Sweden´s Ambassador to Japan attended signing ceremony 

Sweden’s Ambassador to Japan Pereric Högberg attended on Wednesday the ceremony in Tokyo where a new business agreement between global cleantech giant Hitachi Zosen Inova and EasyMining, an innovation company part of the Ragn-Sells Group, was symbolically signed. The agreement allows incinerators in 12 countries where Hitachi Zosen Inova is a licensee to apply EasyMining’s Ash2Salt technology for recovering commercial salts from fly ash. 
 
– Almost half of the world’s climate emissions stem from new raw materials being extracted to produce things we need. To tackle this problem more large-scale circular solutions are needed, and the agreement with Hitachi Zosen Inova is a good example of how valuable resources from waste can be utilised on a global market, says EasyMining CEO Jan Svärd. 

The ceremonial signing also marks the beginning of EasyMining’s participation at the UN COP26 climate summit, taking place in Glasgow in November. The purpose of participating is to offer decision makers and business leaders around the world solutions making it more profitable to use raw materials from waste instead of extracting new ones. 
 
The signing ceremony in Tokyo took place in conjunction with a sustainability summit arranged by the Swedish trade and invest council, Business Sweden. The summit was attended by Sweden’s Ambassador Pereric Högberg and Japan’s Deputy Minister of the Environment Tokutaro Nakai, as well as representatives from the business community. 

Ash2Salt, a world patent developed by EasyMining, enables extraction of commercial salts as well as heavy metals from fly ash, which is formed when flue gases from waste incineration are purified. Today, the ash is deposited in landfills, leading to valuable resources such as potassium and sodium being lost. The aim of the agreement is to expand the market for the Ash2Salt technology to countries where Hitachi Zosen Inova is already established in the incineration sector. 
 
– We are proud that a large and reputable company like Hitachi Zosen Inova sees the potential in offering the Ash2Salt technology wherever they operate. Now we look forward to participating at COP26 in Glasgow, inspiring the world’s decision makers to make it easier and more profitable for businesses to use recycled materials, Mr Svärd says. 
 
With the agreement, the Ash2Salt technology can be used in all countries where flue gas residues from incineration need to be handled and where Hitachi Zosen Inova are licensees: Germany, France, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Netherlands, China, Japan, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Austria, and Australia. 
 
Hitachi Zosen Inova is already well established in the market for handling fly ash. The company’s global reach will ensure good potential for a market expansion of the Swedish Ash2Salt circular solution. 
 
For more information, please contact: 
Jan Svärd, CEO, EasyMining, +46 70 978 64 74, jan.svard@easymining.se  
Anna Lundbom, Head of Marketing at EasyMining, +46 70 927 28 29, anna.lundbom@easymining.se  
Emma Ranerfors, Press Officer at Ragn-Sells, +46 10 723 24 16, press@ragnsells.com  
 
Fact box: The Ash2Salt technology 
When flue gas from waste incineration is scrubbed and filtered, fly ash is formed and captured. This ash is classified as a hazardous waste due to high levels of pollutants, but also contains several desirable compounds, such as potassium and sodium. In the Ash2Salt process, the fly ash is washed, and three commercial salts are extracted from the wash liquid: Sodium chloride, potassium chloride and calcium chloride. 

The ash residues that remain after treatment with Ash2Salt are no longer a hazardous waste, as the majority of environmental toxins have been separated out. Therefore, the residues do not need to be placed on special landfills for hazardous waste, and the total volume going to landfill is reduced. 
 
Read more here 

About EasyMining 
EasyMining is an innovation company in the Ragn-Sells Group dedicated to closing nutrient cycles. 

One of the world’s major challenges is to reduce or preferably eliminate all hazardous and toxic substances that do not support a sustainable, circular economy, from waste. EasyMining is passionate about inventing new technology that uses intelligent chemical solutions to close nutrient cycles. Our objective is to create new circular material flows in an efficient commercial way.  
 
Read more here 

About Hitachi Zosen Inova 
Zurich-based Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI) is a global leader in energy from waste (EfW), operating as part of the Hitachi Zosen Corporation Group. HZI acts as an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor and project developer delivering complete turnkey plants and system solutions for thermal and biological EfW recovery. Its solutions are based on efficient and environmentally sound technology, are thoroughly tested, and can be flexibly adapted to user requirements. HZI’s Service Group combines absolute commitment to research and development with extensive manufacturing and assembly capabilities and looks after your plant throughout its entire life cycle. 

The company’s customers range from experienced waste management companies to up-and-coming partners in new markets worldwide. HZI’s innovative and reliable waste and flue gas treatment as well as gas upgrading and power-to-gas solutions have been part of over 700 reference projects delivered since 1933. 
 
Read more here