Teijin Group will donate wastewater treatment systems and energy-efficient polyester curtains as part of its participation in the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology’s (AIST) Smart Life Care Consortium.
The project will provide support for self-assistance by people in the city of Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture which was devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
As part of the project, AIST researchers have been residing in the city to identify and analyze recovery needs to provide practical solutions in collaboration with cooperating organisations and companies.
As the first step, to improve conditions for people still living in temporary housing in hilly areas three to four kilometres from central Kesennuma, three trailers are being set up as shops and multipurpose facilities.
The wastewater treatment system to be donated by Teijin will process wastewater from the trailers using a technology called the Multi-Stage Activated Biological Process (MSABP). The system is similar to another system Teijin donated to Kesennuma’s Shishiori district last October.
As a portable unit built with mobile containers it is well suited to temporary housing and is good for treating relatively small volumes of wastewater.
Teijin’s MSABP system employs special biological carriers packed with high concentrations of microorganisms in multistage aeration tanks. The microorganisms vary from tank to tank to form a food chain that decomposes even highly concentrated and persistent effluent. The system significantly suppresses the generation of excess sludge, eliminating the need for sludge disposal and resulting in a low-energy, low-maintenance and cost-effective solution.
The curtains to be provided are made with a heat-retentive polyester fibre which contains minute carbon-based inorganic particles that absorb sunlight effectively and convert it to heat energy, and drapes made with fire-retardant polyester. By retaining warmth even in winter, the curtains will help to raise heating efficiency in the trailers.
To date, Teijin’s donations to areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake total more than US$6.5 million in funds and necessities including blankets, masks and home healthcare equipment such as oxygen cylinders and concentrators.
