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Clam Shells: from industrial waste to anti-bacterial powder
Mr. Sankoda, his wife and son stand in front of a giant pile of empty clam shells. The shells will soon be powderized and used and an anti-bacterial agent. 99.10.21/ Temperature: 8C/ Weather: Partly cloudy/Wind Direction: W
Start: Nishikioka, Tomakomai /Latitude: 42 37 07 N /Longitude: 141 30 09 E
Destination: Noboribetsu/ Latitude: 42 27 23 N /Longitude: 141 11 25 E
Distance Traveled: 36kmAfter leaving the ocean behind me over 500 kilometers ago, today we met again. Curious about how people interact with the ocean on this side of the Hokkaido, I dropped in on a company which packages and processes several different kinds of clams.
Fresh, cooked and slightly salted clam. Mmm..Mmm.. delicious. A hint of salt was in the air as I approached the coast this morning. Waves rolled in slowly and thundered against the giant tetrapodswhich stretched on along the coast as far as the eye could see.
A forklift dumping kind of clam (spisulla syballae ) shells into an enormous pile near the road sparked my interest. The packaging and processing plant was built in sections. "We built this part when we first started," said Mr. Sankoda's wife. The roof hung low and the ware of the tubs suggested their age. Looking through the plant one could distinguish the series of improvements and add-ons to the plant.
"We package and process all kinds of shells," said Mr. Sankoda, President of Maruzen Shokuhin Co. Ltd. "I quit my office job and wanted to be independent, even in the smallest way, that's why I started this company." Mr. Sankoda has established this independence and created quite an interesting operation along the way.
"Recent data release confirms that all of the shells you saw outside have antibacterial properties," said Mr. Sankoda, seeming excited to share this new discovery. "Once the shells are burned at high temperatures, then turned to powder, the final product can be used to prevent food poisoning and are effective to counter germs There is also evidence that the shells, in powdered form, mixed with water can decrease some of the effects of agricultural chemicals and environmental hormones". Mr. Sankoda has discovered that the shells, which used to be classified as 'industrial waste,' may have some solutions for current environmental and health problems.
Ocean waves brake against the tetrapod embankment along the coast in Tomakomai. In addition, this new discovery is helping solve other environmental issues for the plant. Mr. Sankoda explained. "We are now attempting to decrease the amount of industrial waste. For years, shells have just gone to the dump, but now we've found a use for them. In addition to starting up a wind-powered plant to powderize the shells, we sell some polished shells to shell artists ." I inquire about the wind-powered plant. "We are finally finding ways to decrease the amount of waste created by the shells. It wouldn't make sense to run a gasoline-powered plant. We would still be creating industrial waste by polluting the air. This is why we are going to start the wind-powered plant."
Mr. Sankoda seems headed in a unique direction working to solve his companies waste problems as well as working toward beneficial scientific discoveries. What do all of you think?
Greg
P.S. Yes I was able to have a sample of the plants delicious clams
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