Research
Center for Advanced Science and Technology,
The
University of Tokyo
Sustainable
System Analysis
Dept.
of Materials Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering,
The
University of Tokyo
http://park.itc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/daigo/
Members Ichiro Daigo Assoc.
Prof. Jialing Ni Assis.
Prof. Wakana Tamaki Assoc.
researcher Junxi Liu Assoc.
researcher Doctor students Taichi Suzuki Han Gao Wenjing Gong Daisuke Matsui Hao Wang Mio Kitayama Zhenghao Meng Master students Takumi Masuko Yusei Tomenaga Konosuke Iwamoto Yuta Yamaki Undergraduate students Taichi Yonishi Eisuke Kurihara Akitsugu Kosugi Naoto Hishida Technical staffs Noriko Yamada Yoko Ogata Miri Morohoshi |
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Research topics
The consideration of material
use is essential on the pathway to a sustainable society and net-zero
emissions. This laboratory proposes a system for the production, use, and
recycling of materials, evaluates the sustainability of innovative
technologies, and develops innovative technologies.
Production
Material production consumes a
lot of energy and current production processes generate a lot of greenhouse
gases. In addition, when producing from natural resources, mining imposes
environmental and social burdens. We evaluate the impact of these processes and
the effectiveness of innovative technologies to reduce those impacts.
When produced from secondary
resources, unintended elements are mixed in. We monitor the concentration of
impurities in recycled materials and clarify the effects of each impurity on
properties of recycled materials, aiming for a material production system that
does not degrade functionality in a circular economy.
https://doi.org/10.2355/isijinternational.ISIJINT-2020-377
https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13246
Use
Dynamic material flow analysis
has revealed that the demand for materials is derived from the accumulation of
in-use stock per capita. Since it has become clear that the in-use stock per
capita is saturating, we have developed an estimation model for future demand
(stock-driven model).
In the automotive industry, it
is preferable to improve fuel efficiency by installing lightweight materials.
On the other hand, if the energy consumption of the lightweight material is
relatively large, it is necessary to compare the additional energy with the
improvement in fuel efficiency. We develop an evaluation method for material
selection based on life cycle assessment. As criteria of evaluation, we develop
indices for social impacts as well as environmental impacts.
https://doi.org/10.1021/es100044n
https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413935
Recycle
Secondary resources are often
contaminated with unintended foreign materials. To solve this issue, we develop
deep-learning-based image analysis, and try to propose scrap trading systems
that minimize foreign materials contamination by detecting them.
For the previous topic,
identification of the source of foreign materials contamination is
indispensable as a fundamental knowledge. We clarify the current situation of
impurity contamination in the recycling process by analyzing parameters based
on field surveys using a material flow analysis model.
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b01164
https://doi.org/10.2355/isijinternational.ISIJINT-2016-500
Life cycle
The life cycle of a material,
from which secondary resources are recovered from end-of-life products and
recycled, spans multiple product life cycles. We develop an LCA methodology for
materials that extends conventional life cycle assessment (LCA) to cover
multiple product life cycles.
Metallic materials are
characterized by their high recyclability, but it is difficult to measure the
actual number of times recycled. Therefore, we develop a mathematical model
based on a Markov chain model to estimate the number of recycling cycles.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.131317
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2008.05.020
Location
RCAST Bldg.4
Room 223