Taiheiyo Cement Corp. said Monday it will start incinerating debris left by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in two cities in Iwate Prefecture at its plant in Ofunato next week as part of efforts to reconstruct the cities devastated by the disasters.
Japan's largest cement producer will burn debris mainly from collapsed houses scattered around the cities of Ofunato and Rikuzentakata from June 22 using its No.5 rotary kiln, which is located on higher ground and avoided damage.
The company halted production of cement at the plant after its furnaces were damaged by the massive tsunami following the earthquake. But it decided to make use of the No.5 furnace to burn the debris at the requests of the local governments, the company said.
The company will incinerate 300 tons of debris every day up until around the end of August, and will continue thereafter if the furnace can handle it, the company said. It may also consider expanding the areas from which it will accept rubble as the Iwate prefectural government has asked it to do so, according to a company official.
How the ash produced in the process of incineration will be disposed of has yet to be determined, but it could be used in the production of cement, the official added.
The company plans to partially resume cement production at the Ofunato plant in November.
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