UBE to expand manufacturing facilities for gas separation membranes

UBE Corporation (“UBE”) has decided to expand the polyimide hollow fibre production facilities for gas separation membranes at its Ube Chemical Factory, as well as the gas separation membrane module production facilities, at its Sakai Factory in Japan. Both expanded facilities are expected to become operational in the first half of fiscal 2025, increasing production capacity by 1.8 times.
The company said the move is necessary in order to meet "rapidly growing demand", particularly for CO2 separation membranes.
UBE’s gas separation membrane business provides solutions for a wide range of applications, including hydrogen separation membranes, dehumidifying membranes, nitrogen separation membranes, CO2 separation membranes and organic solvent dehydration membranes.
The company said its separation membranes are made of polyimide and have an advantage due to their high durability. UBE manufactures hollow fibres at the Ube Chemical Factory and modules at the Ube Chemical Factory and Sakai Factory.
In recent years, demand for CO2 separation membranes, which remove carbon dioxide and other gases from biogas to extract biomethane as a fuel, has been growing rapidly, especially in Europe and North America, buoyed by the growing use of renewable energy. As the global market is expected to continue to expand in the future, UBE will enhance its production system by expanding its factories and increasing the capacity of its existing facilities.
Under the medium-term management plan, “UBE Vision 2030 Transformation—1st Stage,” announced in May 2022, UBE aims to become a corporate group centered on specialty chemicals that contributes to the global environment, human health and an enriched future society.
In order to achieve this vision, the company will efficiently invest its management resources with a dual focus on contributing to global environmental issues and growing its specialty chemicals business.
In the gas separation membrane business, UBE will contribute to the development of a sustainable world by expanding its business in the environmental and energy fields, especially through the supply of CO2 separation membranes for biomethane.