The Era of Budding Environmental Technologies: The Horizon of Technological Innovation Expands from Thermal Recycling to New Energy (1994)

The Era of Budding Environmental Technologies: The Horizon of Technological Innovation Expands from Thermal Recycling to New Energy (1994)
In Japan in 1994, environmental problems in many areas such as waste, water quality, and energy became more serious, and a variety of environmental technologies began to emerge simultaneously in response. The magazine first discusses a new method for evaluating water quality by indexing ecosystems, and presents a scientific approach that attempts to measure environmental conditions in terms of "living creature responses. In factories, cogeneration and low NOx combustion methods that reuse waste heat were proposed, and both energy conservation and air pollution control were sought. In agriculture, the concept of plant factories that do not depend on agricultural chemicals has emerged, and closed production systems are being discussed as the agricultural technology of the future.

In addition, the OECD predicted the expansion of the market for bioremediation using microorganisms and enzymes, and restoration technology with less environmental impact than drugs was considered important internationally. As for corporate trends, ZEON Corporation was introduced as developing a technology to apply recycled resin to landscape materials and repository construction, opening up new horizons in materials recycling.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government was considering the introduction of a product assessment system and was working to create a system to evaluate environmental impact from manufacturing to disposal. Furthermore, thermal recycling technology, which thermally decomposes waste plastic into oil, had emerged, and the concept of recycling waste back into resources was beginning to be put into action as a concrete technology. The government was promoting the introduction of various new energy sources, such as solar power generation, waste power generation, and wave power generation, while at sea, research began on technologies to reduce ship exhaust gas emissions, such as the SCR system. These articles indicate that 1994 was a full-scale turning point in environmental technology, a year in which society began to envision its future with the "environment" at its core.