Through joint research, Tokyo Institute of Technology and Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. have succeeded in developing a new technology for producing synthetic rubber from biomass (biological resources).This time, a catalyst for synthesizing butadiene directly from the sugar cellulose, which is the main component of plant fiber, has been developed.Butadiene is used as a raw material for synthetic rubber, which is a raw material for automobile tires.Currently, butadiene is industrially produced as a by-product of petroleum refining, but with the development of this new technology, we will reduce our dependence on petroleum and contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide, which is a cause of global warming. Is expected.
Since 2012, Tokyo Institute of Technology and Yokohama Rubber have been conducting joint research to produce synthetic rubber from biomass.Professor Toshihide Baba, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, has been researching catalysts that synthesize butadiene directly from sugars, and has succeeded in synthesizing butadiene with high efficiency using an industrially suitable solid catalyst.In the future, we will proceed with catalyst design for mass production and aim to put it into practical use by the first half of the 2020s.Butadiene rubber is the second most used synthetic rubber after styrene-butadiene rubber, and the development of this new technology is expected to greatly contribute to reducing the use of fossil fuels.
