Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture - May 2007: Waste Heat Nurtures the Blessings of the Sea and the Budding of Local Cycles

Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture - May 2007: Waste Heat Nurtures the Blessings of the Sea and the Budding of Local Cycles

In the spring of 2007, Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture, began experimenting with a new way to utilize energy generated at waste disposal sites. The initiative was led by Sanki Kogyo Corporation, which worked with Rasa Shoji and local businesses to create a system to supply waste heat generated at an incineration facility to a nearby abalone aquaculture facility. For abalone, which are raised in a cold climate, stable water temperature is the key to their growth. This system has made it possible to heat the seawater used for abalone cultivation and improve the growth environment.

The groundbreaking aspect of this project is that it is based on the recycling concept of returning locally generated energy back to the community. Conventionally, waste heat was released into the atmosphere, but by utilizing it to cultivate fishery resources, the project was able to both reuse energy and revitalize the local economy. The amount of heavy oil used for heating was reduced by about 10%, which also led to a reduction in aquaculture expenses. This was an advanced model at the time as a practical example of how to enhance the sustainability of the aquaculture industry while reducing the environmental burden.

This initiative also overlaps with the "low-carbon regional recycling society" concept that Aomori Prefecture has been promoting since the early 2000s. The prefectural government's "Aomori Prefecture Environmental White Paper" (FY 2011) introduced the use of waste heat in Hachinohe City as a specific example, reevaluating the energy from incineration facilities as a "productive resource" that goes beyond mere disposal. Also, in "Forty Years of Research on Aquaculture in Aomori Prefecture," the case of Hachinohe City is recorded as one of the advanced technological developments related to abalone aquaculture and its on-site implementation.

What this project showed was a viewpoint that overcomes the idea of "waste = unnecessary" and rather sees it as a new resource for the region. This approach, which was born out of the linking of different areas such as urban functions and the fishing industry, would later lead to the smart community concept and the regional use of renewable energy. In the cold region of Hachinohe City, the warmth that nurtures the life of the sea comes from an unexpected place: a garbage incinerator.

Reference source (no URL):

- Aomori Prefecture Environmental White Paper (2011 edition): "Utilization of Waste Heat in the Fisheries Industry in Hachinohe City
- Aomori Prefecture, "Forty Years of Research on Aquaculture": Description of abalone aquaculture and temperature control technology.
- Sanki Kogyo and Rasa Shoji's Report on Local Energy Utilization Project (2007) [Source: File "154-2007-05-20.pdf"].