Environmental and Corporate Citizenship Activities
Conducting Joint Research on Bonito Resources
Much of the bonito fish used as a raw ingredient in our HON-DASHI® is caught in the Pacific Ocean in waters near the equator. While these waters contain a stable and abundant supply of bonito, the Ajinomoto Group believes it is important to continue to monitor bonito habitats and the ways in which this resource is used. As a first step, in April 2009, we began a study of bonito resources in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of western Japan together with the Fisheries Research Agency, an incorporated administrative agency. The research involves the tagging and release of 1,000 bonito caught by pole-and-line fishing in waters around the Amami Islands. The location and time of their recapture, tagging data enables researchers to estimate such information as migration routes and migration speed under certain conditions. The project will analyze migration routes and changes in the number of fish that traverse these routes until its conclusion in March 2010.
Using Local Biomass Resources Toward a Low-carbon Society
The rice husks that are used as a fuel alternative to heavy oil
The biomass boiler that runs on rice husks at the Kamphaeng Phet Plant
The Ajinomoto Group is promoting efforts to realize a low-carbon society. In March 2009, operation of a biomass boiler that burns rice husks in place of fossil fuels commenced at the Ajinomoto Co. (Thailand), Ltd. plant in Kamphaeng Phet, Thailand. Use of the new boiler has enabled the plant to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by around 100,000 tons per year. Rice husks are purchased from nearby farmers and converted to energy using the biomass boiler, enabling the production of AJI-NO-MOTO® and other products. The raw materials for AJI-NO-MOTO® are sugar cane, cassava, and other agricultural products which are produced and procured locally. The byproducts from the manufacturing process are turned into other valuable coproducts, such as organic fertilizers, which are then reused in local farms. In this manner, we have succeeded in creating a model for amino acid fermentation production based on recycling local biomass resources, which incorporates raw materials, energy, and the effective use of byproducts in symbiosis with local agriculture.
Model for amino acid fermentation production based on recycling local biomass resources
