FUTURE TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENTS - A JAPANESE VIEW

Existing chamber type coke ovens will cease operation in the near future as a result of (i) having reached the end of their lifetime and/or (ii) failing to meet increasingly stringent environmental regulations. It will then become necessary to design and construct new coke ovens, using innovative cokemaking technology. Essential measures that must be adopted include reduction of energy consumption and harmful emissions during cokemaking, elimination of manpower, and implementation of remote operation and automatic equipment. In Japan, the formed coke manufacturing process has been developed and pilot plant trials have proved successful. At the same time, joint academic-industrial study groups are being fostered on an ongoing basis to examine the future direction of process development.