Tohoku University · Engineering
Professor Toshihiko Nakata's research lab focuses on sustainable energy systems and resource recovery, with a strong emphasis on clean energy technologies, critical material recycling, and energy efficiency in industrial processes. The lab conducts interdisciplinary research integrating energy system modeling, material flow analysis, and advanced engineering solutions to address environmental challenges in power generation and transportation sectors. Key research directions include the market deployment of clean coal technologies in China, lifecycle energy consumption in the automotive industry, and the forecasting of recoverable critical materials from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries. The lab also explores innovative semiconductor devices for energy-efficient optical communication systems.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
This paper discusses policy instruments for promoting the market penetration of clean coal technologies (CCTs) into China's electricity sector and the evaluation of corresponding effects. Based on the reality that coal will remain the predominant fuel to generate electricity and conventional pulverized coal boiler power plants have serious impacts on environment degradation, development of clean coal technologies could be one alternative to meet China's fast growing demand of electricity as well
The aim of this study is to comprehensively evaluate the energy consumption in the automotive industry, clarifying the effect of its productive processes. For this propose, the material flow of the vehicles has been elaborated, from mining to vehicle assembly. Initially, processes where each type of material was used, and the relationship between them, were clarified. Subsequently, material flow was elaborated, while considering materials input in each process. Consequently, the consumption of e
This study aims to propose a model to forecast the volume of critical materials that can be recovered from lithium-ion batteries (LiB) through the recycling of end of life electric vehicles (EV). To achieve an environmentally sustainable society, the wide-scale adoption of EV seems to be necessary. Here, the dependency of the vehicle on its batteries has an essential role. The efficient recycling of LiB to minimize its raw material supply risk but also the economic impact of its production proce
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