NEDO backs Tosoh cellulose-nanofiber rubber project

TOKYO- Tosoh Corp. has attracted funding inJapan for a program to develop cellulose nanofiberreinforced chloroprene rubber materials.

The “low-cost manufacturing project wassubmitted as a joint proposal with Bando KagakuCo. Lid, according to an Aug. 28 Tosoh statement.

Being targeted initially at power transmission beltapplications, the project is backed by Japan’s NewEnergy and Industrial Technology DevelopmentOrganization (NEDO).

While Tosoh’s statement did not include details ofthe NEDO grant, the company said it reflected the potential of the CNF projectto contribute to a recycling society.”

An alternative to petroleum-derived raw materials, CNF is a biomass-derivedfiber with a diameter of about 20 nm and a length of several percent. It is 80 percentlighter than steel but five times stronger.

The project, which is due to fun to 2024, is focused on the manufacturingprocess technology and application developments to significantly reducemanufacturing costs.

CNF “is attracting attention as a new material that can make full use ofresources in Japan, which has low resources, and around the world,” notedTosoh.