Iino Lines, Pan Pacific Copper test B24 marine biofuel to ship copper slag from Japan to Malaysia

Photos: Iino Kaiun Kaisha Ltd.

Pan Pacific Copper Co. Ltd., a group company of JX Metals Corp., and Iino Kaiun Kaisha Ltd. have conducted a demonstration test on marine transportation of copper slag using biodiesel fuel, a first for Japan’s nonferrous-metal industry, Iino announced Oct. 10.

In this demonstration test, approximately 24 percent fatty acid methyl ester (FAME), a biodiesel fuel that has received International Sustainability and Carbon Certification, was mixed with low-sulfur heavy fuel oil to make the B24 blend of marine biofuel.

The voyage, according to Iino, was completed Sept. 10 as scheduled.

In this voyage, copper slag handled by PPC was loaded onto the cargo ship Bright Hope operated by Iino Lines from a smelter in Japan to Malaysia, using biodiesel fuel refined from waste cooking oil and renewable fats and oils.

The use of biodiesel fuel contributes to the reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions generated during the well-to-wake cycle of fuel production, transportation and consumption onboard the ship.

JX Metals Group is developing a comprehensive nonferrous-metals business centered on copper and rare metals, ranging from the manufacture and development of advanced materials to smelting, recycling and resource development.

The group has set a goal of reducing its own CO2 emissions to net zero by 2050, but it is also actively pursuing so-called scope 3 reductions, which aim to reduce CO2 emissions throughout the entire supply chain, including raw-material production and logistics.

Iino Group has two business pillars: the shipping business, which mainly transports natural and energy resources, and the real-estate business, which mainly leases office buildings.

In its mid-term management plan, “The Adventure to Our Sustainable Future,” the group is stepping up its efforts to address climate change and other sustainability issues.

In the shipping business, Iino Group has set a goal of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions per ton-mile by 20 percent from the 2020 level by 2030, and in the real-estate business, it has set a goal of reducing total greenhouse-gas emissions by 75 percent from the 2013 level.

Iino said it is aggressively investing in innovative technologies to achieve carbon neutrality throughout the company by 2050.

Based on the success of the demonstration test of marine biofuel, Iino said the two companies will actively discuss more specific studies for the full-scale use of clean marine fuel and measures to reduce CO2 emissions during marine transportation of various products related to copper smelting, not limited to slag.