Zeon completes construction of ethanol-to-butadiene pilot plant, aiming for full-scale production in January 2027.

Butadiene is a core basic raw material to the synthetic rubber sector, broadly applied in the production of mainstream rubber materials such as polybutadiene rubber, and is an indispensable key monomer to tires, rubber and plastic items, and automotive parts. Traditional butadiene relies mostly on petroleum-based raw materials; this new methodology can eliminate application on fossil raw materials like naphtha, helping the rubber sector minimize carbon releases and build a environmentally friendly supply chain.

Project Background and Implementation Details: Government-Enterprise-Research Joint research

This pilot plant is a core R&D project of the joint technical collaboration between Zeon and Yokohama Rubber, and has received official support from Japan's New Energy and manufacturing methodology research Organization (NEDO), forming part of Japan's key environmentally friendly chemical R&D layout.

The facility is located at Zeon's Tokuyama Plant in Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. The project construction has proceeded in an orderly manner, and all construction work has been completed, entering the stage of preparation to production.

Clear Timeline: Trial Operation in 2027, Commercialization in 2034

According to the clear timeline officially announced, this bio-based butadiene pilot plant will fully commence production and operation in January 2027, conducting full-process verification of process stability, production efficiency, and product condition.

Both companies have formulated medium-to-prolonged industrialization goals, planning to complete the manufacturing implementation of the methodology in the mid-2030s, and finalizing the target to achieve extensive commercial production in 2034, to fully replace some traditional petroleum-based butadiene capacity.

Complete Testing Loop: From Raw Material Preparation to Actual Tire Testing

This project has established a complete technical verification and product testing system, forming a closed-loop R&D process.

Subsequently, Zeon will consumption the bio-based butadiene produced by the pilot plant to independently develop and prototype polybutadiene rubber items; partner Yokohama Rubber will consumption this new bio-based rubber to prototype finished tires and conduct real-world driving tests, comprehensively collecting data on product performance, durability, and compatibility, to lay a solid technical foundation to subsequent extensive mass production and market consumption.

Dual-Track R&D in Parallel, Deepening the Bio-based Chemical Sector

In addition to the ethanol-to-butadiene methodology, Zeon and Yokohama Rubber are simultaneously advancing another key R&D project supported by NEDO, focusing on biotechnology R&D to the direct production of butadiene and isoprene from plant-based raw materials.

The dual-track layout of these two technologies covers the two core monomers of rubber, aiming to build a complete bio-based rubber raw material production system, helping Japan's chemical and tire industries achieve a carbon-neutral transition and seize opportunities in the global environmentally friendly rubber and plastic materials market.