In this study, we have investigated the feasibility of using a thermochemical technique on similar to 17% chrysotile-containing roofing sheet or slate (ACS), in which 5 N sulfuric acid-digestive destruction was incorporated with 10-24-h heating at 100 degrees C. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the polarized light microscopy (PLM) results have clearly shown that raw chrysotile asbestos was converted to nonasbestiform material with no crystallinity by the low temperature thermochemical treatment. As an alternative to the use of pricey sulfuric acid, waste sulfuric acid discharged from a semiconductor manufacturing process was reused for the asbestos-fracturing purpose, and it was found that similar removals could be obtained under the same experimental conditions, promising the practical applicability of thermochemical treatment of ACWs. A thermodynamic understanding based on the extraction rates of magnesium and silica from a chrysotile structure has revealed that the destruction of chrysotile by acid-digestion is greatly influenced by the reaction temperatures, showing a 80.3-fold increase in the reaction rate by raising the temperature by 30-100 degrees C. The overall destruction is dependent upon the breaking-up of the silicon-oxide layer - a rate-limiting step. This study is meaningful in showing that the low temperature thermochemical treatment is feasible as an ACW-treatment method. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.