On July 20, in the sponsor press conference of the 2025 Japan International Exhibition (so-called Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai) for “Future Society Showcase Project Exhibition,” it was announced that Air Water, Osaka Gas and Research Institute of Innovative Technology(RITE) expressed their intent of participation following Iwatani which had already expressed ahead.

The “Future Society Showcase Project Exhibition” stands for the exhibition project to introduce cutting edge technologies and systems, comparing the Expo site to the showcase of future society.
The project consists of three themes, “Smart Mobility Expo” to put in order a marine access, “Digital Expo” to arrange wi-fi environments and “Green Expo” to implement decarbonization in the Expo site. The press announcement introduced a total of 11 projects engaged with by 13 companies.

Iwatani out of these participants referred to its plan to operate passenger services by hydrogen FC access boat and develop filling equipment positioning it as “moving pavilion” of “Smart Mobility Expo.” Regarding the FC-driven boat, Iwatani has developed and verified it under the subsidization of NEDO together with Kansai Electric, Tokyo University of Marine Science & Technology and Namura Shipbuilding since July 2021.

The boat is a hybrid vessel of FC and EV with a gross tonnage of 120 tons sized at an overall length of 30m and width of 8 m. It navigates at a speed of 10 knots (equivalent to 20km per hour) allowing 150 passengers at the maximum. The boat is equipped inside with 16 high-pressure hydrogen cylinders of 230ℓ each, one lithium battery of 1,000 kWh and 4 units of 60kW fuel cell.

Filling is made using the filling facilities equipped inside the Nanko power plant of Kansai Electric Power. The filling facilities consist of hydrogen trailer of 29.6MPa, booster, accumulator (300ℓ x 18), dispenser and brine freezer.

The basic specifications do not differ from those of hydrogen station for FCV, but the filling hose of dispenser is 8 m longer for bunkering from land to sea and a newly designed filling arm is provided as a feature.

The operation area is assumed to be from Yumeshima of the Expo site to Nakanoshima Gate via the Universal City Port for a 60-minute navigation of 11km in total.
On the other hand, Air Water, Osaka Gas and RITE plan to exhibit in the “Green Expo.” Air Water verifies a project to recycle CO2 inside the Expo site, and Osaka Gas verifies methanation in use of the CO2 recycled by Air Water.

Air Water sets up in the Expo site a small-sized CO2 recycler and dry ice producer “ReCO2STATION” which it developed in 2022. In addition, Air Water is going to recycle CO2 from the combustion waste gas from the thermal power system in the site to utilize it as dry ice for refrigeration and also for the supply to Osaka Gas to be used for methanation. Likewise, RITE is going to attempt to recycle and store CO2 from the atmosphere, and intends to supply it to Osaka Gas.

Osaka Gas which is supplied with CO2 by Air Water and RITE is going to verify methanation of two types. One is to synthesize the recycled CO2 with green hydrogen for methanation. For the green hydrogen Osaka Gas plans to use a water electrolysis device, but details like manufacturer is to be decided. The other is to produce methane from the biogas derived from the waste food in the Expo site.

About 7㎥/hour volume of methane can be obtained by combining the above two. Produced methane is planned to be used as an energy for the guesthouse kitchen of the Expo site.