TOKYO -- Japanese chemical company Asahi Kasei is planning to commercialize a new way to make plastic raw materials from carbon dioxide and water through electrolysis, offering a potential game changer for decarbonization in the plastics industry.

The technology can be used to produce ethylene, a raw material for plastics used in automobiles and home appliances that is typically derived from petroleum. The process sees gaseous carbon dioxide and a water-based electrolytic solution fed into a device and separated by a membrane. Electricity is passed through them with electrodes, causing a chemical reaction that produces ethylene.