The Hekinan Thermal Power Station in Aichi where power company JERA has been testing the combustion of ammonia for power generation A one-gigawatt power unit converted to run on a blend of pulverized coal and 20% ammonia ran safely and reliably throughout a three-month trial in 2024 at one of Japan’s largest power plants while lowering the unit’s carbon emissions by 20% With the goal of converting thermal power stations to burn ammonia instead of coal combined with more sustainable production methods suggests a promising future for ammonia as a clean-burning subsidized by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) a national research and development agency was conducted at the Hekinan Thermal Power Station in Aichi prefecture Hekinan is run by Japan’s largest power company which supplies approximately 30% of the country’s power JERA is increasing its focus on low-and zero-carbon energy development and generation The success at Hekinan paves the way for commercial-scale ammonia substitution at the coal-fired plant from as early as 2028 says Masaki Ichiryu from JERA’s decarbonization engineering group It is also a step toward using even higher-ratio ammonia fuel substitution in thermal power plants and beyond says Shinichi Takano from Japanese technology company IHI Corporation As one of the world’s leading industrial companies IHI has been creating advanced engineering solutions and addressing various challenges for more than 170 years IHI developed the specialized ammonia-coal burner used during the Hekinan trial “Our aim is to develop technology to achieve 100% ammonia combustion contributing to zero emission power generation,” Takano says Already manufactured at industrial scale as a key ingredient in synthetic fertilizer production ammonia (NH3) is of growing interest as a next-generation fuel because it doesn’t emit carbon dioxide when combusted The main emissions of ammonia combustion are nitrogen gas and water An ammonia fuel tank built for the 20% ammonia substitution test conducted by IHI Corporation and JERA in Aichi prefecture “Ammonia is also a promising future fuel because it can be efficiently transported and stored at low cost,” Ichiryu adds With a boiling point of -33°C at atmospheric pressure ammonia can readily be liquified by mild cooling or pressurization facilitating its easy transport and storage ammonia also poses two key challenges as a potential fuel “Its combustibility is poor compared with existing fuels,” he says This makes it safer to transport than hydrogen requiring modified burner design and operation ammonia combustion has the potential to generate significant emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) Nitrogen oxides can have a range of health and environmental impacts and its emissions are tightly regulated in many places we would like to use high temperature and high oxygen conditions,” he says these conditions also increase NOx production.” But the IHI researchers have navigated this balance before and so we have previously developed a low NOx coal burner,” he says with an oxygen-limited first stage and remaining oxygen-supplied second stage to achieve good combustion with low NOx production low-oxygen approach for our ammonia firing burner,” Takano says After a decade of research into controlled low NOx emission ammonia combustion technology IHI teamed up with JERA to run the first commercial-scale ammonia substitution demonstration at the 1-gigawatt Hekinan Thermal Power Station Unit 4 “This unit is one of the largest power plants in Japan which presented a very big challenge for us,” Takano says “The beauty of the ammonia substitution is that most of the existing infrastructure of the coal fired power station can still be used,” says Ichiryu “JERA has planned and installed additional equipment and piping necessary for handling ammonia while the plant was still under operation.” during a scheduled maintenance shutdown period at Unit 4 the modified ammonia-coal burner was installed the three-month ammonia substitution trial began An engineer patrolling the Hekinan Thermal Power Station sampling station for water quality control “The main purpose of ammonia substitution is to reduce CO2 emissions and we showed that we lowered CO2 emissions by 20% in line with the ammonia substitution rate,” Takano says despite the high concentration of nitrogen in ammonia fuel NOx emissions were actually lower compared with conventional plant operation due to controlling the combustion temperature and oxidation rate ammonia doesn’t contain any sulfur impurities so the plant’s emissions of SOx — another tightly regulated pollutant — also fell by 20% in line with the percentage of ammonia used were below the limit of quantitation,” Takano says The trial was completed without any major problems “The test unit ran reliably throughout the trial which is very important for us as a power utility company,” he says The successful trial is a significant step toward ongoing commercial operation of 20% ammonia substitution for coal at Hekinan But that is just a transitional step on moving away from burning coal Although some have queried the 20% mix for generating greater carbon emissions than conventional combined-cycle gas turbines the trial represents a good transition step on the path to 100% ammonia we plan to conduct further demonstration tests where we increase the ammonia combustion ratio beyond 50%,” Ichiryu says IHI and JERA aim to develop technology to achieve 100% ammonia combustion The team is also focused on developing a plan for a clean ammonia supply chain that will be essential if the carbon-free fuel is to be widely adopted in the power sector and beyond ammonia for synthetic fertilizer has been produced from natural gas in an industrial-scale reaction called the Haber–Bosch process two key production issues must be overcome Power plants will require far more ammonia than fertilizer factories currently consume demanding a significant ramp-up in production ammonia consumption is less than one million tons per annum,” says Kenji Takahashi from the decarbonization promotion section at JERA “The 20% fuel ammonia substitution at Hekinan Unit 4 alone would require 0.5 million tons per annum,” he says The ammonia burner at Hekinan Thermal Power Station The second issue is that the hydrogen production process for the feed stock for the Harber-Bosch process is very energy-intensive and generates significant CO2 emissions Ammonia combustion can only cut global carbon emissions if little to no CO2 is released during its production One potential solution to this problem is the development of ‘blue ammonia’ in which the CO2 generated during its production is captured and pumped underground for long-term geological storage As the Hekinan 20% fuel substitution would consume nearly half of Japan’s current domestic ammonia production JERA conducted an international bidding process for ammonia producers to supply blue ammonia “We received interest from around 30 companies and selected two suppliers for this project,” Takahashi says blue ammonia could also be sourced from other regions including the Middle East Blue ammonia is expected just to be a transitional solution to the clean ammonia supply chain we think the next step is green ammonia,” which is carbon-free because it is produced using renewably generated electricity rather than fossil fuels “We have succeeded in producing green ammonia using the traditional Haber–Bosch method but with solely renewable energy as the input,” he says One downside is that both blue and green ammonia are far more expensive than conventionally produced ammonia the next step is to make green ammonia using electrochemical synthesis,” Kubota says This uses renewably generated electric current to directly drive a chemical reaction involving water and nitrogen This direct use of renewable electricity — rather than its indirect use — to transform nitrogen directly into ammonia should be much more energy efficient and lower in cost The work is still at the fundamental stage IHI’s ammonia combustion experience and the development of JERA’s ammonia supply chain and operation knowledge could be key to the broad uptake of carbon-free ammonia fuel in power plants and beyond IHI’s ammonia combustion technology has been trialled in three other real-world demonstrations the team is running a long-term durability validation test with a two-megawatt gas turbine fuelled by 100% ammonia to validate the robustness of the product collect operational learnings and prepare for commercialization for industrial customers to develop an ammonia combustion system for a number of turbines it produces to contribute to decarbonization of the power sector An illustration of an ammonia fuel engine developed by IHI IHI’s core research effort can be applied to multiple scenarios “The burner in a coal-fired boiler looks very different to the burner in a gas turbine but the same fundamental technological approach can be applied in each case to achieve efficient ammonia combustion with low NOx generation where direct electrification is not readily applicable can also benefit from IHI’s ammonia combustion technology two further demonstration projects suggest a Tokyo Bay tugboat fitted with an IHI-supplied engine demonstrated that an 85% ammonia fuel blend can be used in the marine transport sector And energy-intensive industries could also be converted to the clean fuel with IHI conducting a trial of 20% ammonia-natural gas co-combustion to fuel the industrial furnace of a petrochemical plant “Last year was a symbolic year for the demonstration of ammonia fuel combustion,” Kubota says But these project milestones are just the start of the ammonia-fuelled journey “Our goal is not just to decarbonize our power plants By leveraging the bulk demand at our power plant and technologies like the ones IHI are developing we are also collaborating with local industries to supply clean fuel and to create the first ammonia supply hub to contribute to carbon neutrality,” Takahashi says Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Jera – Conclusion of Fuel Ammonia Substitution Demonstration Testing at Hekinan Thermal Power Station (“JERA”) hereby announces that demonstration testing of fuel ammonia substitution at Hekinan Thermal Power Station Unit 4 has concluded today this demonstration testing achieved 20% substitution of fuel ammonia while operating at a rated output of 1 GW confirming that the level of nitrogen oxides (NOx) generated was no higher than before fuel ammonia substitution (than when firing coal alone) We also confirmed that operability was comparable to before fuel ammonia substitution (to when firing coal alone).Based on the results of this recent demonstration testing JERA will in July begin construction aimed at commercial operation using large-volume fuel ammonia substitution (20% of heating value) at Hekinan Thermal Power Station JERA will conduct a thorough evaluation of the impact of the recent demonstration testing on the boiler and peripheral equipment and aims to establish technologies aimed at mainstreaming the use of ammonia as fuel in thermal power generation.By establishing fuel ammonia substitution technologies JERA will offer a clean energy supply platform that combines renewable energy with low-carbon thermal power contributing to the healthy growth and development of Asia and the world READ the latest news shaping the hydrogen market at Hydrogen Central Jera – Conclusion of Fuel Ammonia Substitution Demonstration Testing at Hekinan Thermal Power Station. source Wärtsilä and partners successfully complete development of the world’s first floating ammonia-to-hydrogen cracker STORD Partner with South Korean City Pohang-si to Advance Ammonia-Based Distributed Clean Power Generation 1 MW Pilot Power Generation System Planned for 2026 Deployment Marks.. 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COPYRIGHT POLICY DISCLAIMER TERMS & CONDITIONS PRIVACY POLICY We love meeting interesting people and making new friends Today's print edition Home Delivery Japan can triple its renewables capacity and aim to phase out coal power by 2035 a group of companies and nongovernmental organizations has said urging the government to be more ambitious in accelerating its energy transition The nation should recalibrate its national targets and slash emissions by two-thirds by the middle of the next decade including Rakuten Group and Panasonic Holdings.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); the only Group of Seven nation not to have a deadline to phase out use of the dirty fuel currently uses coal to generate a third of its electricity It has the potential to increase renewables in its power mix to between 65% and 80% To reduce greenhouse gases by 66% or more compared with 2013 levels by 2035 the country must fulfill its international commitment as a G7 member to fully or predominantly decarbonize the electricity sector by 2035 the group said in a letter published on its website The call comes as the world’s fourth-biggest economy is set to publish its national energy strategy and countries are expected to renew their "nationally determined contributions” on emissions reductions in the run up to the COP global climate summit in November In a bid to curb rapidly rising temperatures global leaders had set a goal to limit global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius from preindustrial times under the Paris Agreement in 2015 the world looks to only have a slim chance of keeping global warming below that key threshold In a time of both misinformation and too much information quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division you can reduce the power consumption and CO2 emissions generated by the website's screen display The news on this website is as of the date announced and may change without notice Japan's top power generator Jera warned on Thursday that it could consider liquefied natural gas (LNG) purchases and investments in Asia the Middle East and the United States if Australia fails to provide sufficient financial support to lower costs Australia now accounts for about 40% of all energy imports by Japan which has doubled down on investments there after a fallout with key supplier Russia over the war in Ukraine.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); in March last year Australia passed a tougher greenhouse gas emissions reduction law which requires new gas projects supplying existing LNG plants to have net zero reservoir emissions imposing new costs via methods like carbon capture and storage (CCS) Jera said on Monday that it has begun a demonstration of co-firing 20% of ammonia with coal at its Hekinan thermal power station in Aichi Prefecture in what it said is the world's first trial using a large amount of the gas at a major commercial plant Japan's top power generator initially planned to start the trial from Tuesday last week as the testing of equipment and other things required time to ensure safety.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); the world's fifth-biggest carbon dioxide emitter a step closer to its goal of using ammonia and hydrogen in thermal power generation to aid in reaching its 2050 goal of carbon neutrality Environmentalists have criticized the move as a way to extend the life of dirty coal-fired power generation a joint venture between Tokyo Electric Power Co for about three months to check characteristics of the plant overall including nitrogen oxide emissions and the impact on boilers and ancillary equipment Ammonia is mainly made from hydrogen produced from natural gas and nitrogen from the air It does not emit carbon dioxide when burned but its production releases emissions if it is made with fossil fuels low-cost means of transporting and storing hydrogen," Jera said in a statement adding other benefits include direct utilization as a fuel in thermal power generation "This project is important as it may offer a low-cost first step to quickly advance the decarbonisation in countries like Japan that need thermal power generation as an adjustable power source to ensure a stable supply of energy," Jera said Jera aims to start ammonia co-firing on a commercial basis at the Hekinan No and a trial of replacing 50% of coal with ammonia at its No Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders Complete digital access to quality analysis and expert insights complemented with our award-winning Weekend Print edition Terms & Conditions apply Discover all the plans currently available in your country See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times IHI to test ammonia as fuel at coal power plantJapan proposes way to keep Asia's coal plants running in low-carbon era Japan's JERA and IHI are preparing for a first-of-its-kind attempt to generate power by burning a mix of coal and ammonia at JERA’s coal plant in Aichi prefecture Japan -- A Japanese technology that aims to reduce carbon emissions from existing coal-fired power plants by substituting ammonia for a portion of the coal they burn will take a step closer to reality as testing begins at a commercial plant later this month The country's largest power generator and engineering company IHI are preparing for a world-first attempt to generate electricity by burning a mix of coal and ammonia at JERA's coal plant in Aichi prefecture President and CEO: Kenichi Hori) and JERA Co. ("JERA") have concluded a sales agreement covering the supply of fuel ammonia for use in ammonia co-firing trials at the JERA Hekinan Thermal Power Station (Hekinan-shi JERA has been implementing a demonstration project to establish technology for large-scale ammonia fuel co-firing at the Hekinan Thermal Power Station Mitsui will supply ammonia for use as a fuel in large-scale co-firing (co-firing rate: 20%) at Unit 4 of the Hekinan Thermal Power Station Mitsui has around 50 years of experience in ammonia business and currently supplies approximately 700,000 tons per year Mitsui is Japan's leading importer of ammonia and supplies it mainly to users in the chemicals and fertilizer industry By utilizing its capabilities in supplying ammonia and logistics functions developed over many years Mitsui will stably deliver ammonia to the Hekinan Thermal Power Station contributing to the success of this demonstration project Mitsui will strive to supply clean ammonia around the world especially to Japan and other Asian countries and regions Mitsui has set a target of achieving zero-emission status by 2050 and aims to halve its greenhouse gas (GHG) impact by 2030 compared with the level in the fiscal year ended March 2020 Mitsui will continue to contribute to the realization of a carbon neutral society through this project and other GHG emission reduction initiatives Outline of JERA / Office Location | Our Company | JERA Establish a foundation for sustainable and stable supply Cultivate societies that respect human rights Empower our people to build brighter futures COPYRIGHT © 1996-2025 MITSUI & CO. JERA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) have received Japanese government funding to develop a novel technology that will increase the rate of ammonia co-firing at boilers in thermal power stations Burning ammonia is carbon-free and the JERA-MHI team vowed to verify co-firing with at least 50% ammonia at two different boiler types by 2028 Blackouts across Iberia show vulnerability of ‘island grids’ Hybrid generation helps mitigate intermittency risks JERA’s FY2024 revenue falls amid lower electricity prices Taurus Energy to implement first AGP XPAND upgrade in Iraq Avangrid helps restore power in Penn’ State after storm Rare earths shortage risks to undermine the energy transition BKV and Comstock to accelerate CCUS projects at Haynesville Egypt-Greece interconnector to get EBRD and EU financing has developed a new technology to capture CO2 directly from factory chimneys The company will launch Series A round to roll out its solution on a large scale aiming for a turnover of €200 million by 2030 May 1 – The Finish technology group has signed a services agreement with Aqualectra the leading power generation on the Caribbean island of Curaçao The 5-year accord will see Wärtsilä optimise energy generation on the island as Curaçao targets to move from its current 30% renewable capacity to 50% in 2025 and 70% by at least 2027 has reserved a site for a new hydrogen plant Oulu the electrolysis plant could reach a capacity of over 500 MW with the plant meant to be commissioned in three phases between 2028 and 2033 April 10 – As offshore wind becomes cost-competitive to fossil power generation Germany’s Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) is developing a digital tool to help wind farm operators decide whether to continue operating older wind turbines or replace them Modern wind towers generate up to 20 MW each three to four times more than older structures while fossil power station based on a modern gas turbine generates over 590 MW April 7 – Tamil Nadu Power Generation Corp (TNPGCL) are planning to add 2,640 MW of power gen capacity in India Main projects included Stage 3 of the 800 MW North Chennai power station Stage 1 of the 1,320 MW Udangudi power plant as well as the 500 MW Kundah pumped hydro power project April 4 – Larsen & Toubro’s Power Transmission & Distribution (PT&D) has secured new orders in India it will install and commission a 765kV Gas Insulated Substation (GIS) and built a transmission line for power evacuation Saudi Arabia's orders include two 380kV overhead transmission lines spanning over 130 km while the UAE and Qatar contracts cover multiple GIS projects April 3 – Siemens AG has agreed to acquire Dotmatics a Boston-based provider of Life Sciences R&D software The acquisition extends Siemens’ AI-powered product lifecycle management portfolio given that the US company offers highly profitable multi-modal data management for Life Sciences R&D TÜV SÜD will showcase its services for electric utilities in terms of testing inspection and certification for a broad range of energy sources Suitability studies and inspection is on offer for wind power April 1 – Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in North Wales and Merseyside are forecast to pay 13% more in electricity bills next financial year than their counterparts in London this equates to nearly £19,000 more in bills on an average like-for-like basis March 31 – Formation of the ‘Accenture Siemens Business Group’ was announced at Hannover Messe today The two companies aspire to co-develop and co-market solutions that combine automation industrial AI and software from the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio with Accenture’s data capabilities has converted its existing coal-fired power plant to natural gas in the Morrow repowering project utility replaced a coal-fired generating unit with an SGT6-9000HL gas turbine and the repowered combined-cycle gas plant can now produce 550 MW of flexible power March 26 – Hitachi Energy and Amazon Web Services have teamed up to deploy cloud-based solutions for utilities and power grid operators to manage the impact of vegetation on their business Wild growth of trees and bushes can impact power transmission lines while the data gathered from drones and ground patrols can be incomplete and disconnected and real-time weather forecasts to help utility customers identify and mitigate vegetation interference and risks March 25 – Wärtsilä will supply three 25DF dual-fuel engines for a new 18,600 cbm capacity LNG bunkering vessel being built for Spanish operator Ibaizabal The vessel is built at the Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in China with the equipment scheduled for fast-track delivery to the yard in September 2025 The ship is expected to be delivered before the end of 2026 March 24 – GE Vernova’s Saudi engineers and specialists have led the first gas turbine outage at SEC's eight power plant in Riyadh With a production capacity exceeding 1,700 MW the plant is vital for grid stability in Riydh and surrounding areas March 20  – The global market for Carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) is growing at a rate of 23.1% ResearchAndMarkets projects the market to reach $9.6 billion by 2029 account for more than half of global of CO2 emissions and 20 countries account for 80% of the global emissions March 19 – Korea East-West Power and E1 have sealed an agreement build an LNG-fuelled power plant in Yeosu A 679 MW coal-fired power station is already in operation in Jungheung which Korea East-West Power may well want to ultimately run on cleaner-burning gas March 17 – YPF’s ‘Vaca Muera Oil Sur’ pipeline has gained Argentine government approval to enter into the Regime of Incentive for Large Investments (RIGI) “With an investment of approximately $2.9 billion this project will generate more than $15 billion in oil exports annually,” YPF President and CEO Horacio Daniel Marin said suggesting the project will also impact dry gas production at the field Copyright © 2021 Gas to Power Journal AD Leave a rating/comment#PaintingBack to ArticlesSHARE Japan’s largest power producer JERA and ReNew E-Fuels have agreed to produce ammonia in eastern India Hydrogen from electrolysis will be used as raw material to produce about 100,000 tons of green ammonia which will then be shipped to Japan for co-firing in JERA’s thermal power plants Top Page > Press Release 2022 > MOL Teams up with JERA to Study Transport of Ammonia Fuel (MOL; President & CEO: Takeshi Hashimoto) today announced that MOL and JERA Co. (JERA; President: Satoshi Onoda) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to launch a study of transporting ammonia for use as fuel including shipments to JERA's Hekinan Power Station in Aichi Prefecture which is slated to start commercial operation in the late 2020s Ammonia is currently mainly used as a raw material for fertilizers and the amount of ammonia transported by sea is limited but with ammonia emerging as a next-generation clean energy source that does not emit carbon dioxide during combustion large-scale demand for ammonia is expected in the future particularly for co-firing and as a hydrogen carrier in coal-fired power plants MOL will team up with JERA to develop a large ammonia carrier and establish a safe transport system the MoU covers examination of the following topics: The MOL group will promote the reduction of GHG emissions from its own business operations and from society as a whole through its concerted efforts contribute to the decarbonization of energy and strive to establish a supply chain of green fuels Top Page > Press Release 2018 > MOL's Newbuilding Coal Carrier OI MARU to Serve JERA Trading (MOL; President & CEO: Junichiro Ikeda) today announced the delivery of the coal carrier OI MARU (Managing Director: Ronan Lory; headquarters: Singapore) was delivered at Imari Shipyard and Works of Namura Shipbuilding Co. (President: Kensuke Namura; headquarters: Osaka which was jointly developed by Namura Shipbuilding and MOL is a state-of-the-art coal carrier with a wide-beam/shallow-draft configuration and wide range of advanced safety and energy-saving features The vessel is so-called "Hekinan MAX" which has characteristic 250 meters length to maximize transport volume to the discharging port Chubu Electric Power's Hekinan Thermal Power Plant in Aichi since 2015 and 2017 respectively and will play a central role in supplying coal to Chubu Electric Power's Hekinan Thermal Power Plant with operating three "Hekinan MAX" coal carriers MOL continually strives to be a worldwide leader in the safe reliable transportation of natural resources and energy is looking to invest in low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia projects in the Middle East JERA has established a division for investing in such plants who heads the unit’s Australia and Middle East activities said facilities that can produce around 1 million tons a year of "blue” ammonia are attractive targets as well as smaller "green” hydrogen projects.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); Some of the world’s biggest planned blue ammonia plants which capture carbon dioxide emitted in the production process The hydrocarbon-dependent region hopes that sequestering emissions will mean it can continue to produce fuels from oil and gas despite growing demand for cleaner fuels The Japanese firm signed preliminary agreements with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and Abu Dhabi National Oil to work together on clean ammonia and hydrogen It recently agreed to work with CF Industries Holdings on an ammonia plant in Louisiana Japan is expected to be one of the biggest buyers of clean hydrogen and ammonia. JERA is testing the use of ammonia as a substitute for coal in its Hekinan power station in an effort to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions Japan’s biggest power generator JERA and IHI Corp have begun to use small volumes of ammonia along with coal at JERA’s Hekinan power station in central Japan as part of an effort to reduce the facility’s emissions of carbon dioxide The co-firing project is a part of a plan to use more ammonia alongside coal at large-scale commercial coal-fired plants as part of a shift to cleaner fuels The demonstration project runs for about four years through March 2025 with a target of achieving a co-firing rate of 20% at a 1 gigawatt(GW) coal power plant at Hekinan Ammonia is used for fertiliser and industrial materials but is also seen as a future energy source It does not emit carbon dioxide when burned although its production produces emissions if it is made with fossil fuel The use of 200 tonnes of ammonia at the 1 GW No 5 unit is for the purpose of developing a co-firing burner to be used for large-volume utilisation of ammonia at the 1 GW No They will examine the effects of different burner materials and combustion times to identify the required conditions for co-firing burners from the demonstration at the No JERA is a joint venture between Tokyo Electric Power and Chubu Electric Power which makes burners among other industrial machinery said separately it has begun developing a large ammonia receiving terminal to help build an ammonia supply chain It aims to boost the capacity of the receiving terminal to the size of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal and plans to complete development in around 2025 when someone implores a dining companion to “finish off the meal,” it just might mean that they are expected to eat the plate and cutlery managing director of confectionery firm Marushige Seika samples one of his “e-trays,” which come in ebi-senbei a confectionery company in Hekinan in the central Japan prefecture of Aichi He has a goal to reduce the amount of plastic waste around the globe “If edible crockery became prevalent and replaced plastic throughout society it would bring about a serious environmental benefit,” Mr Sakakibara said in a recent interview with Kyodo News As ocean plastic and polystyrene waste become a more and more pressing global issue manufacturers have begun developing durable edible tableware items as replacements for disposable plates a small business that has been making the shells for ice-cream filled “monaka” wafers since 1983 The annual sales of the company’s “e-tray” edible plate product saw an unprecedented spike last year e-trays come in oval and rectangular shapes with a thickness of about five millimetres Mr Sakakibara originally came up with the idea of edible tableware as a way to combat the waste problem about 10 years ago when he visited a “B-1 Grand Prix” event a famous nationwide food competition at which local specialties are promoted he saw mounds of single-use plates discarded haphazardly by the hundreds of thousands of visitors who had sampled dishes at the myriad booths He wondered if there was anything he could do to reduce the amount of waste deciding he would try to make the plates edible by making them from monaka ice cream wafer But he had to ensure his product was not going to fall apart when holding foods with a liquid element he came up with the idea of using the technique for making “ebi-senbei,” a hard shrimp cracker made of potato starch Mr Sakakibara picked potato starch instead of wheat flour and corn starch typically used in ice cream wafers Both can hold up against water for an hour by baking it with metal molds while applying high pressure the plates would be hard and resistant to moisture,” Mr Sakakibara said It took him about one and a half years of experimentation to make his e-tray design a reality and a saleable product he still used trial and error to perfect and refine the method of production until he got it right a few years ago “Even if the plates are discarded and left uneaten they will decompose faster than biodegradable plastics or become food for animals,” Mr Sakakibara said adding that he also is confident the plates which come in flavours including ebi-senbei he has tried to explore new sales channels by paying frequent visits to outdoor events at which street vendors sell food and where large amounts of plastic waste usually accumulate There was a sudden and unexpected change last summer “I guess that reflected growing public concern with (the damage done by) plastic waste,” Mr Sakakibara said Mr Sakakibara plans to further expand the company’s lineup including those introduced by Air New Zealand on a trial basis for in-flight meals in December “When we were trying to develop ideas to combat plastic waste we hit on a good plan of revamping one of our existing products that is straw-like,” said a public relations official of the company adding that it had been approached about using them by cafes in and near Tokyo Compared to overseas markets of edible tableware the size of the Japanese market is still small with a limited number of companies making such products Perhaps the biggest challenge to overcome before spreading edible tableware is the cost about 10 times more than disposal plastic plates Mr Sakakibara also says that people may be reluctant to eat plates that had been placed on the floor or a dirty surface while pointing out that leaving the plates to decompose rather than consuming them is also an environmentally-friendly option “There must be certain people who will still choose edible items because of their eco-friendliness I understand that not all disposable tableware will be replaced.” The next goal Marushige Seika has set is to make the business self-sustaining and able to survive heightening people’s awareness of reduction of trash and plastic waste matters more,” Mr Sakakibara said “I hope edible tableware will contribute to this.” KYODO Todayonline.com and Today Online domains and apps are now part of 'Channelnewsasia.com' domain We know it's a hassle to switch browsers but we want your experience with TODAY to be fast Upgraded but still having issues? Contact us During a recent math class at an elementary school in Aichi Prefecture pointed to the textbooks of Aika and Ayumi second-grade Brazilian students who enrolled this year as she explained concepts to them in Portuguese 35 non-Japanese students are enrolled at Nisshin Elementary School in Hekinan Aika and Ayumi's class has four other foreign students.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); Amid an increase in the number of non-Japanese children living in the Chubu region — a manufacturing hub where many foreign workers are hired — the Hekinan Municipal Government in October started dispatching a non-Japanese school assistant to each of the seven elementary schools in the city One of the alligator gars caught in the vast moat of Nagoya Castle last year has been turned into a specimen for display at Hekinan Seaside Aquarium in Aichi Prefecture giving visitors the chance to fully observe the long carnivorous fish indigenous to North America The taxidermy was conducted by Yoshinori Taniguchi assistant professor of fish ecology at Nagoya-based Meijo University's Faculty of Science and Technology which is proactively engaged in displaying invasive alien species to educate the public about them.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); Once the museum agreed to take the specimen the fish was brought in for preservation on June 1 Taniguchi soaked it in formalin before proceeding with the taxidermy slim alligator gar was male and was 1.39 meters long with hard scales and sharp teeth like a crocodile The formalin-filled aquarium tank also contained a 1.12-meter alligator gar that was captured in the Yahagifurukawa river in the city of Nishio in 2011 and is now owned by the aquarium The Environment Ministry plans to add the alligator gar to its list of invasive alien species in April 2018 and the aquarium has a panel informing visitors that anyone caught raising the fish without permission once the designation is finalized can be fined It is likely that the two fish on display used to be pets that were dumped in the wild by their owners you need to know how big it will get and take responsibility for it until the end," said Yoshizumi Chimura The exhibition is open to the public until the end of the year features topics and issues from the Chubu region covered by the Chunichi Shimbun The original article was published on July 1 Please view the main text area of the page by skipping the main menu. The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser Japanese version