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Cement has been used for more than a century in making concrete to support the infrastructure of society. The cement manufacturing process, which sinters cement at high temperatures, is unique in that it can use combustible materials as thermal energy and incombustible materials as raw materials. Able to recycle large volumes of waste, cement operation is regarded as one of the recycling industries of society. Our cement factory recycles considerable volumes of waste through a stringent quality management system.
Amid growing interest in zero emissions and the need for effective resource utilization, the Cement Business Div. plays a key role in shaping a recycling-based society. As a part of the Cement Business Div., we firmly believe in its mission to solve the societal problems of today and tomorrow.
R&D in recycling waste began in earnest approximately 10 years ago when we started to accept waste. In particular, Tokuyama was one of the first companies to start the recycling of waste plastics as fuel substitutes, and succeeded in recycling incineration ash as cement raw materials.
Working closely with the Manufacturing Dept. and the Recycling & Environment Promotion Dept., the Cement Development Dept. is in charge of R&D related to cement quality and concrete durability, as well as the development of new waste recycling methods at cement plants. We are also concentrating on the development of waste treatment technologies for newly starting an environmental business in the future.
We also focus R&D efforts on highly functional, high-performance concrete. We have begun to develop new concrete materials through basic research in the hydration reaction of cement. Among many researchers engaged in the concrete field, which has a wide variety of R&D themes, we take pride in our abilities in basic research and creative ideas.
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