The asbestos waste neutralization device (10) comprises: an acid tank (23), a vat (16) containing a diluted acid solution, in which waste containing asbestos is dipped, with this solution neutralizing the asbestos waste, a filtration unit (21) to separate, at the end of the neutralization reaction, the solid inert waste from the liquid phase of the acid solution, a regeneration unit (22) for the attacking acid solution, which adjusts the hydrogen potential of the extracted liquid phase by adding concentrated acid contained in the acid reservoir, and means for transferring the regenerated solution into the vat.

The present invention relates to a process for treating an asbestos-containing product characterized in that it comprises grinding the asbestos-containing product, which is preferably asbestos waste, and incubating the said ground product with whey seeded with lactic acid bacteria. The process may further comprise a step of real-time determination of the concentration of iron and/or magnesium released by the ground asbestos-containing product in the whey and/or a step of contacting an altered waste still containing iron and/or magnesium after incubation with whey seeded with lactic acid bacteria, with a siderophore-producing bacterium.

An accelerated process for the complete neutralization of acid wastes, the destruction of concrete and/or the denaturation of asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) includes forming a slurry or suspension by submerging in the acid solution the concrete and/or asbestos-containing materials (ACMs); the concrete and/or asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) cause the acid wastes neutralizing chemical reactions in the slurry or suspension and, at the same time, the destruction of concrete and/or the denaturation of asbestos-containing materials (ACMs). Simultaneously to the chemical reactions, the slurry or suspension is subjected to hydrodynamic cavitation, preferably using an apparatus capable of producing and managing three types of simultaneous controlled cavitation acting in the same space volume, accelerating the chemical reactions taking place in the slurry due also to the simultaneous presence of acid, concrete and/or asbestos-containing materials (ACMs). The concrete and/or asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) are preferably ground and polarized prior to be submerged in the acid solution to form the slurry. The polarization take place, for the really first time, with a cold plasma torch. In addition the slurry or suspension is preferably subjected to hydrothermal treatment, preferably using a reactor which ensures the preservation of the constancy of the ideal physical parameters for the reaction in the physical chemical environment. In this reactor are additivated chemicals, hydroxyapatite and biological substances that have binder/chelating power especially on metals contained in asbestos, especially on magnesium, in order to prevent its reformation. Recovering, at the end of the process, inert secondary raw materials (SRMs) that are non-hazardous to the environment and human health. In addition, this process could be used to produce molecules that are important intermediates of the subsequent reactions/processes, leading to the formation of salts/compounds used as dietary supplements and also in important environmental remedies such as polluted water reclamation and the treatment of heavily polluted soils.

Provided is a method of asbestos detoxification including: preparing asbestos which is a treatment target for detoxification and carbon dioxide; and pressing the asbestos and the carbon dioxide with a pressure of 1 to 5 GPa and treating the asbestos and the carbon dioxide at a temperature of 100 to 250 C., wherein since the asbestos is not subjected to chemical pre-treatment, as compared to the existing technologies in which the chemical pre-treatment is necessary, treatment cost may be reduced, and another concern for environmental contamination may be prevented in advance, and accordingly, the asbestos is appropriate for recycling through detoxification as well as waste treatment.

The invention relates to a process for treating an asbestos-containing material, which enables the asbestos to be transformed into inert products (i.e. not hazardous to human health) that can possibly be reused as raw materials for subsequent industrial processing or as directly marketable industrial products. The process comprising the steps of preparing an acidic solution/suspension by subjecting a food industry waste material to mixed bacterial and fungal growth and/or fermentation, and treating an asbestos-containing material with the acidic solution/suspension obtained from the mixed fermentation at a temperature of 120-170 C. and pressure of 2-10 bar.