Idemitsu, Mitsubishi to join in biofuel research

Japans Idemitsu Kosan Co. and Mitsubishi Corp. are to join a project to examine the feasibility of mass-producing biofuel made from crops not used for food, informed sources said. The project has been conducted by Honda Motor Co. and the Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RIITE), which in September 2006 jointly developed a technology to produce bioethanol from non-food crops such as rice straw. With the entry of Idemitsu and Mitsubishi, the partners will look at forming a business ranging from raw material procurement to production and sales. (June 20, 2008)