Denka in link-up to produce ‘low-carbon’ acetylene

Tokyo – Denka Co. Ltd has entered a joint R&D agreement with US plasma technology company Transform Materials to develop a low-carbon process for acetylene production.

The agreement will see the partners employ Transform Materials’ microwave plasma process to produce acetylene and hydrogen from methane.

Denka expects the new technology to reduce CO2 emissions from its mainstay products, such as chloroprene rubber and acetylene black.

Furthermore, it said, the plasma process could create new initiatives that contribute to carbon-neutrality by utilising hydrogen by-product.

Under the agreement, Transform Materials will supply equipment with capacity to produce 1,600 tonnes/year of acetylene at Denka’s plant in Omuta City, Fukuoka Japan.

The test facility is set for start-up in first half of fiscal 2026, with the R&D project to run until the end of 2028, said Denka's 25 May announcement.

The project, it noted, aligns with group targets to achieve a 60% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030 – compared to a 2013 baseline.