Environment Contaminated soil remediation and eco-materials (around 2007)

Environment Contaminated soil remediation and eco-materials (around 2007)

Around 2007, Japan's Soil Contamination Countermeasures Law, which came into effect in 2003, took root, and combined with the increase in land transactions and redevelopment, the number of investigation and remediation projects suddenly became apparent. While brownfield rehabilitation (reuse of former factory sites) in urban areas was progressing, additional regulations and guidelines continued to be developed by local governments, and "remediation according to use" based on risk assessment became the mainstream. The market has expanded to the 200 billion yen scale, and vertical integration has progressed as an "environmental business" that encompasses everything from soil and groundwater diagnosis to remediation, recycling, and redevelopment.

In terms of technology, the concept of combining methods according to the target contamination (VOCs, oil, heavy metals) and ground conditions has become widespread. For volatile organic compounds, SVE (soil gas extraction), air sparging, low-temperature thermal desorption, and ISCO (chemical oxidation with persulfate, etc.) are used, and for groundwater, PRB (permeable reaction walls) using pump and treat and ZVI (zero-valent iron) are used. Soil cleaning, solidification, and stabilization for heavy metals, and low-temperature heating and bioremediation (nutrient addition and aerobicization) for oil contamination are now on the menu, and designs that optimize in situ and ex situ treatment in terms of economy, construction time, and residual risk have become common.

In addition to laboratory analysis such as GC/MS and ICP-MS, the workflow of "rapid screening → detailed investigation → risk assessment" integrating PID/FID, portable XRF, MIP (membrane interface probe), CPT and GIS has taken root in the field. The workflow of "Rapid Screening -> Detailed Survey -> Risk Assessment" is now well established. Enhanced visualization and data management have contributed to the control of excessive and underestimated countermeasures and enhanced accountability.

In parallel, eco-materials, which are responsible for waste reduction and resource recycling, emerged. Recycled PP/PE derived from recovered plastics, bottle-to-bottle recycled PET, and WPC (decking and landscape materials) made by compositing wood flour and thermoplastic resin are now in mass production, and the container and packaging recycling system and green purchasing have boosted the market. In the paper container and food container fields, lightweight and recycle-compatible designed products such as the foamed PET tray "Celpet" were introduced, appealing for reduction of environmental impact (raw material reduction, logistics efficiency, and recyclability) from an LCA perspective.

Business models became more diverse, and in addition to EPC-type lump-sum contracting, performance-linked schemes incorporating performance guarantees and monitoring, financing with soil liability insurance and trusts, and JV schemes incorporating redevelopment value expanded. In short, the "remediation x recyclable materials" business had entered a stage of maturity as an "integrated industry" involving laws, regulations, finance, and urban policies, and the competitive axis was not only the superiority of individual technologies but also the ability to design a system that covers the entire process from investigation and design to reuse, materialization, and exit (real estate value). This was the historical background and technological trends of the period around 2007.