Mitsubishi Heavy opens decarbonization center

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has launched operations of Nagasaki Carbon Neutral Park, a center dedicated to development of MHI Group’s energy decarbonization technologies.

Located in Nagasaki, the new base will be progressively expanded over the coming years, the company said.

Nagasaki Carbon Neutral Park will undertake development mainly of fuel production, combustion and CO2 capture technologies at existing research facilities at the Nagasaki District Research & Innovation Center which are currently dedicated to the production of hydrogen and biomass fuels, ammonia combustion and CO2 capture. Applying the thermal energy system design and manufacturing capabilities developed at Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works’ Nagasaki and Koyagi plants, Nagasaki Carbon Neutral Park will accelerate R&D toward product commercialization and business viability.

In the area of hydrogen production, development will focus on next-generation technologies such as advanced water electrolyzers that operate by solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOEC), and turquoise hydrogen produced by pyrolysis of methane into hydrogen and solid carbon. Key technologies developed at Nagasaki Carbon Neutral Park will subsequently undergo hydrogen production demonstration at Takasago Hydrogen Park in Hyogo Prefecture, as well as demonstration of power generation in combination with a hydrogen gas turbine.

In the area of biomass fuel production, development will target commercialization of synthetic fuel production facilities, including sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) produced by biomass gasification integrated Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. In the area of ammonia combustion, testing will be performed using an actual size burner of a large-scale combustion test furnace located within the Nagasaki district, with plans calling for co-firing with at least 50% ammonia demonstration testing at a power plant in FY2024 or soon thereafter.

MHI Group is targeting carbon neutrality by 2040. Initiatives fall into three core areas: decarbonization of existing infrastructure, realization of a hydrogen solutions ecosystem, and achievement of a CO2 solutions ecosystem. Going forward, through the R&D conducted at Nagasaki Carbon Neutral Park the Company will aim for practical applications of decarbonization technologies in a quest to achieve a carbon neutral world.