Creation of Innovative Technologies to Control Carbon Dioxide Emissions

※ Affiliations and titles are as of the end of the research activity.

Strategic Objective

Creation of innovative technologies related to reducing global warming in an effort to realize a sustainable society

Research Supervisor

Itaru Yasui（President, National Institute of Technology and Evaluation）

Overview

　This research area was chosen for the purpose of developing innovative technologies to be used chiefly to reduce CO2 emissions, with roughly twice the efficiency of existing technologies. The resulting technologies are to contribute to halve global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, which is in line with the proposals of the Japanese Government at Heilingendamn Summit, 2007. The research projects in this Area shall aim to create a low-carbon society, using new concepts and principles to achieve direct or indirect means of CO2 emission reduction, for example, technologies to realize dramatic performance improvements in renewable energy and technologies to dispose CO2 in an innovative manner.
　In specific terms, the research area covers all new energy technologies with the exception of nuclear power. Such technologies include: energy production and storage technologies that can fundamentally improve the efficiency of conventional products, technologies that bring innovative reductions in energy consumption - such as those utilizing new-concept solar cells, CO2 processing technologies, ocean energy and bio-energy technologies. Included also are carbon capture and sequestration technologies on the assumption that fossil fuels will continue to be used. Though the research area concentrates on the supply side of the energy chain, demand-side technologies are also considered to enable enhancement of energy efficiency. Therefore, projects in this area will be accepted if they are innovative and promise high social impact.
　We expect to receive research proposals of fundamental research with definite targets that would bring innovation to the industrial structure and energy infrastructure of future society. When making the proposal, the applicant must provide a quantitative scenario in terms of the expected emission reduction in million tons if the technology concerned is to be commercialized in about 2020 to 2030 or so.

Research Area Advisors

Yasuo Igarashi

Hiroshi Okajima

Zempachi Ogumi

Yukinori Kuwano

Makoto Konagai

Haruko Takeyama

Takashi Tatsumi

Yuichi Fujioka

Junichi Fujino

Yukihiko Matsumura

Kenji Yamaji

Year Started: 2008

Research Director

Yoshiharu Uchimoto (Professor, Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University)

Yasutoshi Iriyama (Professor, Nagoya University)
Hikari Sakaebe
Masayuki Morita (Professor, Yamaguchi University)

Research Director

Kunihito Koumoto (Professor, Nagoya University)

Hiroaki Anno (Professor)
Ryosuke Suzuki (Professor, Hokkaido University)
Ryoji Funahashi

Research Director

Katsumi Kojima (Professor, The University of Tokyo)

Tomoyasu Ishida (Professor, Faculty of Agriculture, Utsunomiya University)
Kazutoshi Osawa (Faculty of Agriculture, Utsunomiya University)

Research Director

Keiichi Tomishige (Professor, Tohoku University)

Yasushi Sekine (Professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University)
Noritatsu Tsubaki (Professor, University of Toyama)
Mishima Yuji
Hideharu Shibaike
Masaya Kurita
Hashima Yasufumi

Research Director

Susumu Yoshikawa (Institute of Advanced Energy, Kyoto University)

Toshinobu Ohno
Takashi Takahashi (Professor, Faculty of Pharmacy, Yokohama University of Pharmacy)
Masahiro Hiramoto (Professor, Institute for Molecular Science, National Institutes of Natural Sciences)
Shinichiro Fuse (Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology)

Research Director

Makoto Watanabe (Professor, University of Tsukuba)

Kunimitsu Kaya (Professor, Tohoku University)
Nobuyoshi Nakajima
Tomoo Fujioka
Kazuhiko Horioka (Professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology)

Year Started: 2009

Research Director

Ken’Ichi Ogawa

Akiyoshi Kawaoka (Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd.)
Motoaki Seki (Center for Sustainable Resource Science, RIKEN)
Keiji Takabe (Professor, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University)
Tanoi Keitaro (Professor, The University of Tokyo)
Tomoko Nakanishi (Professor, The University of Tokyo)
Ikuko Nishimura (Professor, Kyoto University)
Mikio Nishimura (Professor)
Naoto Nihei
Shu Fujimaki (Japan Atomic Energy Agency)
Tetsuya Yamada (Hokkaido University)
Shoji Mano

Research Director

Akihiko Kondo (Kobe University)

Seiji Akimoto (Kobe University)
Hiroshi Kawai (Professor, Kobe University)
Hiroshi Shimizu (Professor, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University)
Chikahiro Miyake (Professor, Kobe University)

Research Director

Tsuyoshi Tanaka (Professor, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology)

Sachiyo Aburatani
Akira Satoh
Wataru Fujibuchi (Professor, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University)
Mitsufumi Matsumoto (J-POWER)
Koji Yoshida (Faculty of Science and Technology, Nihon University)

Research Director

Tamotsu Hashizume (Professor, Hokkaido University)

Tsutomu Uesugi (TOYOTA CENTRAL R&D LABS., INC.)
Tetsu Kachi
Toshihiko Tanaka (Professor, Yamaguchi University)

Research Director

Masaru Miyayama (Professor, The University of Tokyo)

Masataka Ohgaki
Itaru Homma (Professor, Tohoku University)

Year Started: 2010

Research Director

Masahiro Tatsumisago (Professor, Osaka Prefecture University)

Kiyoharu Tadanaga (Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University)

Research Director

Miho Yamauchi (Professor, Kyushu University)

Nobuki Ozawa (Associate professor, New Industry Creation Hatchery Center, Tohoku University)
Kenichi Kato (Senior Research Scientist, SPring-8 Center, RIKEN)
Tatsuya Takeguchi (Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Iwate University)