Successful Generation of Synthetic Gas from Used Blister Packs for Chemical Raw Materials

Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo, President: Takahiro Uchida; hereinafter 'Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare') and JFE Engineering Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President: Kazumi Fukuda; hereinafter 'JFE Engineering') have successfully conducted a demonstration test to generate synthetic gas, a raw material for chemical products, from used plastics such as 'blister packs' (PTP packaging) used for pills and capsules.

In the waste management sector, there is a growing need to achieve both resource circulation and greenhouse gas emission reductions toward the realization of carbon neutrality by 2050. Conventionally, blister packs, which are widely used for pharmaceutical packaging, are difficult to separate because they are composite materials made of plastic and aluminum. Consequently, most have been incinerated or collected as recyclable waste and then processed via thermal recycling (recovering heat energy during incineration for power generation).

Under these circumstances, JFE Engineering has been developing chemical recycling technologies that convert used plastics, including composite materials, into chemical raw materials. To verify the applicability of this technology to blister pack recycling, this test was conducted. In the test, JFE Engineering's innovative waste gasification technology, the 'C-PhoeniX Process', was applied to used plastics, including blister packs collected by Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare from consumers through its 'Okusuri-Sheet (Blister Pack) Recycle Program', successfully generating synthetic gas (CO, CO2, H2).

While JFE Engineering aims to establish a comprehensive waste chemical recycling process from waste plastic to synthetic gas and then to plastic raw materials, this test verified the 'waste plastic to synthetic gas' process on a small-lot scale. Moving forward, to establish a new recycling option capable of handling increased collection volumes, the companies aim for social implementation through repeated technical verification at a planned large-scale waste gasification plant.

Junya Iwaki, Sustainability Promotion Manager at Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare, stated, 'While we felt there were limits to applications and processing volumes with material recycling alone, this test is highly significant as it shows a vision of sustainable circulation even as collection volumes increase.' Kenichi Okuyama, Development Center Manager at JFE Engineering's Environmental Division, added, 'Supported by NEDO, the Ministry of the Environment, and Chiba City, we confirmed the potential to recycle complex multi-layered materials that are difficult to process through material recycling. We will accelerate efforts toward social implementation.'

The 'Okusuri-Sheet Recycle Program' is Japan's first citizen-participatory initiative to collect and recycle used blister packs. Launched in Yokohama in October 2022, it now has over 100 collection points and has collected 20 tons of material as of the end of May 2026. Both companies will continue to leverage their strengths to promote the resource circulation of pharmaceutical packaging and contribute to a sustainable society.