UBE Corporation is expanding the polyimide hollow fiber production facilities at its Ube Chemical Factory and gas separation membrane module production facilities at its Sakai Factory to meet rising demand for carbon dioxide (CO2) separation membranes.

Both expanded facilities are scheduled to go online in the first half of fiscal 2025, nearly doubling production capacity.

UBE’s gas separation membrane business provides solutions for a wide range of applications, including hydrogen separation membranes, dehumidifying membranes, nitrogen separation membranes, CO2 separation membranes, and organic solvent dehydration membranes.

UBE’s separation membranes, made of polyimide, have an advantage due to their high durability.

In recent years, demand for CO2 separation membranes, which remove carbon dioxide and other gases from biogas to extract biomethane as a fuel, has been growing rapidly, especially in Europe and North America, buoyed by the growing use of renewable energy.