Is Prime Minister Koichi’s Optimism Dangerous? Fear of Naphtha Depletion, the “Magic Liquid,” Strikes Japan, which is 90% Dependent on the Middle East

The true nature of the versatile material “naphtha

Tensions in the Middle East over Israel, Iran, and other countries continue to escalate. Soaring crude oil prices and supply concerns are inevitable, and the news daily reports concern “further damage to gasoline prices and commodity prices. Why, in the first place, has that sludgy black liquid undergone such a transformation and been used so extensively?

It is because the entire chemical industry began with naphtha.

says Professor Masahiko Matsukata of Waseda University’s School of Advanced Science and Engineering.

When crude oil is transported to a petroleum refinery, it is first heated in a distillation column. Crude oil contains various components with different boiling temperatures (boiling points), and is divided into LPG gas, naphtha, light oil fraction (the main raw material for light oil), and other components according to the boiling point.

LPG gas has the lowest boiling point, followed by light naphtha with a boiling point in the range of 30-140°C, heavy naphtha with a boiling point between 40-230°C, kerosene fraction with a boiling point between 170-250°C, light oil fraction with a boiling point between 240-350°C, heavy oil fraction with a boiling point above 350°C Heavy naphtha is a high-quality naphtha.

Heavy naphtha is used to make high-quality gasoline, while light naphtha is used for chemical products.

Naphtha is a mixture of hundreds of different molecules. When it is pyrolyzed, it becomes ethylene, propylene, and other chemical raw materials. These are the basic chemicals. This is where all chemicals are made.

Naphtha is used extensively because all chemical industries started from naphtha. It was coal and steel that started the industrial revolution, but it is petroleum that has created civilization since World War II. Naphtha is the most important substance that has made modern civilization,” said Professor Matsukata.

Three New Resources to Replace Oil

It wasn’t that long ago that we were inundated with plastic products. Before that, drinking water came in glass bottles and there were no plastic bags.

It wasn’t until the 1960s, when we moved from coal to oil, that chemical products began to be produced in large quantities. Naphtha came into use because it was cheap and could be used to make high performance products.

Still, I wonder if we should be so dependent on petroleum. Is there any alternative to naphtha?

There are only three ways to make chemical products without using petroleum anywhere in the world. One is biomass. One is biomass, which is made from organic materials such as plants and animals. The third is to capture CO2 and use it as a chemical raw material.

It is very important to be able to make chemical products from these three sources so that we don’t have to use petroleum, and research is being done on each of them, but even so, we won’t be able to eliminate the use of petroleum until the 1950s or later.

Professor Matsukata is also conducting research on recycling waste plastic to make chemicals. What are the prospects for practical application?

We are researching the recycling of polypropylene and polyethylene, which account for 70% of all plastics. According to data from 2012, the total amount of waste plastic generated in Japan was an estimated 9.11 million tons.

Of that, 70% is polypropylene and polyethylene, so 6.3 million tons. Recycling of used polypropylene and polyethylene is still in the research and development stage, so it is probably less than 100,000 tons per year. We are still in the waddling stage.

Bio- and CO2-based energy is still in the research stage. It will take time to put them to practical use.

Japan’s 90% dependence on the Middle East is a looming crisis

Naphtha is used in plastic bags and PET bottles, cosmetics, medical equipment, clothing, detergents, and semiconductors. Naphtha only accounts for about 10% of crude oil. Since the imported crude oil is not enough, Japan imports only naphtha to make up the shortfall.

What will happen if the Strait of Hormuz is closed and no oil enters Japan?

What will happen? First of all, transportation will stop. In Europe, flights have already begun to be reduced, and this could happen to Japan as well. Southeast Asia is in serious trouble due to gasoline shortages.

Prime Minister Takaichi says that Japan will be fine, but if parts made in Southeast Asia do not come in, Japanese industry will also come to a halt.

Logistics may stop due to fuel shortages, and imported goods such as food and fertilizer may not come in. In addition, naphtha, the raw material for food wrapping packages and agricultural materials, will also be depleted. Without naphtha, we will not be able to produce all kinds of things.

What should we do?

We have no choice but to leave it to the government. But even if the current crisis in the Middle East is resolved, it could happen again. The only way to avoid another crisis like this one is to diversify our oil sources.

Currently, Japan relies on the Middle East for more than 90% of its crude oil imports.

During the oil crisis of 1973, we expanded our procurement to Malaysia, Indonesia, Brazil, and other countries. But in the end, we finally came to rely on the Middle East for more than 90% of our oil imports because Middle Eastern oil is easier to use.

The composition of crude oil varies depending on where it is produced.

Middle Eastern crude oil contains a large amount of kerosene fraction, which boils at 170 to 250 degrees Celsius, making it easy to use for Japan, which uses a lot of kerosene.

According to Professor Matsukata, crude oil from Venezuela contains a large fraction of heavy oil and is as slimy as coal tar, so if it were used in Japan, refining facilities would cost a large amount of money.

Even if Japan becomes a society that can live without petroleum, it cannot be produced as cheaply as petroleum, so the price of goods is expected to rise .

Energy from biomass and other sources may entail a certain increase in costs. I think it is necessary to construct a new social system that does not rely on fossil resources, and that shares the burden fairly throughout society, rather than simply accepting it as an increase in prices.

Even after the current crisis in the Middle East is over, it seems that there will still be challenges ahead.

Masahiko Matsukata is Professor of Applied Chemistry, School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University. He is challenging the development of catalysts for novel chemical reactions that contribute to solving energy and environmental problems, and the development of membrane separation technology to make chemical processes overwhelmingly energy efficient.