Honda Motor Co is considering the commercialization of its algae-growing technology, which can be used to absorb carbon and create biofuels, plastics and other products, the Nikkei Shimbun reported.
The automaker is to test mass production of the organic material in the fall and build a new facility of about 1,000m2, the report said.
Honda is to use the algae at its own production facilities in Japan and Southeast Asia to offset carbon emissions, from the latter half of next year, Nikkei said.
The company is ramping up efforts to go green as it pledges to phase out sales of gasoline-powered cars by 2040 and achieve net-zero emissions for its entire supply chain by 2050.
Honda’s scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions for its fiscal year through last year were 4.5 million tonnes, according to its sustainability report.
Companies are seeking ways to use algae as a potential replacement to traditional biomass fuels such as corn and soybeans, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushing up the price of biofuels.
Honda has improved its algae’s resistance to infection, enabling it to grow more efficiently, Nikkei said.
The organic material can multiply 32 times in a single day, compared with once or twice for ordinary algae, it said.
The automaker is considering using biofuels made from algae for its HondaJet airplane, as well as for electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, or eVTOLs, which it aims to commercialize in the 2030s, it said.
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