Daicel Corporation (Head Office: Kita-ku, Osaka, President & CEO: Yoshimi Ogawa) received the Encouragement Prize for Invention of the FY2019 Chugoku Local Commendation for Invention held by the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation, for its invention named “Pulp Disintegration Method for Cellulose Acetate Production and Production Method of Cellulose Acetate”.

The Local Commendation for Invention, started in 1921, is for researchers, engineers, etc. who have made outstanding inventions. Daicel was highly evaluated for its contribution to society by the practical application of the invention concerned.

The award ceremony will be held on Friday, October 25, 2019, at Hiroshima Garden Palace.

Summary of Awarded Invention
[Name]
Pulp Disintegration Method for Cellulose Acetate Production and Production Method of Cellulose Acetate (Japanese Patent Number: 5816395)
[Inventors]
Mitsuteru Hosaka, Toshinori Okano, Yuji Ida
[Outline]
This invention has two parts. One is a method for disintegrating (shaping sheets into single fibers) pulp, the raw material of cellulose acetate, one of the Daicel’s main products.
Another is a production method for cellulose acetate utilizing the disintegrated pulp. This invention enables the suppression of pulp deterioration as well as uniform disintegration.
Additionally, by utilizing pulp disintegrated with this method, it is possible to produce cellulose acetate with fewer unreacted materials and excellent transparency, filterability, and spinning ability.

Daicel introduced disintegration facilities employing this invention in 2016 at the Ohtake Plant (Ohtake-shi, Hiroshima Prefecture) and has realized a reduction in environmentally hazardous substances and amount of reactant and solvents utilized, as well as producing high-quality cellulose acetate in a more environmental friendly way.