Environmental Chemistry and Engineering

The objective of the Department of Environmental Chemistry and Engineering is to cultivate researchers and engineers who can make the most use of limited resources and energy, in order to build an affluent human community in harmony with natural surroundings (ideally, an Ecotopian Society). To build a community where people can live comfortably and safely in a highly developed industrial society, harmonious coexistence with nature becomes critically important. This means we must switch to a new production system that includes reclamation of the massive quantities of waste generated by human activities, recycling of products, treatment of wastewater and waste gas, efficient use of energy including the use of waste heat and low temperature heat sources, and securing of water resources. Furthermore, we must find solutions to an array of global environmental issues, such as deforestation, global warming, and depletion of the ozone layer. Based primarily on the principles of physical chemistry, biology, and chemical engineering, this department carries out leading-edge research on molecular design, molecular transformation and reaction processes, and process and system design in the areas of environment, resources, energy, biology, and organic, inorganic, and polymer materials, while developing environmentally sound production processes and techniques for reusing materials and saving energy. At the same time, the department has been building a circulation system based on a more advanced understanding of material circulation mechanisms in the environment and the development of materials which produce less environmental pollution.