Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
Manufacturing processes for chemical products consume large amounts of energy and emit greenhouse gases such as CO2. Emissions are particularly high in processes that use petroleum-derived raw materials
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Materials and chemicals industry
A foundational industry that manufactures a wide range of materials and products
by applying chemical reaction technologies to diverse raw materials
by applying chemical reaction technologies to diverse raw materials
Aiming to develop eco‑friendly chemical substances and automate manufacturing processes
Chemical manufacturers play a critical role in supplying the materials needed to produce semiconductors and electronic components, especially as demand continues to rise with the advancement of AI technologies. These materials are essential for manufacturing components such as batteries and IC chips used in electronic devices and automobiles, including EVs. As a result, the global market for these materials has experienced significant growth and is expected to continue expanding.
Across the market, attention is increasingly focused on high‑performance and environmentally friendly materials, driven by the push for a decarbonized society, the spread of electric vehicles, and the expansion of renewable energy.
Environmental issues in the materials and chemicals industry
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Release of plastic waste and microplasticsMany plastic products and packaging materials are not properly recycled, leading to marine pollution and other environmental problems. There are also growing concerns about the impact of microplastics on ecosystems -
Release of hazardous chemical substancesThere is a risk of hazardous substances being released during the manufacturing, use, and disposal of chemical products. The number of newly regulated substances, including PFAS, continues to increase, making proper management and control even more important -
Environmental response across the entire supply chainReducing Scope 3 emissions, which include CO2 emitted by business partners and others outside the company, is becoming increasingly important. It is necessary to visualize the total environmental impact from raw material procurement through disposal and take appropriate measures across the entire supply chain
Do you face these challenges or requirements?
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We want to advance the development of catalysts that can neutralize hazardous substances -
We are exploring the development of materials and production technologies that can balance technological advancement with sustainability for applications such as semiconductors, automobiles, and electronic components
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We want to understand what technologies and efficient management methods are available to comply with environmental regulations, including GHG regulations and the RoHS Directive
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We want to improve the performance and workability of bioplastics and recycled plastics to expand their range of applications
Hitachi High-Tech is a strong partner for customers facing these types of challenges
Hitachi High-Tech’s approach to the Materials and chemicals industry
Reducing Environmental Impact Through Environmental Monitoring
Solved IssuesNature PositiveNon-Destructive and Rapid Detection of Harmful Elements, Such as Lead and Cadmium
- Compliant with the RoHS Directive and REACH Regulation
- Reliably supports regulatory compliance, from product development to quality assurance and pre-shipment inspection
Solved IssuesNature PositiveNanoscale Visualization and Analysis of Environmental Risks
- Enables scientific assessment of environmental risks through nanoscale analysis of particulates and hazardous substances associated with manufacturing processes and product use and disposal
- Analyzing structures and compositions of particulates in emissions
- Observing degradation states of catalytic adsorbents
- Tracking degradation and decomposition processes of plastics and other materials
- Identifying asbestos and heavy metal particles
Solved IssuesNature PositiveEffective in Detecting Phthalates and Other Harmful Substances
- Enables RoHS Directive-compliant screenings of materials containing plasticizers
- Measurement can be completed in about 10 minutes per sample, and up to 50 samples can be measured automatically and consecutively
- Enables rapid quality checks at production sites, which leads to improved work efficiency
- Since measurements can be performed without needing to use organic solvents, no waste liquid is generated
Solved IssuesNature PositiveSupporting Product Quality Control and Compliance with Environmental Regulations Including the RoHS Directive and REACH Regulation
- Accurately analyzes harmful metals, such as lead and cadmium
→Helps to create safe products in compliance with environmental regulations - Accurately analyzes metals contained in wastewater and waste liquids generated by manufacturing processes
→Suitable processing and reuse is possible - Analyzes impurities contained in recycled materials
→Leads to more effective use of resources - Regularly surveys the quality of soil and water around factories
→Effective in the prevention of and early response to environmental pollution
Solved IssuesCircular EconomyContributing to Stable Quality While Reducing Environmental Impact
- Titrator: Accurately measures the pH of wastewater, as well as other parameters including conductivity and heavy metal ions
→Supports compliance with environmental standards - Titrator: Accurately controls the required amount of reagent in a chemical reaction
→Prevents chemical waste, which helps to reduce waste liquid - Karl Fischer Titrator: Optimizes the drying process of materials and chemical products
→Contributes to stable quality while reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions
Solved IssuesNature PositiveHigh-Precision Detection of Trace Amounts of Harmful Substances, Helping to Achieve “Green Chemistry”
- High-precision detection of trace amounts of organic compounds and other harmful substances contained in products and raw materials
- Accurately measures components discharged from factories and other sites, thereby helping to preserve water quality
- HPLC can be used as a means for evaluating the quality of biomass materials, which leads to more effective use of renewable resources
- Early detection of defects and adjustment of process conditions to optimize manufacturing processes lead to reduced raw-material waste, thereby helping to reduce overall waste
Solved IssuesNature PositiveEntire Value Chain Approaches to PFAS
- With properties including heat resistance, water resistance, oil resistance, and non-stickiness, PFAS raise concerns regarding their impact on human health and the environment
- There is an urgent need to develop alternative materials and establish more effective processing technologies
- We promote the implementation of PFAS countermeasures along the entire value chain, from detection to removal, destruction, and disposal, with analytical instruments and inspection technologies at the core
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Supporting the Development and Manufacture of High-Performance Materials
Solved IssuesCircular EconomyOffering Comprehensive Support from R&D to the Establishment of Technologies for Mass Production
- Examples of new materials in development
- Developing components effective in improving fuel efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions in automobiles and other vehicles
- Enhancing performance of electric vehicle batteries
- Encouraging the use of bioplastics and biodegradable plastics, etc.
- Further advancing material development through data aggregation and analysis, and performance predictions
- Materials Informatics (MI)
- Compound Discovery AI
- Helping to optimize manufacturing processes
- Optimization of process conditions in mass production ramp-up
Solved IssuesDecarbonizationEffective in Developing Lightweight, Highly Durable, High-Performance Resin Materials with Long Lifespans
- Handles various types of measurements
- Glass transition temperature by DSC
- Analysis of thermal degradation behavior by TGA
- Temperature-dependent mechanical properties by TMA, DMA, etc.
- Carbon fiber-reinforced PEEK, glass fiber-reinforced PP, CFPR, and other high-performance resin materials are used in a large number of environmentally friendly products
Solved IssuesCircular EconomyExcelling at Simultaneous Processing and Imagin at the Nanoscale Level
- Enables processing and imaging material cross-sections at the nanoscale for detailed analysis of structures and defects
- Optimized for the development of new eco-friendly materials (biomass-derived polymers, plastics, high-efficiency batteries, and catalyst materials). Supports material selection and boosting reuse
- Ideal for new material development, assessing performance of existing materials, and investigating the causes of degradation, corrosion, and foreign material contamination
Solved IssuesDecarbonizationHigh-Performance Material Manufacturing with a Low Environmental Impact, Underpinned by Precise Process Management and Stable Quality
- We leverage AI in advanced operation control, anomaly detection, and predictive maintenance to achieve stable and optimized manufacturing processes, which leads to reduced energy consumption and CO2 emissions
- We minimize the occurrence of defective products associated with increasingly complex manufacturing processes, thereby lessening environmental impact through reducing reprocessing and waste
- We support the creation of sustainable production systems by stably supplying high-quality products
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Supporting the Development of Eco-Materials
Solved IssuesCircular EconomyContributing to the Research and Development of Advanced Materials that Balance Safety and Functionality
- Supports optimization of material properties and elucidation of functional mechanisms in alternative materials, such as fluorine-free materials, asbestos substitutes, and cellulose nanofibers.
→Helps reduce environmental impact while maintaining both safety and functionality. - Enables high-precision nanoscale visualization and analysis of fiber structures, particle dispersion, interface states, and crystallinity.
→Helps to optimize material properties and identify mechanisms underlying functionality
Solved IssuesCircular EconomyVital Equipment for the Development and Quality Evaluation of Recycled Materials
- Accurately identifies thermal stability and mechanical properties during the development of eco-materials, such as bioplastics and recycled PET
- Helps to improve the reliability of recycled materials and optimize formulation design and processing conditions
Solved IssuesCircular EconomyPromotes Efficient Resource Use, Prevents Material Contamination, and Stabilizes Product Quality
- Optimized for composition verification of metallic materials, including recycled metal feedstock and scrap
- Allows accurate detection of trace levels of harmful elements and impurities across a wide range of alloys
Solved IssuesCircular EconomyOptimal in Evaluating the Physical Properties of Eco-Friendly Materials and Determining Material Properties
- Utilized for evaluating environmentally friendly materials such as cellulose nanofibers, LEDs, and plastic substitutes
- Safety assessments of plant-derived nanocellulose
- Evaluates optical properties of reflectors and diffusers for LED lighting expected to achieve energy saving
- Evaluates paper packaging materials as alternatives to plastic
- Evaluates performance and analyzes degradation of recycled plastics (yellowness, fluorescence)
- Fluorescence spectrophotometers (FL) excel at detecting material degradation and trace contaminants
Solved IssuesCircular EconomyOvercoming Hurdles to the Use of Recycled Materials Through Proprietary Evaluation Technologies
- Through proprietary evaluation technologies, we work to resolve the unique challenges inherent in recycled plastic, such as lot-to-lot quality variation and metal contamination
- We provide material evaluation systems that utilize sensor technologies
→Enables automatic detection of defective products at manufacturing sites
→Enables optimization of molding conditions
→Leads to improved yield and reduced environmental impact
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Supporting Catalyst Development
Solved IssuesDecarbonizationNanoscale Observation Is Essential for Evaluating Catalyst Performance
- A powerful observation and analysis tool that supports research on photocatalysts for water splitting used in green hydrogen production
- Enables nanoscale evaluation of structures and compositions for a wide range of applications, including observation of catalyst surface microstructures and particle distribution, post-reaction changes, and elucidation of degradation mechanisms
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On-Site Analysis of Shipping and Receiving Inspections
Solved IssuesCircular EconomyEnables Rapid Identification and Sorting of Metal Resources
- On-site analysis that enables environmental compliance and higher resource efficiency
- Effective in urban mine recycling operations
- Enables the rapid identification and sorting of metal resources in automotive parts, electronic devices, and small appliances, including platinum, palladium, and rhodium
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Supporting R&D of Materials for Sustainable Lithium-Ion Batteries
Solved IssuesCircular EconomyProviding Value across a Broad Range of Phases, from R&D to Operational Support
- High-precision and high-speed analysis and analytical technologies that accelerate new material development
- We also offer contract services including material observation and analysis, and cell prototyping. This support is backed by expertise and equipment
- Data analysis tools useful for visualizing challenges during R&D and streamlining operations
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