The "Biomass Nippon Strategy," approved by the Cabinet in 2002, has led to the full-scale promotion of the biomass (biological resources) industry in various regions of Japan.

The "Biomass Nippon Strategy," approved by the Cabinet in 2002, has led to the full-scale promotion of the biomass (biological resources) industry in various regions of Japan.
In commercializing the use of materials and energy, it is essential to select biomass suited to the climate and culture of Japan.
In this context, the efforts of "Agri-Future Jouetsu" (AFJ), which commercializes biomass plastics from unused resources such as overproduced rice and thinned wood, which are among the large amounts of biomass available in Japan, are attracting attention.
AFJ was established for the purpose of manufacturing biomass plastic with investments from leading companies in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture, where the company is located.
For research and development, AFJ has established a technological foundation through industry-academia collaboration with Professor Nobuo Shiraishi of Kyoto University, a leader in woody biomass research, and others.
In addition, AFJ is developing its business as a venture that will play a central role in new regional industries under the "Biomass Town Concept" formulated by the city in 2005.
AFJ's raw materials for biomass plastic are mainly thinned wood and rice generated in the region.
The idea of using rice, which should normally be used for food, as a resource crop is said to be resisted by companies that want to adopt AFJ's products because of its image.
However, Takashi Ohno, president of AFJ, refutes this idea, based on the culture and customs that Japan has cultivated through rice cultivation and the current supply and demand situation for rice.
He says, "I think the most important biomass resources are the kinds that are rooted in the country or region and occur predominantly in a cyclical manner, and these should be effectively utilized.
We do not have the idea of forcibly cultivating biomass that is not suited to the vegetation in Japan just because it grows quickly and can be procured in large quantities.
In FY2005, the demand (consumption) for rice in Japan was 8.53 million tons, while the production was 9.06 million tons.
This is the result of the reduction of about one-third of rice paddies through production adjustment, and conversely, Japan is obligated to import about 800,000 tons of minimum access rice, which is foreign rice, every year through the Uruguay Round of GAIT negotiations.
As a result, 1.7 million tons of rice that cannot be consumed domestically is in stock, and this amount is expected to increase by 200,000 tons annually.
The government spends about 300 million yen on rice storage because it has reduced rice acreage and does not use the rice it produces.
If that is the case, it would be good if the unused surplus rice generated each year could be used in a cyclical manner," said Noh.
AFJ currently utilizes 500 tons of government stockpiled rice harvested in 1997 as its raw material.
If a market for plastic products made from surplus rice were to form, it would generate economic benefits in addition to product sales.
●Three types of technology development according to characteristics and applicationsAFJ is currently commercializing and developing three types of materials made from old rice and wholesale logging.
All of these technologies are designed to provide the same quality as conventional plastics made from petroleum.
First, "biomass kneading" combines thermoplastic polyolefins and other polymers, polylactic acid and other biodegradable resins, and wood and rice flours.
Wood flour, which provides strength, is esterified and oligoesterified before being used in pellets.
Rice flour, which is fluid, is uniformly dispersed in powder form.
Biomass liquefaction is a technology that liquefies biomass without chemical modification, enabling the production of thermosetting resins such as phenol and polyurethane resins.
Biomass plasticization is a technology that converts woody biomass into thermoplastics through simple processing, such as oligoesterification, or directly without processing.
If these technologies are realized, general-purpose plastics with high rigidity, high strength, and high durability, which were not possible with conventional biomass-derived resins, will be available.
AFJ installed a manufacturing plant (manufactured by Japan Steel Works) with a production capacity of 500 kg/hour at a cost of approximately 250 million yen in June 2005.
Production of biomass plastic, named "Agri-Wood" because it is made from rice and thinned wood, began in July of the same year.
Currently, the plastic is delivered as resin pellets to Nippon Polypro (Minato-ku, Tokyo), a resin manufacturer, and Mitsubishi Shoji Packaging Corporation (Chuo-ku, Tokyo), a trading company, among others.
Agri-Wood, which is made from rice, can be kept to the price of domestic polypropylene film (about 200 yen/kg) because the process of starch conversion can be omitted by using rice in its granular form, according to Mr. No.
Agri-Wood, which is mainly made from thinned wood, is sold as resin pellets and molded into tableware trays, which have been introduced to elementary schools in Joetsu City.
Agri-Wood is superior to conventional plastic products in that it is less dusty due to its low static charge and has low thermal conductivity, meaning that even containers filled with hot water do not get hot on the outside.
AFJ is also developing technology to convert rice husks into biomass plastic by using them as reinforcing fiber.
This will enable the company to utilize almost all biomass resources generated from rice paddies as raw materials without wasting them.
Although AFJ's business has only just begun, the company is eagerly awaiting the realization of purely domestic biomass plastic.