ranking | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Idemitsu | Idemitsu | Idemitsu |
2 | Company A | Company A | Company A |
3 | Company B | Company F | Company F |
4 | Company C | Company G | Company G |
5 | Company D | Company H | Company H |
In the initial stages of R&D, such as exploration and investigation, which are the keys to create new businesses, we are working for the transformation of our business portfolio, not only with a focus on open innovation as the core of our initiatives, through active cooperation with external parties, but also by leveraging our in-house technologies and knowledge.
We are working with venture capital* to promote cooperation with startup globally. As an example, in Bio / life solutions, in April 2023 we invested in Bacchus Bio innovation Co., Ltd. and launched a smart cell development initiative.
Through the activities of the “Idemitsu Kosan Collaborative Research Cluster for Advanced Materials” established at Tokyo Institute of Technology in FY2020, we promoted the acquisition of technologies in the focus areas of advanced materials and CNX solutions with Tokyo Institute of Technology, resulting in five patent applications and four conference presentations in FY2022.To expand business creation further, we established a joint research department with Kobe University in 2023 and started academic cooperation with the University of California, Santa Barbara.
The creation of new medium- to long-term business themes (Advanced Materials Project) is now in its third year and continues to bring together the wisdom and expertise of a total of 30 people and is continuing its activities.The themes from the initiative are not limited to in-house discussions. Also bring excellent technologies of academia / SU in this. Through these efforts, we are promoting initiatives to continue to train innovative employees.
We are promoting initiatives to accelerate R&D by spreading Materials Informatics (MI) and strengthening DX.
Ammonia is expected to be a next-generation fuel for coal-fired power plants and marine vessels due to its lack of CO2 emissions during combustion. Currently, ammonia is commonly produced by the Haber-Bosch (HB) process, which involves the reaction of nitrogen with hydrogen derived from fossil fuel sources under high temperature and high pressure, resulting in significant CO2 emissions.
Idemitsu is conducting research on the green ammonia production technology in a NEDO* project; based on a Mo catalyst developed by Prof. Nishibayashi’s group, the University of Tokyo, we have demonstrated the continuous generation of ammonia from nitrogen, water, and renewable energy even under ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure conditions using a newly developed reductant. Our current focus is on establishing this cutting-edge technology for practical use, as a replacement for the HB process.
To strengthen development and expand business in the advanced materials area, it is important to continuously create new themes in addition to the early commercialization of themes under consideration. That is why we launched the ‘Advanced Materials Project’ as a project activity for theme exploration. We integrated the wisdom of each division of the Advanced Materials Company to create new businesses in the advanced materials field by repeating idea creation, commercialization planning, and verification in a short period of time through thinking that is not confined by existing business domains. Then, through this project, we seek to expand the circle of innovation to the entire Advanced Materials Company by nurturing co-creation innovative human resources.
In 2006, we began developing polycrystalline oxide*1 semiconductor material IGO (Indium Gallium Oxide). The IGO that we have developed features high mobility on the same level as that of low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS)*2, which could not be achieved with conventional oxide semiconductors. This process is also well-suited for large lines of the eighth generation and later, and it is expected to contribute to the evolution of display performance, the development of the display industry, and the realization of a low-carbon society through the low power consumption of displays.
Lipids and fats are widely used as raw materials for bio diesel oil, and in recent years they have also shown promise as raw materials for bio-jet fuels and bio plastics. Conversely, competition with uses for food and the destruction of tropical rainforests due to palm plantations are considered to be problematic. The utilization of waste cooking oil, which is considered to have a low environmental impact, is gaining momentum, but there are challenges to its availability.
Hence, we are developing a process to produce lipids and fats from the raw material of lignocellulose*4, the most abundant biomass on earth, using the power of microorganisms. We have discovered several unique microbial strains that produce lipids from sugars with high efficiency, and we are developing technologies to further increase production efficiency. We are aiming to provide fuel and chemical raw materials with less environmental impact through the practical application of microbial lipids production.
Under the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) programs “Technological Development for Promoting Solar Power Generation and Making It a Major Power Source” and “Technological Development for Creating New Markets for Solar Power Generation,” we are promoting the development of new technologies to expand the places where solar panels can be installed. In particular, in the development of new technologies to install solar cells in regular electric vehicles, Idemitsu is working with multiple other organizations to develop solar cell modules for installation in vehicles to increase efficiency and reduce costs. Among the solar cell modules being developed, Idemitsu is focusing on CIS bottom cell technologies.
In addition, these projects’ respective themes will be pursued via the application of CIS solar cells (solar cells made using a compound of copper, indium and selenium) from Solar Frontier K.K., an affiliate company of Idemitsu.