By HIROSHI KAMIYA/ Staff Writer
December 19, 2021 at 07:00 JST
Yoriyuki Enatsu, right, president of Kirishima Shuzo Co., and Takuzo Enatsu, a senior managing director, show off a newly introduced e-imo electric car in Miyakonojo, Miyazaki Prefecture, on Nov. 24. (Hiroshi Kamiya)
MIYAKONOJO, Miyazaki Prefecture--The humble sweet potato will play a prominent role in a leading shochu distiller’s strategy to go carbon neutral by fiscal 2030.
Kirishima Shuzo Co., established in 1916, uses 100,000 tons of sweet potatoes annually to produce 50 million 1.8-liter bottles of the liquor here.
The company said Nov. 24 it plans to use more energy derived from sweet potatoes to meet electricity demand at its plants and offices, among other measures.
“We will do everything we can to realize a sustainable society as a company that works and grows with the local community,” said Yoriyuki Enatsu, president of Kirishima Shuzo.
In 2006, the company built a recycling plant to generate biogas by fermenting shochu lees and potato scraps--byproducts of shochu production--and began using it as boiler fuel. In 2014, it set up a facility to generate power using biogas and started selling electricity.
The use of biogas enabled the company to slash carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 33 percent in fiscal 2020 from fiscal 2013. The new goal is to reduce emissions by 50 percent by fiscal 2030 from the 2013 level.
Kirishima Shuzo plans to raise the supply of biogas and use biogas-generated electricity to cover its own power consumption. It will also consider procuring other types of renewable energy to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by fiscal 2030.
As part of its strategy, the company has introduced four electric cars, called e-imo, powered by biogas. It plans to replace 130 or so company vehicles with electric models by fiscal 2030.
Greenhouse gas emissions fall in Japan for 7th year in a row
December 10, 2021
Japan eyes 10% power output cut by FY 2030 with more renewables
July 20, 2021
Researchers aim to cut greenhouse gas emissions from cow belches
May 16, 2021
Cow excrement tapped by town in Hokkaido for CO2-free power
February 22, 2021
Coal plant to test ammonia fuel mix in bid to drop CO2 emissions
May 25, 2021
Japan embracing ammonia power to achieve 2050 zero CO2 target
April 4, 2021
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
