Coral reefs are often known as the rain forests of the ocean and are said to be the home to one-fourth of the world’s 500,000 marine animal species—a treasure trove of life.
  Unfortunately, due to environmental and human impact, the health of coral reefs is being threatened throughout the world at an alarming rate. Following the rise in sea temperatures caused by El Niño in 1998, some 77,000 square kilometers of coral reefs were killed worldwide—an area 35 times the size of metropolitan Tokyo.
  To mark its 50th Anniversary in 2004, Mitsubishi Corporation has launched the Global Marine Research Project, consisting of three scientific research studies in Japan, the United States and the Republic of Seychelles. The studies will focus on the ecology of coral reefs around the world and methods for their protection.
  The researchers will address one of the leading problems facing coral reefs, that of bleaching, which has already brought about major damage to coral reefs worldwide. Bleaching is a stress condition in corals that occurs as a result of a rise in sea temperature. At present, the causes of bleaching are still unclear.
  The results of the research will be announced through seminars or similar events and Mitsubishi Corporation will also seek to raise awareness and broadly promote the utilization of the research around the world by presenting findings at academic conferences and in various publications.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has licensed its technology for capturing carbon dioxide (CO₂) from flue gases to India’s largest urea fertilizer producer for a project that will capture 450 metric tons of CO₂ per day, one of the world’s largest capacities.
  Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) will use the technology at two operating urea fertilizer plants. The CO₂ recovery facilities will be retrofitted in the fertilizer plant and process the flue gas stream from the existing reformer. IFFCO believes the technology will not only enable practical utilization of flue gas CO₂, but also reduce CO₂ emissions and produce energy savings.
  MHI’s CO₂ recovery technology was jointly developed with Kansai Electric Power Co. and is considered to be one of the most efficient technologies for this application. The new facilities are able to recover approximately 90% of the CO₂ in the flue gas stream
  MHI’s CO₂ recovery technology also can be used to recover CO₂ from the flue gas stream of reformers in methanol plants. Another important possible application is enhanced oil recovery (EOR), in which CO₂ captured from flue gases of industrial plants, such as power plants burning hydrocarbons, is injected into oil reservoirs to increase crude oil production. In this application the CO₂ mixes with the crude oil to promote the increased flow of crude to the production wells. Because EOR can improve oil recovery and also reduce global-warming gases through sequestration of CO₂ into oil reservoirs, MHI intends to promote large-scale CO₂ recovery facilities for EOR to oil companies, as well as for chemical plant applications.