Field
Concluded Laboratory 2014/03/31
Director : Shinichiro NAKAMURA
Professor,Faculty of Political Science and Economics
Research theme
Industrial ecology of sustainable resource management
Overview of research
As metals are elements, unlike macromolecular materials such as plastics and fibers, they undergo no deterioration as a result of recycling, and can thus be recycled any number of times. However, in practice single metals are rarely used; rather, several metals are generally used in the form of alloys. As a result, scrap metal which does not meet the specifications for materials is generated in the processes of separation and dismantlement, as a result of purity decline due to intermixture and dissimilar metal intermixture.
- We will develop a mathematical model for intertemporal multiple-metal material flow for metals (particularly iron, aluminum and major alloy elements, as well as scrap contaminant metals such as copper and tin) which are produced through the recycling, processing and disposal of products (particularly automobiles etc.) with a given composition, based on a waste input-output (WIO model), and elucidate the process of temporal route generation for usage/dissipation of metal resources.
Using this model, we will identify the repercussions which biodegradable designs/separation, sorting technology and the shift towards electric vehicles and vehicle batteries which is forecast to make progress going forward will have on these processes, including the effects on greenhouse gas emissions, resource consumption and final disposal site consumption. Through this, we will determine the technological parameters for realizing sustainable use routes which curb the deterioration (intermixing) which takes place in recycling and which curb as far as possible the dissipation that takes place through final disposal.
- Furthermore, we will identify the effects which the changes in the usage pattern of materials accompanying the shift towards electric vehicles and vehicle batteries will have on production structures/employment in macro terms.
Researchers
Shinichiro NAKAMURA (Professor, Faculty of Political Science and Economics)
Ayu WASHIZU (Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences)
Shuji OWADA (Professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering)
Yasushi KONDO (Professor, Faculty of Political Science and Economics)
Kenichi AKAO (Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences)
Contact
Room 205,Bldg.No.3 Waseda Campus, Waseda University
Nishiwaseda 1-6- 1,Shinjuku Tokyo,
169-8050,JAPAN
