Recycling Engineering

Develop a comprehensive understanding of the current status of domestic and global resource and energy supply and circular utilization from the perspectives of resource constraints, geopolitics, environmental impacts, and economic feasibility. In addition, acquire fundamental principles and design guidelines of separation science, which forms the core of recycling processes, and cultivate the ability to logically construct recovery strategies based on the chemical speciation of target resources, coexisting constituents, and process conditions. Ultimately, with a view toward practical implementation of a circular economy, students will gain the capability to propose feasible chemical processes for resource recovery and refining while evaluating trade-offs between environmental burdens and costs.

In this course, students will systematically review the current status of domestic and global resource and energy supply and circular utilization from the perspectives of resource constraints, geopolitical risks, environmental impacts, and economic feasibility, thereby developing a foundational framework for quantitatively assessing resource circulation. In parallel, students will study the fundamental principles and process design guidelines of separation science—central to recycling operations—including concepts of equilibrium, kinetics, and selectivity. Focusing primarily on metallic resources and energy-related materials, the course further examines how chemical speciation, complexation, and solution conditions influence separation behavior, and provides practical training in designing recovery flowsheets, selecting operating conditions, and evaluating trade-offs between environmental burdens and costs. Ultimately, students will acquire the ability to independently develop feasible chemical processes for resource recovery and refining and to justify their proposals with sound technical reasoning.

1. Students will be able to organize and explain the current status of domestic and global resource and energy supply and circular utilization from the perspectives of resource constraints, geopolitical risks, environmental impacts, and economic feasibility, using quantitative indicators.
2. Students will be able to understand the fundamental principles of separation science (e.g., solvent extraction, ion exchange, adsorption, membrane separation, precipitation/crystallization), including equilibrium, kinetics, and selectivity, and to compare and explain their applicability and limitations.
3. Students will be able to select appropriate separation methods and operating conditions based on the effects of chemical speciation (e.g., complexation and oxidation state), coexisting constituents, and solution conditions on separation behavior.
4. Students will be able to develop feasible resource recovery and refining processes (flowsheet proposals) while considering trade-offs between environmental burdens and costs, and to propose and discuss them with clear technical justification.

S: Demonstrates a solid understanding of fundamental principles; method selection and feasible process proposals are consistently logical and well justified. Environmental and cost evaluations are also appropriate.
A: Accurately applies key concepts; comparisons, selections, and proposals are sound, and explanations are clear.
B: Shows generally adequate fundamental understanding, but assumptions, justification, and/or evaluation are partly insufficient, with some sections remaining largely qualitative.
C: Demonstrates only minimum understanding; errors and omissions are evident, and analyses/proposals are fragmented.
D: Displays substantial lack of understanding; analyses and proposals are not viable, or course requirements are not met.

Japanese

・Handouts: original materials prepared for this course
・Reference materials:
　　　The Century Unlocked by Nuclear Power (edited by the Atomic Energy Society of Japan)
　　　Energy White Paper (edited/published by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan)
　　　Iron and Steel Smelting (edited by the Japan Institute of Metals and Materials)
　　　Non-Ferrous Metal Smelting (edited by the Japan Institute of Metals and Materials)
　　　A Guide to Understanding Iron and Steel (edited by Nippon Steel Corporation)

Review the physics and chemistry you learned in high school.

• Tuesday 12:30 PM to 1:00 PM (Please contact me in advance to schedule a visit)

Non-regionally-oriented course

• Course that cultivates an ability for utilizing knowledge

N/A

• 4.QUALITY EDUCATION
• 9.INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
• 12.RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION & PRODUCTION