Technology
Zeon completes pilot facility milestone in push for carbon-neutral butadiene production
Zeon aims to advance the technology toward commercialization by 2034
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By ICN Bureau | August 07, 2026
Zeon Corporation has completed construction of a bench-scale facility designed to produce butadiene from plant-based ethanol, marking a major step toward a more sustainable, carbon-neutral future for the chemical and tire industries.
The new facility, located at Zeon’s Tokuyama Plant in Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, will demonstrate technology that enables highly efficient production of butadiene using plant-derived and other sustainable materials instead of conventional fossil-based feedstocks.
Construction of the facility began in July 2025, and full-scale operation is scheduled to begin in January 2027. Zeon aims to advance the technology toward commercialization by 2034, creating a new source of raw materials that reduces dependence on naphtha while strengthening long-term business sustainability.
The project is part of a joint research and development initiative between Zeon and The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., supported by NEDO’s Green Innovation Fund Projects. The companies are working to develop technologies to produce both butadiene and isoprene — key materials used in synthetic rubber — from plant-based and other sustainable resources.
Zeon will use butadiene produced at the new facility to develop prototype polybutadiene rubber, while Yokohama Rubber will use the material to create prototype tires and conduct driving tests to evaluate performance.
The companies are targeting social implementation of the technology in the 2030s through the development of a pilot facility, with commercialization planned for 2034.
The project is supported by funding from NEDO as part of efforts to accelerate green innovation and help establish next-generation manufacturing technologies based on sustainable resources.
