Japan's Mitsubishi backs Licella for green fuel tech expansion

Diamond Edge Ventures, Inc. (President: Curtis Schickner, hereinafter “DEV”), the corporate venture arm of Mitsubishi Chemical Group (President: Manabu Chikumoto, hereinafter “MCG Group), announced its investment in Licella Holdings, Ltd. (CEO: Dr. Len Humphreys, hereinafter “Licella”), an Australian technology leader in advanced recycling and renewable fuels. The funding will help accelerate Licella’s global expansion and commercial deployment of its proprietary Catalytic Hydrothermal Reactor (Cat-HTR) technology.

Licella's Cat-HTR process is an innovative technology that converts waste plastics and biomass into oil in supercritical water under high temperature and high pressure, which is then refined to produce chemical feedstocks and sustainable aviation fuel (hereinafter “SAF”). Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (hereinafter “MCC”) is involved in the plastic-to-oil conversion business together with ENEOS Corporation, and recently constructed a new chemical recycling facility at MCC’s Ibaraki Plant (Kamisu City, Ibaraki Prefecture). The Hydro-PRT technology of U.K.-based Mura Technology, which was adopted for this facility, is based on Licella's Cat-HTR technology.

Licella's Cat-HTR process is characterized by its ability to convert not only plastics but also biomass into oil, and in the “Commencement of a Pre- Feasibility Study for the Commercialization of Sustainable Aviation Fuel, Bio-naphtha, and Renewable Diesel Utilizing Domestic Forest Residues” announced by MCC on March 27, 2025, it is envisioned that Licella's technology will be used to produce SAF, bionaphtha, renewable diesel, and other products from woody residue.

“Stable supply platform for green chemicals” is a major pillar of the MCG Group's management vision “KAITEKI Vision 35,” and the MCG Group is now studying ways to diversify its raw materials with a view to increasing the scale of its chemical recycling facilities in the future. With this investment, the MCG Group will deepen its collaboration with Licella, aiming for the social implementation of oil conversion technology using waste plastics and biomass as feedstock and expansion of the business.

 Curtis Schickner, President of Diamond Edge Ventures, said:

“Licella’s Cat-HTR platform offers a scalable and flexible pathway to produce circular chemicals and sustainable fuels from hard-to-recycle waste streams and biomass—exactly the kind of innovation needed to build a stable supply platform for green chemicals. By partnering with Licella at this pivotal stage, including supporting its efforts with the Japanese consortium on sustainable aviation fuel production, we are helping to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon, circular economy.”

Dr. Humphreys, Co-Founder & CEO of Licella, said:

“We are proud to partner with Diamond Edge Ventures and Mitsubishi Chemical Group at this important moment for Licella. Their funding and strategic support validate the commercial readiness of our Cat-HTR platform and its unique ability to deliver scalable, low-carbon solutions for hard-to-recycle plastics and biomass residues. Together, we aim to accelerate the shift to fossil-replacement solutions that contribute to MCG’s vision for a greener, more sustainable chemical industry.”

Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (HU)