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Tokyo PCB Waste Treatment Facility
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Tokyo Facility is the third regional PCB waste treatment facility
in Japan, thanks to the acceptance of the facility by Tokyo Metropolis and Koto-ku.
JESCO started construction in August 2004, and after a test run conducted from June to October 2005,
full operations started on November 11, 2005.
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Outline of Facility
^ Click above to enlarge |
Location: 3-chome Aomi Chisaki Koutou-ku, Tokyo, 135-0064 JAPAN
Lot area: Approx. 30,500 m2
Accepts PCB wastes stored in: Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo & Kanagawa (Total: 4 prefectures)
Types of wastes to be treated: Electrical apparatuses such as
transformers, capacitors and ballasts, PCB oil, and insulation oil of pole-mounted transformers (stored in Tokyo Metropolis)
PCB treatment capacity: 2t/day (PCB decomposition volume)
Treatment Method:
1)Transformers, Capacitors and Ballasts
Chemical decomposition: Hydrothermal Oxidation Method
Pre-treatment of containers and components: solvent cleansing
2)Insulation oil of pole-mounted transformers (stored in Tokyo Metropolis)
Chemical decomposition: Dechlorination Method
Overview of building
- 5-story steel framed building
- Building area: 13,000 m2
- Total floor area: 37,000 m2
- Height: 40 m
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Treatment Flow
High Concentration PCB
Transformers and capacitors are inspected at acceptance, and after extraction of PCB oil, parts are
disassembled, while ballasts are crushed at once after inspection. The parts are then sent
to cleansing and heating facilities. PCB extracted and recovered from various processes
are decomposed in the PCB decomposition facilities, using the hydrothermal oxidation decomposition method,
where PCB is mixed with sodium hydroxide, water, and oxygen, causing a chemical reaction
and PCB is turned into CO2, water and salt. To accelerate reaction, the reaction apparatus is
applied pressure of 26.5 MPas, and heated to 370 degrees Celsius. All material are tested
if they are PCB free before shipment.
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| ^ Click above chart to enlarge |
Low Concentration PCB
Because the PCB concentration of insulation oil in pole-mounted transformers is very low (about 20ppm),
they are treated separately from the high-concentrated PCB.
Oil extracted from pole-mounted transformers is sent to the decomposition tank facility, which
uses the dechlorination method.
Inside the decomposition tank, the low concentration PCB oil is mixed with solvents,
alkaline chemicals, and blended at 200 degrees Celsius, causing a chemical reaction, turning PCB
into a harmless substance called "biphenyl", and "sodium chloride" or common salt.
The detoxified insulation oil is used as fuel for boilers at thermal power plants.
After PCB is extracted, the containers are sent to a different treatment facility and cleaned,
to be recycled as scrap metal.
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| ^ Click above chart to enlarge |
Safety Measures of Tokyo Facility
| Monitoring |
Operations are monitored 24 hours a day by computers from the Central Monitoring Room. |
| Measures for Exhaust |
Collected air exhaust is cleaned by oil scrubbers in the exhaust treatment apparatus, is treated
by activated carbon as a safety net before released. |
| Measures to Prevent Leakage |
To prevent PCB from leaving the facilities, oil pans are set under PCB-handling areas and PCB
treatment equipment. Floors are coated with epoxy resin which is impermeable, chemical resistant,
and wear-resistant. These measures will prevent PCB from penetrating floors in case of
a spilling. The oil pans and floors are equipped with detectors to identify leakage. Furthermore,
the air pressure inside the facilities are kept lower than atmosphere outside, to keep air from
flowing outside. |
| Emergency Measures |
When an earthquake above preset intensity is detected, facilities are shut down automatically.
Also, to protect facilities from fire, automatic fire alarms, chemical fire extinguishers and fire
hydrants are installed. |
Information Disclosure of Operation Status
JESCO makes effort to actively disclose information from planning of facilities to operation status.
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