Earth Techno Support

Earth Techno Support (ETS) is at the forefront of global environmental preservation and sustainability through its innovative and economical metal recycling processes.

What sets ETS apart is its dual focus—not only does it provide expert consulting services, but it also delivers comprehensive analysis and waste management engineering solutions. This expertise of the company stems from its origin as an analytical lab for Kawaryo Shoten, a non-ferrous metal recycling company, which has equipped ETS with extensive knowledge of recycling industry trade flows.

“Our expertise enables us to act as a valuable intermediary, creating significant environmental benefits for our clients,” says Masatoshi Kawashima, representative director.

ETS collaborates with trading companies and recycling plants, conducting analyses on materials such as EV batteries and electronic devices to facilitate their efficient recycling. Through detailed assessments of exhaust gases, dioxins from waste incinerators and wastewater from metal refining plants, ETS proposes advanced purification equipment and ensures adherence to relevant environmental.

Understanding that some clients prefer in-house waste processing to maximize value, ETS offers comprehensive environmental consulting services. This includes in-depth guidance and documentation to ensure compliance with environmental laws and regulations. Based on these analyses, ETS proposes advanced purification equipment and provides guidance on compliance with relevant laws, regulations and necessary documentation. A testament to ETS’s innovative engineering is its approach to extracting indium from polishing dust, a byproduct of manufacturing liquid-crystal displays (LCDs). ETS developed, manufactured and implemented specialized equipment that uses physical methods to extract indium. This process achieved a remarkable indium recovery rate of over 90 percent, with the indium concentrated to a purity level that enables economical purification.

ETS’s holistic approach is particularly relevant today, as the global population surpasses 8 billion, intensifying environmental pressures and increasing demand for mineral resources. This heightened demand, coupled with growing environmental concerns, necessitates innovative solutions— exactly what ETS is providing with its ‘small binary power generation AI system.’

This innovative system uses unused waste heat from geothermal energy, factories, waste incinerators and other sources, converting it into electricity. The ‘binary power generation’ system operates on a heat cycle principle similar to power generation with a steam turbine. However, instead of using water, it vaporizes a medium with a lower boiling point to turn the turbine and generate electricity. This technology enables the recovery of thermal energy and the generation of electricity from heat sources below 100°C.

ETS has tested and verified that this ‘binary power generation’ can be efficiently controlled by AI and a reinforcement learning algorithm. By inputting and learning information on the generation status from heat sources and electricity demand, the system maximizes net power output while effectively using ancillary equipment such as hot water tanks.
Building on this success, ETS is applying this technology to a ‘solar thermal binary power generation AI system’ in its pursuit of a ‘carbon-free society.’ This new system collects solar energy to create hot water, generating electricity during the day. Additionally, it can generate electricity at night or during bad weather using hot water stored in a tank. By implementing AI, the system can predict electricity demand and provide an optimal supply of electricity to the power network.

The philosophy underpinning ETS’s innovations aligns closely with the Japanese concept of ‘mottainai,’ which encompasses the practice of treasuring and using all things for as long as possible. Just as mottainai encourages minimizing waste and maximizing the use of resources, ETS’s technologies aim to convert waste heat into valuable electricity, ensuring that no resource is squandered.