Research & Development (R&D) / Intellectual Property

Research & Development (R&D)

Approach to Research & Development (R&D) / R&D System

Initiatives for materiality (key challenges)

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.

R&D system

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
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)
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
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
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

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
 

Research and development of plastic composite materials that meet market requirements

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
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

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
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
出光興産, DFF Inc.

Investment Performance / External Evaluation of the Technical Capabilities

R&D investment performance

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.

FY2022 R&D investment performance
  • (Unit : Millions of yen)
R&D expenses 23,640
R&D expenses by
business segment
Petroleum 396
Functional Materials 12,703
Power and Renewable Energy 258
Resources 368
Others 9,914
External evaluation of Idemitsu Group's technologies

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.

  • * Within GICS (Global Industry Classification Standard), Idemitsu belongs to the Oil & Gas Refining and Marketing industry subgroup.
MSCI’s sector rankings for “Opportunities in Clean Tech”
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
出光興産, DFF Inc.

Specific Initiatives

Strengthen activities for the greation of new businesses

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.

Promoting open innovation

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.

  • * Universal Materials Incubator (headquarters: Japan), Emerald Technology Ventures (headquarters: Switzerland), Azimuth Capital Management (headquarters: Canada), Hatch Blue (headquarters: Ireland)
Creating themes through cross-functional initiatives

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.

Activities for the creation of new businesses
Figure
Enhance R&D activities through MI / DX

We are promoting initiatives to accelerate R&D by spreading Materials Informatics (MI) and strengthening DX.

  1. Reskilling: We provide education to improve data science literacy and acquire the necessary skills through training courses, sharing examples of in-house initiatives, and workshops across all research departments.
  2. DX Solution: We are accelerating the development of solutions that solve key MI/DX issues in each R&D collaborating with domestic and international consulting firms.
  3. Data Science Environment: We are building a company-wide cloud environment dedicated to data science that allows us to safely and flexibly leverage open databases and open source software, which are essential for MI/DX.
The development of a new method for synthesizing ammonia (green ammonia)

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.

  • ※ NEDO:New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization
Figure
Launch of the advanced materials project

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.

Development of innovative semiconductors, which combine low cost and low power consumption, to meet the demand for low power consumption due to the advancement of high-speed telecommunications and digital technology.

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.

  • *1 Polycrystalline oxide: A thin film in a polycrystalline state composed of metallic elements and oxygen.
  • *2 Low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS): A polycrystalline silicon formed at low temperature on a glass substrate. Has high electron mobility.
    Figure
  • *3 Poly-OS: Polycrystalline oxide semiconductors
Development of process for lipid production using microbial from inedible biomass feedstock with high sustainability and availability

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.

  • * Lignocellulose: Main component of plant, mainly composed of polysaccharides and an aromatic polymer.
Figure
Developing innovative technologies to promote the shift to solar power as a primary energy source

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.

出光興産, DFF Inc.