Expansion of the soil remediation market (FY2006)

Expansion of the soil remediation market (FY2006)

In the mid-2000s, the problem of soil contamination from former factory sites and urban redevelopment emerged sharply in Japan, and the Soil Contamination Countermeasures Law, which came into effect in 2003 and requires land transactions and development to be investigated, reported, and remediated, led to a sharp increase in demand for soil remediation. In particular, the soil contamination remediation market reached 200 billion yen in fiscal 2006, growing into a major environmental business field in just a few years.

The backdrop at the time was a booming real estate market and progress in urban redevelopment. After a period of stagnation following the bursting of the bubble economy, large-scale redevelopment of urban centers became active again in the mid-2000s, accelerating the reuse of former factory sites and distribution centers. In the process, volatile organic compounds (TCE, PCE) and heavy metal contamination became apparent, and cleanup became an unavoidable condition. The number of voluntary surveys associated with land transactions increased rapidly, and the number of orders for remediation work also rose steadily.

In addition, local governments in Tokyo, Osaka, Kanagawa, and other cities established their own additional regulations in addition to the national standards, requiring strict compliance. This created the need to introduce more advanced survey and remediation technologies rather than merely minimum legal compliance, and environmental consultants, general contractors, and specialized remediation companies entered the market one after another.

A wide variety of techniques such as soil washing, solidification and stabilization, low-temperature thermal desorption, soil gas absorption (SVE), and chemical oxidation (ISCO) became widely used, and the choice was made according to the contamination to be cleaned and site conditions. Pump-and-treat and permeable reaction walls (PRBs) have attracted attention as a response to groundwater contamination, and construction methods have become more diverse and sophisticated.

As of FY2006, the 200 billion yen market was not limited to environmental risk countermeasures, but had taken on the characteristics of a basic industry that supports land reclamation and urban redevelopment. This expansion, which showed that environmental business is directly linked to economic growth and urban policy, was a symbolic move that played a role in the formation of a recycling-oriented society in Japan.