| CASE STUDY | CE REF: 215BN208-192 | COMPANY:
World Business Council for Sustainable Development
PROJECT:
Taiheiyo Cement Corporation: using urban waste for 'eco-cement' |  
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| Taiheiyo Cement Corporation: using urban waste for 'eco-cement' | | Case Study | | | | Industry and company background | | | Taiheiyo Cement Corporation, formed in 1998 as a result of a merger between Chichibu Onoda Cement Corporation and Nihon Cement Co., is now one of the leading Japanese companies in the cement industry. The company’s mission is to contribute to social and economic development and the improvement of infrastructure, by continuously providing a stable supply of high quality cement. At the same time Taiheiyo seeks to boldly challenge new business areas in order to achieve dynamic business development. The company’s four business domains are: Cement & Ready-mixed Concrete, Construction and Construction materials, Real Estate, and others including Zero Emissions business. Japan has experienced progressive development of it’s society and infrastructure through maintaining and expanding distribution arteries such as highways, railways airports and harbors, etc., and the creation of functional high rise commercial buildings and residential accommodation. The cement industry has played a vital role in this development and will continue to do so in the future while meeting the requirements of the modern world in terms of intelligent technologies and environmental preservation. | | | Case context
Japan generates 450 million metric tonnes of waste per annum, however the construction of new landfill sites is virtually impossible due to the Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) syndrome. Previously the Japanese cement industry has used up to 24 million metric tonnes of industrial waste per year to make mixed and ordinary Portland cement. However urban waste and incinerated ash was not being utilized for cement production.
This case documents Taiheiyo’s innovation of Eco-Cement to address this increasing problem in Japan through utilization of these urban waste products to make cement. | 
| | | Targets
To address the waste problems in Japan and explore the opportunities of using urban waste, Eco-cement was developed by Taiheiyo. As part of a National Project, on behalf-of The Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), research into utilizing urban waste began in 1990.
The objective of this research, and the project that emerged, was to develop technologies that utilized urban wastes, such an incinerator ash and sewage sludge, to ultimately prolong the life of landfill sites in areas suffering wastes disposal problems. A further objective of this research was to design processes that removed toxic and harmful elements from the waste products being used for the cement production.
For Taiheiyo, the utilization of urban waste would also provide a new input into production and a new product for the company to market. This venture was also aligned with Taiheiyo’s mission to contribute to social and economic development in that it could provide one solution to waste disposal problems for areas of Japan. | | | Actions
As a result of the research endeavor, the basic idea of “Eco-Cement was developed by Taiheiyo. Extensive dialogues were made with various stakeholders during 1991- 1992, when the pilot plant development started as a national project funded by Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI). The pilot plant test was conducted by a consortium made up of Taiheiyo, Aso Cement Co., Ltd., Ebara Corporation and Dowa Mining Co., Ltd. while the operating and remodeling costs were shared by the former three companies.
To promote environmental sustainability, Taiheiyo felt that the cost should be borne by all parties concerned such as producers, consumers and local and central governments. “It is important to have open discussions and come to a consensus as to how to share the cost, so that the triple bottom line is easily obtained” highlights Mr Hiroshi Obana, Deputy General Manager of Taiheiyo’s Zero Emission Promotion Department.
The early exploratory phases of designing Eco-cement was undertaken by a Productivity and Technical Committee, who were supported by academics, MITI, Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of Welfare. This detailed research phase sought to explore manufacturing technology options, addressing issues of harmful emissions and the safety of the product. A selected manufacturing technology was confirmed in 1997.
This cement manufacture process involves the burning of raw materials at temperatures reaching 1,450 degrees Celsius. Because of the high temperatures involved, a very wide range of waste materials can be used in the process without harming the environment.
The Eco-cement process removes the toxic and harmful elements included in these materials. Dioxins are destroyed at the high temperature of cement production and harmful heavy metals are recovered as useful non-ferrous metal ores. Therefore, through the manufacture of Eco-cement, Taiheiyo Cement Corporation contributes to both energy conservation and CO 2 reduction.
As a part of the Eco-town Plan of Chiba Prefecture in Japan, the first Ecocement plant was designed in 1998 to address serious waste disposal problems of the Prefecture. Annually, in this area, disposal of incineration ash in landfills had reached around 240,000 metric tons. | | | Results
The Eco-cement process has successfully converted urban wastes to a product whose quality has been recognized by research scientists and engineers as being of no harm - including chloride behavior. The recently constructed Eco-cement plant, in Ichihara, Japan, will use incinerator ash from 26 cities and municipalities, and has a production capacity of about 350 metric tonnes per day using the Eco-cement process. The official construction cost of this plant is 12.6 billion yen (USD$10million) and the managing cost is about 40 thousand yen (USD$325) per metric tonne of incinerated ash. The local government, who is responsible for managing the urban waste, pays this managing cost.
The second Eco-cement plant, now in the final stage of design, is to be owned by an association of 31 cities and municipalities in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area with a total population of 3.8 million inhabitants.
Previously, the main players in the waste management market have been of brokerage, transport industry, landfill site owners and some machinery makers. Eco-cement is one of the first examples of the involvement of a basic material manufacturer using urban wastes as alternative fuels and raw materials in the waste management market. | | | Lessons learned
As a result of the complicated Japanese socio-legal and administrative systems, Taiheiyo faced certain difficulties, particularly as this involved a process to convert waste to a product. Cement production is under control and command of MITI and waste control lies under four ministries. Household waste control is the mandate of the Ministry of Heath and Welfare while industrial waste is overseen by MITI and sewage sludge by the Construction Ministry. The Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for overseeing all of these regulatory authorities. Therefore, when initiating Eco-cement production, Taiheiyo came to realize the necessity of facilitating the active involvement of all regulatory authorities | | | Future steps
Taiheiyo is continuing to expand production, hence further reducing waste amounts going to landfill sites in areas that have suffered from this problem. Taiheiyo are seeking now to advance their processes and utilize more alternative fuel (ie. energy from wastes), and explore breakthrough technology that enables the ease of cement production without loss of energy efficiency and minimizing operational trouble. | 
| | | | | Project Data Author: WBCSD
Publication Date:1 Mar 2001
Issue/Topic: Business Role/CSR Cement
Region: Asia
Country: Japan
Company: Taiheiyo Cement Corporation | | | For more information:
www.taiheiyo-cement.co.jp/english
www.taiheiyo-cement.co.jp/english/zero/ecocement.html |
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