AGC Develops Non-Aqueous Chemical Absorbent to Significantly Improve CO₂ Capture Efficiency — Public Demonstration at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai
AGC Inc. (Head Office: Tokyo; President: Yoshinori Hirai) has developed a chemical absorption solution that efficiently captures CO₂ directly from ambient air, as part of its Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology portfolio. DAC is widely regarded as an essential technology for achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, with research and development accelerating around the world.
The solution developed by AGC for DAC applications is a non-aqueous chemical absorbent based on PPG (polypropylene glycol). Compared to conventional water-based chemical absorbents, it significantly reduces the energy consumed during CO₂ capture.
A public demonstration of CO₂ capture using this absorption solution was conducted at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, starting April 13, 2025.
DAC is a technology that separates and captures the approximately 0.04% of CO₂ present in ambient air, and various methods are being researched toward commercialisation. Among these, the chemical absorption method is considered particularly promising for large-scale deployment, such as at industrial facilities, due to the relative ease of scaling up the equipment. However, most chemical absorbents consist of a mixture of amine and water, meaning that when heat is applied to separate and recover CO₂, water evaporation consumes additional energy — a key challenge for the technology.
To address this, AGC developed a non-aqueous chemical absorbent that significantly reduces the energy required for CO₂ capture. Its key material, PPG (polypropylene glycol), has low volatility, minimising energy loss through evaporation. In addition, PPG has high miscibility with amine compounds, enabling stable CO₂ separation and recovery.
This absorption solution is also expected to be adopted in a process known as "Cryo-DAC," which utilises the ultra-low temperature (-160°C) waste cold energy generated during the regasification of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to capture CO₂. Since 2023, AGC has been conducting joint research with Nagoya University on the application of this solution in Cryo-DAC. Going forward, AGC will participate as a subcontractor under Nagoya University's involvement in Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) "Moonshot Research and Development Program," to further advance the practical application of this absorbent.
Beyond Cryo-DAC, AGC will continue to explore the application of this absorption solution to a wide range of CO₂-containing gases, including industrial flue gases.
Under its medium-term management plan "AGC plus-2026," the AGC Group has positioned "deepening sustainability management" as a key strategy, with a target of achieving carbon net-zero (Scope 1+2) by 2050. Through the development of innovative materials, the AGC Group will continue to contribute to a sustainable global environment.