Market Context — Why This Technology, Why Now

The global push for industrial decarbonization and resource efficiency is intensifying, driven by rising raw material costs and stricter waste disposal regulations. Companies are actively seeking innovative solutions to convert industrial byproducts into valuable resources. This technology aligns perfectly with these trends, offering a proven method to reduce waste, lower operational expenses, and enhance sustainability credentials across heavy industries.

Key Competitive Advantages
01

Eliminates re-carbonation fouling in exhaust gas lines, preventing unexpected shutdowns and reducing repair costs.

02

Reduces total recycling costs by ~20% through process simplification and direct calcium hydroxide production.

03

Achieves highly efficient resource circulation by integrating drying, calcination, and direct calcium hydroxide suspension recovery.

Market Opportunity
Paper and Pulp Industry
$80M–$160M globally (AI est.)
This industry is a primary source of lime cake and requires a shift towards circular production processes. This technology directly contributes to waste reduction and cost efficiency, supporting compliance with stricter environmental regulations.
Major paper and pulp manufacturers Industrial waste management firms Chemical suppliers to paper mills
Steel and Chemical Industries
$100M–$200M globally (AI est.)
Calcium hydroxide is a crucial raw material in steelmaking processes and chemical manufacturing. Stable and low-cost supply enabled by this technology enhances the competitiveness of these industries and mitigates resource procurement risks.
Integrated steel producers Large-scale chemical manufacturers Industrial lime product suppliers
General Industrial Waste Treatment
$150M–$300M globally (AI est.)
The treatment and recycling of lime cake from diverse industries are increasingly important for reducing environmental impact. This technology achieves both reduced processing costs and enhanced resource recovery, fostering new business models.
Industrial waste treatment facility operators Environmental service providers Municipal waste management authorities
IP Defensibility — Why Competitors Can't Replicate This
What This Patent Covers

This patent protects an integrated system for lime cake recycling that specifically prevents re-carbonation fouling during the calcination and slaking processes. The claims were granted after successfully overcoming two office actions with appropriate amendments, demonstrating strong claim stability and technical distinctiveness against existing prior art.

Competitive White Space

This patent focuses on the integrated recycling process and re-carbonation prevention. White space exists in developing novel applications for the recovered calcium hydroxide, exploring alternative high-water-content waste stream processing, or integrating advanced AI-driven process optimization for further efficiency gains.

Economic Impact
~$50K–$600K/year estimated operational cost savings per facility (AI est.)
estimated ROI · USD · AI analysis
ROI Calculation Logic

Fouling issues in exhaust gas lines due to lime cake re-carbonation can incur annual costs for emergency furnace shutdowns, regular maintenance, and parts replacement. These costs could be in the range of several hundred thousand dollars (AI est.). Implementing this technology eliminates these issues, potentially reducing annual maintenance costs by ~20-30% (e.g., from an estimated $350K (AI est.) to $70K (AI est.) in savings) and avoiding opportunity losses from production line stoppages. This could result in an annual economic benefit of several hundred thousand dollars (AI est.).

Speed to Market
4× faster than in-house development
This technology's core concept, preventing re-carbonation issues in lime cake recycling and directly producing calcium hydroxide, is well-established through this patent. This significantly shortens the time required for fundamental research, process design, and demonstration experiments that an adopting company would need for in-house development. The detailed mechanisms of the integrated process described in the patent provide clear technical guidance for product development and system construction, supporting rapid market entry.
Competitive Positioning

X: Cost Efficiency
Y: Environmental Impact Reduction

Business Models & Applications
🤝 Technology Licensing
A model where the technology license is granted, allowing the licensee to build and operate the recycling system within their own factory, generating royalty income. This suppresses existing equipment modification costs and enables rapid implementation.
🌱 Joint Business Development
A model involving collaboration with a leading company in a specific industry to establish a joint venture based on this technology. This covers the entire process from lime cake collection to calcium hydroxide manufacturing and sales.
⚙️ System Integration
Providing a package of custom recycling system design, construction, and implementation support to lime cake discharging companies. This enables the development of high-value-added solution businesses.
Adjacent Application Opportunities
🏗️ Construction & Building Materials
High-Performance Building Material Raw Material
The calcium hydroxide suspension produced by this technology could be utilized as high-quality lime for modifying concrete and mortar, or as a raw material for soil stabilizers and roadbed materials. As a waste-derived building material, it contributes to strengthening the competitiveness of environmentally friendly products.
💧 Water Treatment
Neutralizing Agent and Coagulant for Wastewater Treatment
Calcium hydroxide is widely used as a pH adjuster and coagulant for precipitation in industrial wastewater and sewage treatment. The high-purity and stably supplied calcium hydroxide suspension produced by this technology is expected to contribute to increased efficiency and cost reduction in water treatment processes.
🔬 Environmental Remediation
Harmful Substance Removal in Soil and Exhaust Gas
Calcium hydroxide is also used as a neutralizing agent for acidic soil and an adsorbent for removing harmful substances like sulfur oxides (SOx) from exhaust gas. Applying this technology could lead to new developments in environmental remediation, potentially contributing to a cleaner society.
Integration Roadmap — Estimated 24-Month Deployment
Phase 1: Proof of Concept & Basic Design
Duration: 6 months
Detailed analysis of the adopting company's existing facilities and lime cake characteristics to evaluate applicability. Conceptual design of the optimal system configuration and bench-scale technical verification of key processes.
Phase 2: System Development & Pilot Implementation
Duration: 12 months
Development and procurement of key equipment such as dryers, calcination furnaces, and slaking towers based on the basic design. Construction of a pilot plant for testing with actual lime cake to optimize system performance and verify stable operation.
Phase 3: Full-Scale Operation & Deployment
Duration: 6 months
Based on data from pilot operations, initiate full-scale factory implementation and operation. Develop operational manuals, conduct employee training, ensure stable calcium hydroxide production, and plan for deployment to other facilities.
Technical Feasibility
This technology is patented as a system integrating the processes of drying high-water-content lime cake, calcination, and direct calcium hydroxide recovery from calcination exhaust gas. The claims specify concrete components such as water spraying from a water spray section within a slaking tower and suspension circulation. This makes it technically feasible for integration into existing lime-related facilities or waste treatment lines, or for design as a new facility. Based on general heat treatment and reaction equipment, the technical hurdle for introduction is considered relatively low.
Success Scenario
Upon implementing this technology, re-carbonation fouling issues in the calcination furnace due to lime cake could be resolved, potentially leading to an average ~20% improvement in equipment operating rates annually. This would significantly reduce the risk of sudden production stoppages and enhance the certainty of achieving annual production targets. Furthermore, directly producing calcium hydroxide could reduce costly external raw material procurement, estimated to achieve ~$50K–$600K (AI est.) in annual cost competitiveness improvements.
Patent Record
APPLICATION NO.
特願2021-185955
REGISTRATION NO.
7193688
FILING DATE
2021/11/15
GRANT DATE
2022/12/13
EXPIRATION DATE
2041/11/15
PATENT HOLDER
瀬戸　弘
Examination History
2021年11月16日
早期審査に関する事情説明書
2021年11月16日
出願審査請求書
2021年12月03日
早期審査に関する通知書
2022年01月18日
拒絶理由通知書
2022年03月18日
手続補正書（自発・内容）
2022年03月18日
意見書
2022年05月18日
拒絶理由通知書
2022年09月19日
意見書
2022年09月19日
手続補正書（自発・内容）
2022年11月08日
特許査定
2024年09月17日
補正指令書（移転）
2024年09月20日
補正書（移転）