History of Shikanaiwei Corporation's Scallop Recycling Business in Aomori City - 1997 to the 2020s

History of Shikanaiwei Corporation's Scallop Recycling Business in Aomori City - 1997 to the 2020s

Shikanai Wei Co. (Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture) has been developing a recycling business using scallop shells from Aomori Prefecture since the late 1990s, and its efforts have further expanded in the 2020s. Focusing on the fact that approximately 200,000 tons of scallop shells are disposed of annually at fishing ports and aquaculture farms in Aomori Prefecture, the company has sought to solve the waste problem through the reuse of scallop shells. Scallop shells contain trace amounts of calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, and calcium sulfate, which are the main components of scallop shells, and the company has successfully developed, manufactured, and sold "scallop tile," a building material with excellent water permeability and humidification properties, by using these components.

In the 1990s, scallop tiles were generally processed into chips and used as soil conditioner or chicken feed, but Shikanai Restoration has established a technology to use scallop tiles as a building material beyond these methods. In the early 2000s, the company successfully spread the word about the effectiveness of scallop tiles both within and outside of the region, with a number of successful installations at the Shinkansen Akita Station in Aomori City and the Kodomari Fishing Port.

Furthermore, in the 2020s, the company is focusing on developing new products such as "green stones" and "fishing reefs" by applying its calcium carbonate immobilization technology obtained through shell recycling. Through these efforts, the company is going beyond mere waste recycling to contribute to environmental conservation and ecosystem maintenance.

In recent years, Shikanai Ishi has established itself as a community-based recycling company, and its efforts are not limited to Aomori Prefecture, but are spreading to other regions as well. Its scallop tile and shell recycling products promote local economic cycles and are highly regarded both in Japan and abroad as an ecological business model.