Hitachi, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), and JAL have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to conduct Japan’s first pilot test on Kume Island, Okinawa Prefecture, utilizing Direct Ocean Capture (DOC)—a technology that directly separates and captures CO2 dissolved in seawater.
In this pilot test, the three companies aim to confirm the applicability of DOC technology using seawater from around Kume Island, and obtain foundational data on operational challenges and environmental impacts for deployment along Japan’s coast.
Specifically, the test will use containerized pilot equipment installed on land on Kume Island, taking in seawater to separate CO2. In addition to this initiative, Kume Island hosts cutting-edge pilot projects that leverage its location, such as Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC). With a concentration of expertise and talent in ocean research, the island offers an optimal environment for conducting Japan’s first DOC pilot test.
Based on the knowledge gained from this project, the three companies will explore potential applications and expansion of DOC technology—including local utilization of captured CO2, as well as promotional and environmental education initiatives centered on this pilot test—to contribute to the creation of new ocean-based value (the Blue Economy).
In “hard-to-abate” sectors such as shipping and aviation, where electrification alone is difficult and emissions are hard to reduce, offsetting emissions has become a key challenge alongside corporate reduction efforts.
As demand continues to grow, expectations are rising for CO2 removal technologies as a key means to address this, driving the need to establish technologies that directly remove CO2 through engineered approaches. Establishing a domestic ecosystem is also becoming increasingly important from the perspective of curbing the future cost of procuring carbon credits from overseas.
The three companies have invested in Captura Corp., a U.S.-based DOC technology developer, through their respective investment subsidiaries and other channels, and have been jointly exploring a domestic pilot test toward the deployment of Captura’s technology in Japan by combining the expertise of each company. The companies position this pilot test as a first step toward building an island-based, domestically self-sufficient carbon economy in which the recovered CO2 is ultimately utilized as a feedstock for synthetic fuels such as E-SAF.
