OREANDA-NEWS. June 27, 2012. Fujitsu today announced that its plant in Nagano, Japan, has deployed Japan's first wastewater treatment system that enables efficient recovery of copper from industrial wastewater by producing sludge(1) with a high concentration of copper.

Fujitsu Facilities Limited, which is in charge of managing Fujitsu's facilities, deployed the new system produced by the Toshiba Corporation, enabling a high concentration (at least 90%) of copper to be recovered from copper-containing sludge and recycled at a profit while reducing chemicals and other impurities used in the wastewater treatment process. Moreover, by reducing the types of chemicals used by 75%, the new system places a smaller burden on the environment while reducing operational costs. Additionally, it shortens the processing time required and reduces the amount of space needed for the facility's wastewater treatment.

Fujitsu will now undertake tests to verify the effects of the new system while gaining operational know-how, and will consider extending the new system across other Fujitsu Group manufacturing facilities.

As part of the Fujitsu Group Environmental Protection Program, Stage VI(2), the Fujitsu Group is promoting reductions in the amount of waste it generates. The Nagano Plant, which focuses primarily on the development and production of printed circuit boards, has been working to improve the efficiency of copper recovery from the wastewater generated in the production of printed circuit boards. It has also been working to reduce the levels of sludge and the amount of chemicals used in the production process as well as the water treatment process.