Research Center for Material Cycles and waste Management

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Research Center for Material Cycles and waste Management

Homepage: http://www.nies.go.jp/cycle/index-e.html

Breakthroughs are urgently needed for the crisis of waste management. Signs of the crisis are evident in final disposal sites that are nearing capacity and in the increase in illegal dumping. The entire nation is seeking solutions that will lead toward a society with sustainable material cycles that limit resource consumption and minimize environmental impacts. Recent progress in Japan includes the enactment of the Basic Law for the Promotion of the Formation of a Recycling-Oriented Society and various laws promoting recycling, and the revision of the Waste Disposal and Public Cleansing Law.

In order to respond to the demands of society, NIES upgraded the Waste Research Division, which had been launched in January, to become the Research Center for Material Cycles and Waste Management.

The seven research sections in the Center are conducting strategic research on policies relating to material cycles, in order to promote efficient utilization and recycling of material throughout the process from production, to distribution, to consumption, to disposal. In addition, they are carrying out research that aims to develop innovative technologies for resource recovery, treatment and disposal technologies and systems to support sound material cycles, and detection and monitoring systems.

Concept of the Research Center for Material Cycles and Waste Management

The four priority research themes are described below.

1. Systems analysis to support the shift toward society with sustainable material cycles and lower environmental impacts: We are developing methodologies to determine and evaluate the environmental impacts associated with resource and waste flows, such as "Material flow analysis" and "life cycle assessments". In addition, we are conducting research to develop diagnostic systems to promote resource cycles at the regional level.

2. Technologies and systems for resource recovery and treatment: We are developing waste separation, resource recovery and treatment technologies, and developing technologies for structural and systems design of waste treatment facilities that operate at low cost and have a long life.

3. Risk control for waste treatment: We are developing methodologies to predict and evaluate hazardous substances that arrive at the places of resource recovery and final disposal of waste, and developing technologies for the detection, monitoring and control of these hazardous substances.

4. Technologies for cleaning of polluted environments: We are developing technologies for the restoration and preservation of water and soil environments that have been polluted by organic sludge, eutrophication or hazardous chemicals, and technologies to clean liquid waste and polluted sites.

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