Development of low-cost technology for asbestos disposal begins (nationwide) - September 2006

Development of low-cost technology for asbestos disposal begins (nationwide) - September 2006

In 2005, asbestos damage at Kubota's former Kanzaki Plant (Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture) became a social problem, requiring urgent action throughout Japan. The conventional treatment method used a high-temperature melting furnace with a temperature of over 1,500 degrees Celsius, which was safe but expensive at 300 million yen per unit, making it difficult to spread and limiting treatment capacity. Against this backdrop, the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI), in cooperation with the private sector, supported the development of low-cost, energy-saving treatment technology in FY2006. Research began on a new technology that renders asbestos harmless by destroying the fiber structure through chemical reactions and low-temperature sintering. In September of the same year, the revised Industrial Safety and Health Law came into effect, tightening regulations on asbestos content from "1% or more" to "over 0.1%. The year 2006 was a turning point in which both "institu
tional strengthening" and "technological innovation" were required.