Research project to develop technologies and assessment methods for water quality conservation

In many parts of Asia, the introduction of technologies for the conservation of the aquatic environment has been delayed due to economic constraints. Therefore, the effects of water pollution, such as the spread of infectious diseases, eutrophication, sediment deterioration, and emission of green house gases, are increasing.
The aim of this project is to develop technologies to conserve the water environment and evaluate the effectiveness of conservation projects so that effective water quality management can be conducted in areas under economic constraints.
This project comprises two sub-projects. The first is the development of technologies to conserve aquatic environments. In collaboration with local research institutions, governments, and the private sector, we are developing technologies to treat domestic sewage, co-benefit technologies to treat high-risk industrial wastewater, and technologies for in-situ remediation of sediment.
In the second sub-project, we are developing methods to evaluate and conserve aquatic environments by using a broad range of indicators. We are developing methods to evaluate the impact of water conservation technology on water bodies (e.g., by determining the metabolism of organic carbon and nitrogen in wastewater inflow areas), and we are developing methods to evaluate the quality of water bodies. In addition, we are evaluating the effectiveness of water quality conservation technologies by using a social engineering approach based on wastewater inventories, energy use, and greenhouse gase emissions.
By integrating these two sub-projects, we intend to establish a management system that will help conserve the soundness and regional characteristics of water bodies.