Tokyo, May 21, 2009 - (JCN Newswire) - Showa Denko K.K. (SDK) has completed its shift in fuel from heavy oil to liquefied natural gas (LNG) at its Omachi Plant, enabling the plant to reduce CO2 emissions by 10,000 tons a year.
The Omachi Plant is mainly producing graphite electrodes for use in electric arc furnaces that make steel from iron scraps. The plant is one of the largest graphite electrode facilities in the world, providing high-quality products to major electric steelmakers in many countries. The plant is also producing graphite anode material for lithium-ion batteries for use in electric vehicles.
The graphite electrode production requires a large amount of electricity and fuel because it involves the forming of raw material, baking, and graphitizing. Our hydroelectric power plants are supplying CO2-less electricity to the graphitizing process, which is the most important part of the production. This time, SDK has changed the fuel for the baking process from heavy oil to LNG in an effort to substantially reduce CO2 emissions. Furthermore, the change from the liquid fuel to natural gas will ensure better control of the temperature in the production process.
In February, SDK completed a 270-kl LNG storage facility within the premises of the Omachi Plant to facilitate the fuel shift. LNG is gasified at the facility and supplied to the baking process. Surplus waste heat collected at the Plant is used as heat source for the gasification of LNG.
The Showa Denko Group is committed to reducing its CO2 emissions by 6% from the 1990 levels in compliance with the Kyoto Protocol, without relying on emission trading. As part of this effort, SDK has improved energy efficiency at its Oita Complex and installed a greenhouse gas (GHG) decomposition unit at its Kawasaki site.
The Group will continue developing environment-friendly products and technologies to contribute toward the creation of sustainable society.
About Showa Denko
Showa Denko K.K. ('SDK'; TSE: 4004, US: SHWDF) is a major manufacturer and marketer of chemical products serving a wide range of fields ranging from heavy industry to the electronic and computer industries. SDK makes petrochemicals (ethylene, propylene), aluminum products (ingots, rods), electronic equipment (hard disks for computers) and inorganic materials (ceramics, carbons). The company has overseas operations and a joint venture with Netherlands-based Montell and Nippon Petrochemicals to make and market polypropylenes. In March 2001, SDK merged with Showa Denko Aluminum Corporation to strengthen the high-value-added fabricated aluminum products operations, and is today developing next-generation optical communications-use wafers. For more information, please visit www.sdk.co.jp .
Contact:
Showa Denko K.K. (SDK)
IR & PR Office
Phone: 81-3-5470-3235
May 21, 2009
Source: Showa Denko
Showa Denko (TSE: 4004) (U.S: SHWDF)
From the Japan Corporate News Network
http://www.japancorp.net
Topic: Press release summary
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