Cosmo Oil to begin utilizing naphtha coproduced during SAF manufacturing
Cosmo Oil announced Sept. 17 that it, along with Maruzen Petrochemical, Ube-Maruzen Polyethylene and Saffaire Sky Energy, will begin utilizing naphtha coproduced during sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production at Cosmo Oil’s Sakai Refinery in Japan.
Efforts to commercialize used cooking oil (UCO)-derived naphtha were initiated following the receipt of a subsidy from the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) in 2021 for the establishment of a supply-chain model for biojet-fuel production from domestic UCO.
The SAF-production unit located on the premises of Cosmo Oil’s Sakai Refinery was completed in December 2024 as Japan’s first large-scale facility of its kind, beginning production from fiscal-year 2025.
The UCO-derived naphtha coproduced at the same unit and to be utilized in this initiative has obtained certification under the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification initiative.
Attributes of UCO-derived naphtha include:
Reduces transportation-related environmental impacts by primarily utilizing domestic resources.
Can be used in existing manufacturing processes.
Minimizes lifecycle environmental impacts (reduces CO2 emissions).
Each company will play a unique role in the endeavor.
Saffaire Sky Energy will manufacture the UCO-derived naphtha.
Cosmo Oil will supply the UCO-derived naphtha using the mass-balance approach.
Maruzen Petrochemical will manufacture basic chemicals and Ube-Maruzen will make polyethylene and apply it in plastic products.
To achieve carbon neutrality, the chemical industry is required to reduce CO2 emissions from the raw-materials stage.
Naphtha is a feedstock for basic chemicals that are essential to a wide range of chemical products, making the reduction of its carbon footprint indispensable in minimizing environmental impacts across the entire supply chain.
Bionaphtha produced from biobased feedstocks offers significant environmental benefits compared with conventional fossil fuel-derived naphtha and is expected to serve as a sustainable resource.
The UCO-derived naphtha to be utilized in this initiative is a coproduct of SAF produced by Saffaire Sky Energy at the SAF production plant located within Cosmo Oil’s Sakai Refinery.
Starting with chemical feedstocks incorporating the environmental value of the UCO-derived naphtha supplied by Cosmo Oil, Maruzen Petrochemical and Ube-Maruzen will collaborate to establish an integrated low-carbon supply chain spanning raw materials to end products.
The naphtha produced under this initiative will be supplied using the mass-balance approach in accordance with ISCC-Plus certification.
Going forward, the four companies will promote decarbonization across a wide range of industries, including the chemicals, textiles and packaging sectors, by expanding supply volumes and developing new applications.
“This initiative, backed by ISCC-Plus certification, helps ensure traceability of sustainable raw materials while enabling their appropriate management under the mass-balance approach,” said a Cosmo Oil representative. “Going forward, we will continue to work to expand our use of sustainable raw materials.”
A Saffaire Sky Energy spokesperson said, “We find it highly significant that the results of our efforts to promote resource recycling by repurposing domestic UCO as a feedstock can contribute to decarbonization not only in the aviation sector but also in the chemical industry. Going forward, we remain committed to expanding the circular use of sustainable resources and effectively utilizing domestic biomass resources.”
