What is environmental risk? Enriching life through the formation of a circular society!
Social Infrastructure (Saitama University Research Seed Collection 2025-27 p.13)
Keywords: Environmental risk, soil, heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, machine learning, industrial by-products, pollution issues.
Many heavy metals are both essential resources for our lives and toxic substances. For example, mercury is a liquid metal used in the production of alloys. Mercury can exist as a liquid or gas at room temperature and pressure, making it easy for humans to ingest. In particular, the highly toxic methylmercury undergoes bioaccumulation and exists in high concentrations in the environment. "Environmental risk" is a field of study that evaluates both the effective use of resources necessary for industrial and agricultural purposes and the associated impacts on human health and the environment. Ignoring environmental risks in social development leads to environmental pollution and the emergence of public nuisances. Unfortunately, even today, environmental issues caused by heavy metal contamination persist in some developing countries. In my research, using "environmental risk" as a keyword, I analyze the effective utilization of industrial by-products and evaluate the mobility characteristics of new substances in the ground environment through the use of advanced technologies such as machine learning for future predictions based on statistical analysis and 3D visualization of ground environments using X-ray CT.
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Kengo Nakamura, Assistant Professor Graduate School of Science and Technology, Department of Environmental Social Infrastructure, Environmental Planning Area 【Recent Research Themes】 ● The impact of accelerated weathering of steel slag on soil aeration characteristics and atmospheric CO2 removal effects ● Changes in permeability and water quality through soil improvement of mud using coal ash ● Changes in arsenic adsorption and desorption amounts due to the pH effects of laterite and thermally treated laterite ● Development of a classification and identification system for historical tsunami deposits using machine learning
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【Appeal Points to the Industry】 ● Research area covering the material movement processes in ground environments from fundamentals to applications. ● Research and survey achievements both in Japan and abroad (soil and groundwater surveys, tsunami sediment surveys, waste surveys). → It is possible to address environmental issues in geotechnical engineering and agricultural civil engineering against the backdrop of environmental risks. → Proposals for new utilization methods of industrial by-products are possible. → New approaches proposed through data visualization incorporating mathematical elements of machine learning. 【Examples of Practical Application, Application Cases, and Utilization Cases】 ● Establishment of CO2 removal technology from the atmosphere using industrial by-products (Yoshioka et al, 2022, Frontiers in Environmental Science). ● Estimation of heavy metal adsorption processes in soil using machine learning (Nakamura et al, 2017, CHEMOSPHERE). ● Development of a system for determining and distinguishing historical tsunami sediments (Geological Journal, 2022). ● Establishment of environmental risk assessment methods for new substances (Ministry of the Environment Research Comprehensive Promotion Fund 2016-2019, 2019-2022). ● Environmental risk assessment methods for industrial by-products in developing countries (SATREPS).
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Technology for removing CO2 from the atmosphere using industrial by-products.
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The Saitama University Open Innovation Center is a center that functions as a liaison office for industry-academia-government collaboration. It consists of three departments: the Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration Department, the Intellectual Property Department, and the Startup Support Department, each staffed with coordinators well-versed in various fields. The center's activities include solving technical challenges in companies, supporting the implementation of joint research, and conducting technology transfer aimed at introducing and utilizing Saitama University's intellectual property.