TOKYO, Apr 17, 2025 - (JCN Newswire) - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Environmental & Chemical Engineering Co., Ltd. (MHIEC), a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has received an order from the Bureau of Sewerage of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (the Bureau of Sewerage) to rebuild the sewage sludge incineration facility at the Nambu Sludge Treatment Plant in Ota-ku. The construction order calls for replacement of the existing superannuated sewage sludge incineration system with the industry's first "energy-supply" (carbon-negative) incinerator. The new incinerator enables reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and provides power generation capacity exceeding the incinerator's energy consumption volume, made possible using the waste heat from sewage sludge incineration. The contracted work is valued at 6.41 billion JPY (excluding taxes) and is scheduled for completion in March 2030.
The newly developed energy-supply incinerator is the result of joint research launched in FY2023 between the Bureau of Sewerage and a sewerage plant manufacturer. MHIEC attained all six R&D targets relating to GHG emissions employing a proprietary technology that combines a fluidized bed incineration system equipped with combustion optimization control(Note1) and a high-efficiency binary power generation system(Note2). The Bureau of Sewerage placed the order with MHIEC in reflection of its high assessment of the practical viability of the Company's technology.
MHIEC took over MHI's technological development capabilities in sludge treatment, along with its abundant expertise in the construction and operation of related facilities, in 2006. Today, based on its solid track record MHIEC is in a prime position to propose comprehensive solutions incorporating all aspects of plant construction and operation. The Company received the order for the first energy-supply (carbon-negative) incinerator following the Bureau of Sewerage's assessment of the practical applicability of this configuration. Going forward MHIEC will proactively propose additional measures for saving energy and curbing global warming through constructing sewage sludge treatment plants, aiming for further expansion of orders.
(1) Combustion optimization control is a proprietary technology of MHIEC enabling optimized control of combustion using multiple measures of the sewage sludge incinerator's combustion status.
(2) A binary power generation system, instead of directly using waste heat, transfers the waste heat to a separate heating medium having a lower boiling point than water; the gas generated through the heating medium (by heating and vaporization) is then used to drive a turbine. The term "binary" derives from the dual heating cycle involving the heat source system and medium system. The binary system is also employed in geothermal power generation applications, etc.
About MHI Group
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group is one of the world’s leading industrial groups, spanning energy, smart infrastructure, industrial machinery, aerospace and defense. MHI Group combines cutting-edge technology with deep experience to deliver innovative, integrated solutions that help to realize a carbon neutral world, improve the quality of life and ensure a safer world. For more information, please visit www.mhi.com or follow our insights and stories on spectra.mhi.com.