Ecomaterial Science Laboratory

Staff & Contact

Educational Staff	Adjunct Prof. Katsunori Yogo, Junichiro Kugai Adjunct Associate Prof. Tomohiro Kinoshita
Contact	TEL: +81-774-75-2305
URL	https://mswebs.naist.jp/LABs/rite/index.html

Education and Research Activities in the Laboratory

The Ecomaterial Science Laboratory, staffed by researchers of the Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE), provides research and education on fundamental technologies to solve the global warming issues. We endeavor to develop advanced materials for CO₂ capture and conversion to valuable products such as fuels. Specifically, solid materials (e.g. zeolite, mesoporous silica, MOF) have been investigated in order to reduce the energy requirements and cost for CO₂ capture. For the CO₂ conversion processes, we have been developing silica, zeolite, and palladium membranes.These membranes are used for separation of specific gases such as CO₂, H₂O, and H₂ for promoting CO₂ conversion reactions thermodynamically.

We also develop efficient processes for the dehydrogenation of chemical hydrides such as methylcyclohexane or ammonia to produce pure H₂ readily with low energy consumption using these membranes. In our laboratory, we normally provide our students with OJT (on-the-job training) education through the projects conducted in RITE. The students can deepen their understanding of social contexts, causes and countermeasures concerning global environmental issues. They also learn fundamental knowledge of material science in relevant subjects such as physical chemistry, organic/inorganic chemistry, synthesis, and chemical engineering.

Research Themes

Development of CO₂ capture technologies

Research on high-performance and energy-saving materials for gas separation in the fields of greenhouse gas mitigation, air quality control in space stations, etc.

・ zeolite　　　・ mesoporous materials　　　・ polymeric materials

・ metal organic framework (MOF)　　　・ amine-based materials

Development of inorganic membranes for CO₂ conversion and H₂ production/storage

Research on various separation membranes for use of inorganic materials.

・ palladium (Pd) membranes ・ zeolite membranes

・ chemical vapor deposition (CVD) based silica membranes

Explanatory Pictures of Research Activities

Fig. 1 CO₂ Separation and Capture Technologiess

Fig. 2 Amine solid sorbent for CO₂ capture (amine-grafted mesoporous silica).s

Fig.3 Novel zeolite membrane for H₂ separation.s

Recent Research Papers and Achievements

L. Meng, T. Kai, S. Nakao, K. Yogo, “Modeling of pre-combustion carbon capture with CO2-selective polymer membranes”, International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, 123, Art.103830 (2023).
Tomohiro Kinosita, Katstunori Yogo, “Simulation-Based Optimization of Fixed-Bed Continuous CO2 Capture Process with an Amine-Impregnated Solid Sorbent”, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 60, 27, p.9906-9914　(2021).
Masahiro Seshimo, Bo Liu, Hey Ryeon Lee, Katsunori Yogo, Yuichiro Yamaguchi, Nobuyuki Shigaki, Yasuhiro Mogi, Hidetoshi Kita and Shin-ichi Nakao, “Membrane Reactor for Methanol Synthesis Using Si-Rich LTA Zeolite Membrane”, Membranes, 11, 505 (2021).
Quyen T. Vu, Hidetaka Yamada, Katsunori Yogo, “Effects of Amine Structures on Oxidative Degradation of Amine-Functionalized Adsorbents for CO2 Capture”, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 60, p.4942-4950 (2021).