Tsuno Oleochemicals Corporation Receives Reiwa 8th Year Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award for Technical Innovation Towards a Circular Economy

Tsuno Oleochemicals Corporation (Headquarters: Ito-gun, Wakayama Prefecture; President: Fumi Tsuno; https://www.tsuno.co.jp) received the Science and Technology Award (Technology Division) in the Reiwa 8th Year Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Awards in the field of Science and Technology, for its achievement in "Development of high-performance base oil for metal working aiming for a circular economy." The company views this award as recognition for its long-standing efforts in developing waste cooking oil recycling technology and promoting the collection of used cooking oil from households, contributing to the realization of a sustainable society. The company will continue to promote the development and implementation of technologies that "make efficient use of resources" to contribute to a sustainable and prosperous society. Tsuno Group's oleochemical business has a history of over half a century, starting in 1960. They manufacture fatty acids and fatty acid derivatives from by-products of refining rice oil and various vegetable oils. Since the 1990s, they have applied this technology to recycle used cooking oil. Through years of technological development, they have established a system for integrated production and development from raw materials to derivatives, leading to continuous technological innovation. The results are utilized as alternatives to petroleum-derived raw materials in a wide range of fields including resins, inks, processing oils, plasticizers, adhesives, soaps, and asphalt. The award ceremony for the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Awards in the field of Science and Technology for Reiwa 8th year will be held on April 15, 2026 (Wednesday) at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The achievement name is "Development of high-performance base oil for metal working aiming for a circular economy." This development successfully created a high-performance base oil for metalworking that simultaneously meets three fundamental physical properties previously difficult to achieve together: high flash point (safe and difficult to ignite), low viscosity (smooth and easy to handle), and low pour point (difficult to solidify even at low temperatures). This achievement simplifies the design of lubricants for metalworking manufacturers, improves safety and workability, and contributes to reducing energy consumption. Furthermore, demonstrating the proactive reuse of waste-derived raw materials is the first practical attempt in the metalworking oil field, marking a significant step towards realizing a circular economy. Additionally, by collecting used cooking oil (including edible oil sold by the company) and reusing it as a raw material, a system has been established that achieves both "reduce" (reducing edible oil waste) and "recycle" (reusing it as a resource). This is expected to reduce environmental impact, promote effective resource utilization, and provide metalworking oils that meet the three basic physical properties simultaneously, leading to more efficient energy use through reduced consumption.