Sustainability Topics (Environment)

In July 2024, Nippon Sanso Holdings Corporation became a special partner in the OIST Coral Project, run by the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST). We support coral reef monitoring and conservation efforts that utilize environmental DNA technology and genome analysis. In conjunction with this initiative, Group company Thermos released a vacuum-insulated travel mug featuring an Okinawa-themed design, with a portion of the proceeds donated through Nippon Sanso Holdings Corporation to support this coral reef conservation project. In addition, Taiyo Nippon Sanso, another Group company, is participating as a member of the Team Tyura Sango initiative, contributing to biodiversity conservation and environmental awareness through coral planting activities. As a group, we are working together to conserve coral reefs in Okinawa and around the world, aiming to realize a sustainable future.

For the last five years, Nippon Gases Europe has been using gas-powered vehicles to deliver products in Germany, an effort toward achieving sustainable transport for all of the company’s solutions. In January 2025, Nippon Gases Europe introduced the first hydrogen lorry to the fleet, used for the delivery of dry ice products. This milestone makes Nippon Gases Europe the first company in the industrial gases sector to use this kind of delivery method for their own products. This hydrogen lorry is an emission-free alternative, used daily to transport dry ice from the Bad Hönningen site to customers in the surrounding area. The company expects this new delivery method to save up to 69,000 kilograms of CO₂ in transport operations, compared to conventional diesel lorries. The vehicle features a box body and ventilation shafts, a range of up to 450 kilometers, and can be fully refueled in under 15 minutes.

Taiyo Nippon Sanso has jointly developed a hydrogen-mixed oxygen-enriched burner for use in a new type of cullet* melting furnace with Ohara Inc., with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The developed burner is used for combustion in cullet melting furnaces and allows for flexible control of oxygen concentration and the mixing ratio of natural gas and hydrogen. In tests using a simulated cullet melting furnace, three oxygen concentrations (25%, 30%, and 40%) and three hydrogen co-firing ratios (10%, 20%, and 30%) were evaluated. All test conditions achieved a GHG emissions reduction of 29% to 62% compared to conventional air burners (see Figure 1 for details). The burner demonstrated heating performance equivalent to conventional air burners (in terms of temperature ramp-up and heat uniformity), while the NOx concentration in the exhaust gas remained below the regulatory limit.
The company will continue advancing the development of oxygen combustion technologies for application in various industrial furnace processes, as part of its ongoing efforts toward carbon neutrality.

* Cullet refers to finely crushed glass fragments.

Taiyo Nippon Sanso has developed a converted gas generation process for heat treatment furnaces utilizing oxy‑fuel combustion* technology.
Conventional technology employed hydrocarbon gases—such as LPG or city gas—as well as air and a nickel catalyst, requiring substantial electric power consumption for heating. By leveraging its long‑cultivated oxy‑fuel combustion technology, the Company developed a process that supplies the heat required for the catalytic reaction through combustion of combustible gas with oxygen, enabling significant energy savings and achieving an 80 % reduction in CO₂ emissions. The company is advancing practical evaluations of this process technology for heat treatment furnace users, particularly in carburizing, annealing, and sintering applications, with the aim of commercialization at an early stage.

* Oxy‑fuel combustion refers to combustion using oxygen or oxygen‑enriched gas as the oxidizer.

Converted gas generation process for heat treatment furnaces using oxy-fuel combustion technology

Taiyo Nippon Sanso, together with Nippon Gases Euro‑Holding S.L.U., implemented the Innova‑Jet^® Forehearth oxy‑fuel burner in a customer’s forehearth* production facility in Europe, and conducted a demonstration test. By reducing the number of burners from 12 conventional air‑fuel burners to four Innova‑Jet^® Forehearth burners, the test demonstrated that the forehearth could be heated uniformly, with no anomalies such as localized overheating, and that fuel consumption was reduced by 65 % compared to conventional burners. The company will continue to advance the development of oxy‑fuel combustion technology for application across a variety of industrial furnace processes, including glass manufacturing, to reduce CO₂ emissions and contribute to the realization of a carbon‑neutral society.

* A forehearth is a long, tunnel‑shaped channel that distributes molten glass from a glass melting furnace to molding machines, such as those for bottles or fibers, Forehearths must maintain a uniformly high temperature to keep the glass in a molten state.

In April 2024, Taiyo Nippon Sanso commenced sales of the Blisters Burner H₂, an exhaust gas treatment system for the semiconductor industry that uses hydrogen (H₂) gas as fuel, emitting no fuel‑derived GHGs. The burner is designed to enable effective contact and mixing between the hydrogen flame and the process gas, enabling energy savings of 30% to 50% in PFC* abatement compared to traditional combustion methods using fossil fuels. Another key feature is that this unit is structurally designed to allow conversion from an existing fossil fuel Blisters Burner^® to the H₂‑fuel configuration with only minor modifications, in anticipation of rising demand for H₂ fuel.
The company will continue to develop and sell optimally designed exhaust gas treatment systems in line with evolving global initiatives for carbon neutrality.

* PFCs refer to perfluorocarbons, compounds in which carbon and fluorine are bonded together.

Appearance of Blisters Burner H₂

A member of the Taiyo Nippon Sanso Group, Nippon Ekitan Corporation has, as of June 1, 2024, switched over its entire supply of electricity used at its Ube Plant (Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture), which manufactures liquefied carbon dioxide and dry ice, to CO₂-free electricity* supplied by The Chugoku Electric Power Co., Inc. This will reduce annual CO₂ emissions from electricity use by approximately 7,200 tonnes.
The Ube Plant produces liquefied carbon dioxide and dry ice using by-product gas generated during ammonia production at a company nearby. Following this change, products from the Ube Plant will be manufactured using both recovered by-product feedstock and CO₂-free electricity.

* CO₂-free electricity refers to power derived from renewable energy sources, such as hydro and solar power, that emit no CO₂ during generation.

In April 2025, a cutting-edge MATHESON air separation unit (ASU) facility called Penwell began operations in Penwell, Texas. The Penwell ASU is designed to provide vital oxygen and clean dry air (CDA) to a world-first direct air capture (DAC) facility developed by 1PointFive. This DAC facility will capture and remove CO₂ directly from the atmosphere and safely store it underground nearby, contributing to the achievement of the international target of keeping the global rise in temperature to within 1.5℃. The ASU’s oxygen supply is critical to efficient chemical reactions in the DAC system, enabling the pull of CO₂ from the air and storing it forever. The DAC facility and the ASU will be powered by 100% renewable energy from a large, nearby solar panel field. When this technology is proven successful, 1PointFive and others will aim to build DAC hubs consisting of multiple units around the world, allowing MATHESON to grow and create opportunities for us to construct more ASUs.

Extensive efforts have been made to effectively utilize water resources at the ASU plants in Lillo, Lommel, and Zwijndrecht in Belgium, because ASUs consume large amounts of water in their cooling process, making it important to consider their impact on the environment. In Lillo, a system was implemented to recover condensate from the air compressor and pipe it to the cooling tower, saving up to 20,000 m³ of drinking water annually. In Lommel, situated beside a canal, approximately 50,000 m³ of canal water is utilized for the cooling tower. A project to recover condensate from the air compressor and rainwater saves an estimated 2% of the canal water. In Zwijndrecht, reusing condensate from BLAC, with a recuperation rate of approximately 20 m³/day, aims to reduce make-up water consumption for the cooling tower. Additionally, rainwater recovery from the old cooling water basin has led to an average of 263 m³ of rainwater being recuperated per week.
These initiatives collectively highlight the ongoing efforts to optimize water usage and enhance sustainability in industrial operations, demonstrating a commitment to reducing environmental impact.

Suttons Tankers and Nippon Gases UK Ltd have embarked on a three-month hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) trial. This collaboration aims to reduce carbon emissions within logistics operations. As a part of their long partnership, the first month of the trial has already resulted in an emission reduction of 87 tonnes, a promising outcome. This trial will explore the long-term benefits of HVO fuel with the aim of contributing to a carbon neutral sustainable future.

Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation (TNSC) has extended the range of raw material CO₂ concentrations applicable to CO₂ recovery equipment with a capacity of 10 tonnes per day, which it launched in April 2023, to enable CO₂ recovery from a wide range of CO₂ emission sources. We have extended the range of applicable CO₂ concentrations for the CO₂ recovery equipment from the original range of 20–40% to 20–60% by leveraging our accumulated gas separation and purification technologies, allowing us to provide decarbonization solutions to a wider range of customers. TNSC will contribute to achieving a carbon neutral society by distributing CO₂ recovery equipment to various customers.

Exterior view of small-scale CO₂ recovery equipment

Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation (TNSC) successfully conducted the world’s first trial demonstration of using fuel ammonia for combustion in a glass melting furnace under the development of ammonia combustion technology for industrial furnaces project commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). The trial demonstration of ammonia combustion technology was carried out using an ammonia-oxygen combustion* burner installed in the architectural glass production facility at AGC Inc.’s Yokohama Technical Center. The demonstration obtained the result that NOx concentration in the exhaust gas was below the environmental standard even while maintaining the glass furnace temperature. Going forward, testing will be conducted with scaled-up burners and through trial demonstrations in glass melting furnaces at other sites to determine the scope that ammonia fuel combustion technology can be used. We aim to see full-fledged introduction in glass melting furnaces from FYE2027 onward.

Glass furnace where the trial demonstration was conducted

Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation (TNSC) has developed a hydrogen-oxygen burner fueled by hydrogen gas for industrial furnaces. The development enables TNSC’s oxygen burner series (SCOPEJET^®, Innova-Jet^®, and Innova-Jet^®Swing) to use hydrogen as fuel. Hydrogen gas has drawn attention as a carbon-free fuel for industrial furnaces, and TNSC has been developing a hydrogen-oxygen burner since FYE2022. Approximately 1.12 billion tonnes of CO₂ is emitted annually in Japan, 35% of which comes from the industrial sector. CO₂ is emitted from many industrial furnaces. By deploying this technology, TNSC will contribute to the social implementation of hydrogen energy and the reduction of CO₂ emissions in the industrial furnaces field.

SCOPE-JET^Ⓡcombustion flames

Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation (TNSC) has developed an inorganic powder melting and spheroidizing technology that can contribute to the achievement of carbon neutrality in the semiconductor materials manufacturing process. The technology combines the CERAMELT® powder melting and spheroidizing system, which uses pure oxygen combustion, with hydrogen combustion technology. Spherical particles are used as resin filler for semiconductor sealant, and so forth, contributing significantly to performance increase and miniaturization of semiconductors. With the recent expansion of semiconductor use, requirements for reducing the environmental impact of the manufacturing process have become more demanding. This technology developed by TNSC uses hydrogen as the fuel, thus reducing CO₂ emissions in the exhaust gas to zero. This greatly contributes to the reduction of environmental impact in the manufacturing process, while also contributing to the manufacturing of high-quality spherical particles with reduced carbon impurities.

Appearance of alumina particles before and after melting and spheronization

Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation (TNSC) successfully demonstrated production of hydrogen meeting the standards required for hydrogen fuel for fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) (ISO 14687:2019 Grade D) from ammonia. We have been developing hydrogen gas purification technologies with a view to realizing carbon neutrality. Based on our accumulated knowledge of hydrogen gas purification, we conducted a hydrogen production test combining an ammonia cracking furnace and a hydrogen purification device that we developed. We were able to verify that the hydrogen produced meets the standards required for hydrogen fuel for FCVs. We will now proceed to commercialize the equipment for manufacturing hydrogen gas from ammonia.

Exterior view of demonstration test equipment

Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation (TNSC) and Nippon Sanso (Thailand) Co., Ltd. are supporting initiatives for hydrogen utilization promoted by Toyota Motor Corporation in Thailand to achieve a carbon neutral society. (1) Through our self-developed “Hydro Shuttle”, a package-type hydrogen refueling station that can fill and supply hydrogen, we supplied hydrogen directly to fuel cell trucks in demonstrative experiments in logistics conducted by Toyota. (2) At IDEMITSU SUPER ENDURANCE SOUTHEAST ASIA TROPHY 2023 (a 10-hour endurance race), held over two days from December 22 to 23, 2023 in Buriram, Thailand, we supplied hydrogen to Toyota’s hydrogen-powered Corolla, “ORC ROOKIE GR Corolla H2 Concept”, supporting it to complete the race.

Hydrogen being supplied by a Hydro Shuttle (left)

JGC Holdings Corporation, Kubota Corporation, and Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation (TNSC) jointly submitted an application for a New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) “Development of Technologies for Building a Competitive Hydrogen Supply Chain” project and the application was selected. The project involves the “research and development of large-scale external thermal ammonia decomposition hydrogen production technology,” in which hydrogen will be obtained from the thermal decomposition of imported ammonia, in anticipation of participation in a large-scale hydrogen production project with an annual output of 110,000 tonnes. The research and development aims to optimize the entire process, from the gasification of imported liquid ammonia to the thermal decomposition of preheated ammonia, and the refining of the cracked gases to manufacture purified hydrogen. JGC Holdings will develop the cracking furnace and the entire process as well as provide overall supervision for the demonstration, while Kubota will research and develop ammonia cracking tubes. TNSC will research and develop hydrogen purification systems. In this way, the three companies will contribute to the development of technology for the large-scale production of hydrogen, an essential element for realizing a carbon neutral society.

Process flow of the R&D and cracking furnace concept image 

Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation (TNSC), Kyushu University Research Institute of Advanced Electric Propulsion Aircrafts, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), and several companies have jointly developed a high-efficiency, high-output electric propulsion system utilizing superconducting technology for next-generation aircraft in a project commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). The development group has been developing technologies for predicting and reducing alternating current losses in superconducting wire and for increasing current capacity. By applying these technologies, the group has developed a fully superconducting motor that uses superconductors for both the field winding and the armature winding. Combining this with a cooling system that circulates liquid nitrogen using a pump, the group successfully conducted the world’s first rotational test of this type of motor. This achievement is a significant step forward in realizing electric propulsion and next-generation aircraft. The group will continue development for practical application and aims to apply the system for flying cars as well.

400 kW-class fully superconducting synchronous motor

Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation (TNSC) and the Innovation Center for Multi-Business of Nitride Semiconductors of Nagoya Institute of Technology jointly proposed “the development of metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) equipment for gallium nitride (GaN)-based power semiconductors on silicone (Si) substrates with excellent productivity” in response to the call for a Program to Develop and Promote the Commercialization of Energy Conservation Technologies to Realize a Decarbonized Society by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), and the proposal was accepted. The proposal aims to complete one of the world’s largest next-generation mass produced MOCVD equipment that can stably supply GaN/Si epi substrates with high electrical energy conversion efficiency. In doing so, the project will contribute to the realization of a decarbonized society and the revitalization of Japanese industries.