Our Specialization

I conduct research on the theme of environmental improvement. Environmental issues such as global warming and desertification are becoming more serious on Earth. In this laboratory, our focus is on practical improvement of environmental issues in Japan and overseas, mainly with respect to soil, using original technologies. For example, we are working on improvement of desertified soils using waste generated at the desulfurization process in thermal power plants and at construction sites in China, development of carbon fixation technology*1 in large-scale afforestation areas in Australia and environment restoration through mangrove afforestation in southern Thailand.
In Japan, we are developing improvement methods using biomass in the areas where desertification of the ocean, commonly known as "Isoyake", is taking place.*2
*1 The function of a plant to retain carbon dioxide taken in from the air as a carbon compound. This function is considered to be used to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and prevent global warming.
*2 Seaweed communities decay and disappear significantly, affecting the marine ecosystem.

It is essential to conduct measurement at fields since our aim is to improve the environment while effectively using biomass and industrial waste. We first measure soil at the field to ascertain the conditions at the site and then return to the university to evaluate mechanism and improvements to make.