Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has successfully achieved ethanol purity over 99.5 vol% using its proprietary Mitsubishi Membrane Dehydration System (MMDS®), installed at a pilot facility within the Nagasaki Carbon Neutral Park at MHI’s Nagasaki District Research & Innovation Center. The achievement meets domestic fuel standards, marking a key milestone in the development of clean fuel technologies.
Bioethanol is increasingly being recognized as a cleaner alternative to gasoline and a critical feedstock for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). However, to be viable as a fuel, bioethanol must undergo a dehydration process to remove moisture in the final production stage, a process traditionally known for high energy consumption.
MHI’s MMDS® addresses this challenge by replacing conventional dehydration techniques with a molecular sieve separation method. This innovation enables energy savings of over 30%, contributing to lower operational costs and more stable production. Additionally, MMDS® performs the separation in the liquid phase, allowing for more compact equipment design.
Following successful performance tests at the pilot plant, MHI plans to accelerate the development of a demonstration facility aimed at early commercialization.
The company remains committed to advancing high-efficiency production methods for hydrogen-free, plant-based bioethanol. These initiatives form part of MHI’s broader mission to develop and implement decarbonization technologies, supporting the transition to a sustainable, carbon-neutral future.
