Abstract
There is a need for a detoxification system that is capable of processing debris in the aftermath of urban disasters into less-harmful waste, quickly and efficiently. The research reported in this paper investigated the potential for transforming asbestos-cement into harmless waste using microwave heating, in small-scale and full-scale experiments. The small-scale setup investigated the relationship between temperature and the number of asbestos fibers in cement slates at various microwave treatment times, during which both the internal and surface temperatures were measured for the samples. Subsequently, the full-size apparatus, which was capable of processing of asbestos-contaminated debris, was constructed at a location affected by the Tohoku earthquake in 2011. This system could successfully process of asbestos-contaminated material and of wood waste. The test results demonstrate that compact asbestos-treatment systems possess efficiency advantages and can operate in full compliance with applicable legal restrictions.
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Acknowledgments
The writers are extremely grateful to the Takasago Industry; Natori City; and the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry of Japan. The research reported in this paper was supported by the Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University [Mission Research, Analysis and Development System for Advanced Materials (ADAM), Microwave Energy Transmission Laboratory (METLAB)], and the Environmental Research and Technology Development Fund (ZF-1203) of the Ministry of the Environment of Japan.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
Volume 19 • Issue 3 • July 2015
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 9, 2014
Accepted: Aug 22, 2014
Published online: Dec 8, 2014
Discussion open until: May 8, 2015
Published in print: Jul 1, 2015
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Asbestos
- Cement
- Coastal engineering
- Coasts, oceans, ports, and waterways engineering
- Concrete
- Continuum mechanics
- Dynamics (solid mechanics)
- Earthquakes
- Engineering fundamentals
- Engineering materials (by type)
- Engineering mechanics
- Environmental engineering
- Geohazards
- Geotechnical engineering
- Industrial wastes
- Materials engineering
- Measurement (by type)
- Microwaves
- Municipal wastes
- Pollutants
- Riprap
- Shores
- Solid mechanics
- Solid wastes
- Temperature effects
- Temperature measurement
- Wastes
- Waves (mechanics)
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