Kawasaki Eco-Town - November 2002

Kawasaki Eco-Town - November 2002

Kawasaki Eco-Town is a model project underway in the waterfront area of Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, to promote the use of renewable energy and waste recycling. Particular attention is being paid to the recycling of waste plastics, with approximately 30,000 tons of waste plastic being recycled annually and utilized as a new source of energy and chemical raw materials. Specifically, technology has been developed to produce ammonia from recycled plastics, which can be used as a raw material for power generation and chemical fertilizers.

In addition, Kawasaki Eco-Town is promoting hydrogen energy generation technology and has established a process for extracting hydrogen from waste. This will provide hydrogen energy for fuel cell vehicles and industrial fuel cells, and is expected to create a sustainable energy supply system.

The Eco-Town project is being led by Showa Denko, Toshiba Energy Systems, and other major companies that are participating in this technological innovation. Showa Denko has developed technology to generate ammonia from waste plastic, while Toshiba Energy Systems has created a system that uses waste to generate hydrogen energy more efficiently.

In addition, Kawasaki Eco-Town is a collaborative effort between citizens and businesses to share information and implement various initiatives to create a sustainable city. Through Eco-Town, Kawasaki aims to reduce CO2 emissions and improve energy efficiency, and as an environmental model city attracting attention from Japan and abroad, the city is expected to continue to innovate and expand its business.

This project is an important attempt to solve urban environmental problems, especially the practical application of environmental technology in the waterfront industrial area.