TOKYO & NOVI, Mich. & DÜSSELDORF, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 5, 2025--
Diversified global manufacturer Asahi Kasei has successfully completed a demonstration trial of an innovative biogas purification system using zeolites in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. Begun in February 2025, the trial achieved biomethane production with yield of up to 99.5% or more and purity of 97% or more. With such exceptional performance in both yield and purity, the system holds promise for the cost-effective production and utilization of biogas and biomethane across industries. Targeting commercialization in 2027, Asahi Kasei has launched full-fledged activity to license the technology to partners worldwide.
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As the use of renewable energy accelerates around the world, biomethane derived from biogas is attracting attention as a sustainable energy source. As of November 2024, 159 countries have signed the Global Methane Pledge, affirming their commitment to reducing methane emissions. Because biomethane can utilize existing natural gas infrastructure, it provides a unique opportunity to establish a circular economy that reduces waste while obtaining usable energy. Particularly in Europe, the demand for utilization in gas pipelines and conversion to bio-compressed natural gas (bio-CNG) is growing. In India, biogas is being promoted as part of a national policy to address waste disposal and energy supply issues associated with rapid urbanization. It is also used as a substitute for natural gas in the United States.
Asahi Kasei has a long track record in catalyst development and gas separation technologies. Based on this technological foundation, the company has developed a system that separates CO 2 and methane from biogas using the optimum combination of a special pressure vacuum swing adsorption (PVSA) process technology and a novel zeolite as an adsorbent. This unique configuration removes CO 2 from biogas to obtain biomethane with high purity and high yield. A zeolite is a crystalline aluminosilicate having regular pores and cavities controlled on the order of angstroms (ten-millionths of a millimeter) with a specific surface area of several hundred square meters per gram.
Commercialization planned for 2027
To verify the performance and operational stability of this system under actual operating conditions, Asahi Kasei has conducted a demonstration trial using a portion of biogas generated from sewage sludge at the Kojima Sewage Treatment Plant in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, since February 2025. In the purification of biomethane, there tends to be a trade-off between high purity and high yield; achieving both together has been a significant technical challenge.
The first course of this demonstration was performed with continuous operation for a period of one month. The biomethane obtained was confirmed to be over 97% pure, suitable for use as fuel by feeding into a natural gas pipeline injection or as CNG. A high yield of over 99.5% was also confirmed, indicating successful achievement of both high purity and high yield performance.
"We’re beginning to have concrete discussions with potential licensees around the world," commented Kazuya Noda, Senior General Manager of Asahi Kasei’s Material Business Research & Development. "After commercial-scale pilot studies, we plan market launch in 2027."
Asahi Kasei aims to achieve a better future for people and the Earth by creating intangible assets and providing value through R&D with a vision of “Where transforming tomorrow begins.”
About Asahi Kasei
The Asahi Kasei Group contributes to life and living for people around the world. Since its foundation in 1922 with ammonia and cellulose fiber business, Asahi Kasei has consistently grown through the proactive transformation of its business portfolio to meet the evolving needs of every age. With more than 50,000 employees worldwide, the company contributes to sustainable society by providing solutions to the world’s challenges through its three business sectors of Healthcare, Homes, and Material. For more information, visit www.asahi-kasei.com.
Asahi Kasei is also dedicated to sustainability initiatives and is contributing to reaching a carbon neutral society by 2050. To learn more, visit https://www.asahi-kasei.com/sustainability/.
The biogas purification system
Biomethane purification technology using Asahi Kasei’s proprietary catalyst technology
The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting Thursday to discuss Iran's deadly protests at the request of the United States, even as President Donald Trump left unclear what actions he would take against the Islamic state.
Tehran appeared to make conciliatory statements in an effort to defuse the situation after Trump threatened to take action to stop further killing of protesters, including the execution of anyone detained in Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests.
Iran’s crackdown on the demonstrations has killed at least 2,615, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported. The death toll exceeds any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iran closed its airspace to commercial flights for hours without explanation early Thursday and some personnel at a key U.S. military base in Qatar were advised to evacuate. The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait also ordered its personnel to “temporary halt” travel to the multiple military bases in the small Gulf Arab country.
Iran previously closed its airspace during the 12-day war against Israel in June.
Here is the latest:
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has spoken with his counterpart in Iran, who said the situation was “now stable,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Abbas Araghchi said “he hoped China will play a greater role in regional peace and stability” during the talks, according to the statement from the ministry.
“China opposes imposing its will on other countries, and opposes a return to the ‘law of the jungle’,” Wang said.
“China believes that the Iranian government and people will unite, overcome difficulties, maintain national stability, and safeguard their legitimate rights and interests,” he added. “China hopes all parties will cherish peace, exercise restraint, and resolve differences through dialogue. China is willing to play a constructive role in this regard.”
“We are against military intervention in Iran,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told journalists in Istanbul on Thursday. “Iran must address its own internal problems… They must address their problems with the region and in global terms through diplomacy so that certain structural problems that cause economic problems can be addressed.”
Ankara and Tehran enjoy warm relations despite often holding divergent interests in the region.
Fidan said the unrest in Iran was rooted in economic conditions caused by sanctions, rather than ideological opposition to the government.
Iranians have been largely absent from an annual pilgrimage to Baghdad, Iraq, to commemorate the death of Imam Musa al-Kadhim, one of the twelve Shiite imams.
Many Iranian pilgrims typically make the journey every year for the annual religious rituals.
Streets across Baghdad were crowded with pilgrims Thursday. Most had arrived on foot from central and southern provinces of Iraq, heading toward the shrine of Imam al-Kadhim in the Kadhimiya district in northern Baghdad,
Adel Zaidan, who owns a hotel near the shrine, said the number of Iranian visitors this year compared to previous years was very small. Other residents agreed.
“This visit is different from previous ones. It lacks the large numbers of Iranian pilgrims, especially in terms of providing food and accommodation,” said Haider Al-Obaidi.
Europe’s largest airline group said Thursday it would halt night flights to and from Tel Aviv and Jordan's capital Amman for five days, citing security concerns as fears grow that unrest in Iran could spiral into wider regional violence.
Lufthansa — which operates Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings — said flights would run only during daytime hours from Thursday through Monday “due to the current situation in the Middle East.” It said the change would ensure its staff — which includes unionized cabin crews and pilots -- would not be required to stay overnight in the region.
The airline group also said its planes would bypass Iranian and Iraqi airspace, key corridors for air travel between the Middle East and Asia.
Iran closed its airspace to commercial flights for several hours early Thursday without explanation.
A spokesperson for Israel’s Airport Authority, which oversees Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, said the airport was operating as usual.
Iranian state media has denied claims that a young man arrested during Iran’s recent protests was condemned to death. The statement from Iran’s judicial authorities on Thursday contradicted what it said were “opposition media abroad” which claimed the young man had been quickly sentenced to death during a violent crackdown on anti-government protests in the country.
State television didn’t immediately give any details beyond his name, Erfan Soltani. Iranian judicial authorities said Soltani was being held in a detention facility outside of the capital. Alongside other protesters, he has been accused of “propaganda activities against the regime,” state media said.
New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Thursday that his government was “appalled by the escalation of violence and repression” in Iran.
“We condemn the brutal crackdown being carried out by Iran’s security forces, including the killing of protesters,” Peters posted on X.
“Iranians have the right to peaceful protest, freedom of expression, and access to information – and that right is currently being brutally repressed,” he said.
Peters said his government had expressed serious concerns to the Iranian Embassy in Wellington.
A demonstrator lights a cigarette with a burning poster depicting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally in support of Iran's anti-government protests, in Holon, Israel, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Protesters participate in a demonstration in support of the nationwide mass protests in Iran against the government, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Protesters participate in a demonstration in support of the nationwide mass protests in Iran against the government, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
