Five companies, Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd. (SMI), Mitsui & Co., Kyoei Steel Co., Sumitomo Corp. and Air Water Inc. announced on July 22, 2004 that they will establish a joint venture, to be named the Sumikin Recycle Co., which will treat refractory waste materials with high melting points. The new company will also accept automobile shredder residue (ASR) in response to the Automobile Recycling Law, which will go into force in January 2005.

SMI will provide Sumikin Recycle Co. with a gasification melting furnace, which utilizes the high-temperature processing technology SMI has accumulated in the process of manufacturing steel. As this melting furnace can treat wastes at temperatures above 1,200 degrees Celsius, it can easily deal with refractory wastes and reduce dioxin emissions to extremely low levels.

The new company will be able to achieve total recycling of these wastes and eliminate the need for using landfill sites by converting the combustible components of the waste into fuel gas to supply to SMI's Kashima Steel Works, and converting non-combustible components into slag and metals that can be re-used.

The furnace will start operation in October 2004 with a throughput of 30,000 tons per year. Construction of a second furnace on the same scale is also planned.



Posted: 2004/11/28 04:23:53 PM
Japanese version

TAG Chemicals , Eco-product/Business , Manufacturing industry , Material reduction , Non-manufacturing industry , System/Law