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The pollution was thus mitigated, but fertilizer manufacturing was using less than 6%, not the full 40% sulfur content, of the copper ore excavated from Besshi Copper Mine. It was clear that something more had to be done. Then came the next idea: make ammonium sulfate, a nitrogenous chemical fertilizer derived by reacting ammonia with sulfuric acid. Manufacturing ammonium sulfate consumes twice as much sulfuric acid per ton of product as in calcium super-phosphate production. Convinced that producing ammonium sulfate would provide a way to finally eradicate the pollution problem, the company began planning a new chemical complex.
Just about that time, an inventive new technique emerged in Germany to synthesize ammonia from nitrogen in the air we breathe. Ammonia is not only a raw material for nitrogenous fertilizers, but also is used to make explosives. Companies around the world were competing fiercely to develop technologies to apply the invention on an industrial scale. Japanese companies, however, had a long road to travel before they could build and operate a commercial-scale ammonia plant. For one thing, it required an enormous capital investment. In addition, Japan’s science and technology at the time was not advanced enough to design and operate the necessary high-pressure equipment. It was not until the last months of 1930 that Sumitomo Fertilizer Manufacturing completed the construction of a chemical fertilizer complex consisting of an ammonium sulfate plant, based on Sumitomo technology, and an ammonium plant, based on a technology licensed from a U.S. company little-known at that time.
The chemical industry differs from assembly industries, such as automotive, in that any single chemical produced is not necessarily the “end product”—it can also serve as a raw material to make numerous other products. In other words, once a chemical company is mass-producing important basic chemicals, it is generally in a very advantageous position to expand its product lines. Sumitomo Fertilizer Manufacturing proved no different in the years following its establishment. The company’s production activities developed into many ammonia derivatives including ammonium carbonate, ammonium chloride and urea. The company expanded into methanol and formalin in 1937, and synthetic resins in 1938. During this growth process, the company changed its name to Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. in 1934 to better reflect the position it had attained as a leader in the Japanese chemical industry. In 1944, the company acquired Japan Dyestuff Manufacturing Company, which gave it a foothold in fine chemicals business.
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Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore (PCS)
Sumitomo Chemical played a central role in establishing the Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore (Pte.) Ltd., a symbol of Singapore-Japan economic cooperation. PCS started operations in 1984 and is the leading Sumitomo-affiliated chemical plant in southeast Asia, producing high-quality ethylene, propylene, acetylene, butadiene, and other chemicals. |
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