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MATSURI Coalition Pursuing the Big

Picture
Jan 25, 2022 | Industry

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While most MATSURI projects are focused on food and cosmetic ingredients, the big prize is to
�nd a cost-e�ective way to make auto and jet fuel. Illustration ©MATSURI-Chitose

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M
ATSURI (Microalgae Towards Sustainable & Resilient Industry) envisions an
“advanced society based on algae.” This cross-industry coalition of 35 East No spam here!
Asian corporate giants — including such industry dominant names as Fuji,
Honda and Mitsubishi — has come together to share knowledge in developing a mutual
goal. The goal: being leaders in what the Centre for Climate and Energy Solutions predicts 
will be a $320 billion annual market in 2030 for algae products in the combined food,
feed, fuel and chemical sectors. MATSURI members have agreed to pursue their roles as
“global pioneers in the actualization of the algae industry.” November 17, 2022: NASA’s
Artemis I mission will test the
MATSURI is led by Chitose Group, a family of bio-venture companies operating mainly in

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Southeast Asia and Japan whose mission is to contribute towards a prosperous world that gene expression of algae in
will be sustainable for a thousand years. In particular, Chitose develops businesses that deep space.
utilize the capabilities of small living organisms (mainly microorganisms, algae, and animal
cells). November 15, 2022: Turkish
Airlines Wins Sustainability
The responsibilities of the Chitose Group within MATSURI include algae cultivation, Innovation Award for Algae
building the industry’s infrastructure, being the local coordinator on the various Based SAF
development sites, directing the R&D e�orts and representing an international algae
voice. Chitose also will disseminate information to help people understand that MATSURI, November 10, 2022: Sophie’s
which means “festival” in Japanese, is proposing a new industry to the world. BioNutrients and the Danish
Technological Institute have
According to Bloomberg News, in addition to discussions on the design of the future algae collaborated to produce their
industry, MATSURI will also develop algae-derived products on a commercial scale. The �rst chlorella-based ice cream
group is hoping to create enough demand for phytoplankton to make a large-scale algae for the Vegan market.
farm viable in Malaysia.

The growing facility would be built by Singapore-headquartered Chitose Bio Evolution,

which is constructing a 12-acre trial farm on the Malaysian part of Borneo Island, with
�nancial support from Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development
Organization.

Chitose is negotiating with the local Sarawak state government to secure land to expand
its facility to 2000 hectares by around 2027 and is looking to raise $200 billion yen
(US$2.45 billion) for the project. The farm initially would use carbon dioxide from a local
thermal power plant to feed the algae and produce 140,000 tons of microalgae a year.

After the planned expansion, it would be one of the world’s largest purpose-built algae
farms, according to Rebecca White, executive director of the US-based Algae Biomass
Organization. At full capacity, the company expects $100 billion yen in annual sales from
Europe is one of the biggest
algae.
importers of
seaweed products globally,
The site in the Malaysian state of Sarawak was chosen because of its intense tropical
and the demand is
sunshine, low risk of natural disasters, and easy access to markets in Asia, said Tomohiro
expected to reach €9 billion
Fujita, chief executive o�cer of Chitose. “Creating a business is within the realm of
in 2030, especially from
imagination,” said Dr. Fujita, “but we are creating an industry, which is something
food, cosmetics,
extraordinary.”
pharmaceuticals, and
energy production.
From food to bio-jet fuel
While most MATSURI projects are focused on food and cosmetic ingredients, the big
target is to �nd a cost-e�ective way to make auto and jet fuel. Eneos, which has been
working on bio-jet fuel for more than 15 years, intends to begin commercial production of
algae-based biofuel once Chitose starts operation in 2025.

Honda said it is still at the research stage for possible uses for algae and is also
conducting its own investigation into cultivation. “We are mainly expecting to use algae as
a fuel for aviation as well as resin autoparts,” the company said in an email.
A BEGINNER’S
GUIDE
The Matsuri consortium also includes half a dozen chemical companies, including Mitsui
Chemicals, which is considering using algae as an alternative to naphtha, a feedstock used
to make fuels, solvents and plastics. Other group members are investigating using the
algae in applications as varied as printing, food, cosmetics, and medical industries.

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