Japan

Materials science just produced one of those results that makes you do a double take. Researchers at Japan’s Gifu University created a rubber — technically a “CO₂-curable elastomer” — that absorbs carbon dioxide from its surroundings and transforms into a rigid, acrylic-like plastic. Published in Nature Communications. How It Works The material combines polyethyleneimine (PEI), which reacts with CO₂, with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a silicone polymer that CO₂ passes through easily. On its own, PEI absorbs ~1mg of CO₂ per gram. Bonded with PDMS, it absorbs 220mg per gram — the PDMS creates internal “passageways” that let CO₂ reach PEI deep inside the material. ...

While most CDR headlines focus on North America and Europe, Asia is quietly building serious carbon removal capacity. The latest example: Japan’s Green Carbon Inc. has partnered with Ahmedabad-based Excellent Enfab to deploy industrial-scale biochar production in India. The Deal Two new pyrolysis plants will be built in Gujarat and West Bengal. Feedstock comes from locally sourced agricultural residues — peanut shells, flower stems, bamboo — the kind of waste that would otherwise decompose and release CO₂ back into the atmosphere. ...

The geography of carbon removal is shifting. Japan’s Green Carbon Inc. has partnered with India’s Excellent Enfab Incorporation to build an industrial-scale biochar carbon removal plant in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Commercial operations are planned for Q2 2026. The Partnership Green Carbon, headquartered in Japan, has built a diverse CDR portfolio spanning rice paddy credits, biochar, forest conservation, carbon farming, mangrove planting, and cattle methane reduction across Japan, Southeast Asia, Australia, and South America. ...