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The Mitsui & Co. Environment Fund

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Keio University, Faculty of Science and Technology Professor Shigeru Tanaka

Construction of a system to monitor air pollution resulting from forest/peat fires in conjunction with Indonesian biofuel production; elucidation of the true situation

Research grant

Project Description

Amid efforts to stem global warming, expectations have been rising for biofuels as an alternative energy source to replace petroleum. In Indonesia, however, atmospheric and other pollution resulting from forest, peat and other combustion associated with a rapid onset of biofuel production (from palm oil and other raw materials) has become a critical problem with serious effects. In this research, we seek to collect and disseminate basic scientific data for use in revealing the current state of such pollution and proposing countermeasures. More specifically, we place airborne particulate samplers at three locations in Indonesia known for their palm oil plantations—Sumatra Island, Kalimantan Island, and the city of Yogyakarta on Java Island—and, with them, continually measure atmospheric and weather parameters. Through analyses of substances thought to have a particularly adverse effect on human health, we gauge the impact of atmospheric particulate dispersion to neighboring countries and identify sources of such emissions. This research was carried out in collaboration with the Mathematics and Natural Science Department of Universitas Gadjah Mada.

Fields
Climate change
Grant year
FY2007 Research Grants
Grant term
3 years
April 2008 - March 2011
Grant amount
11,900,000 yen
Activity region
Indonesia
Airborne particulate sampler on a rooftop at Universitas Gadjah Mada

Overview of the Organization

Professor Shigeru Tanaka
Representative
Professor Shigeru Tanaka
Profile
Specialist fields
Environmental chemistry, atmospheric pollution, environmental measurement
Affiliated societies
Japan Society for Atmospheric Environment; the Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry; the Chemical Society of Japan
Background
Completed a Doctor Course Graduate School at the Division of Engineering, Keio University in March 1981. In April 1981 became an Assistant at the Department of Applied Chemistry, Keio University. In October 1986 took a position as visiting researcher at the Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island. In April 1988 became a Full-time lecturer at the Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University. In April 1992 took a position as Professor at the Department of Applied Chemistry, Keio University
WEB site
http://www.applc.keio.ac.jp/~tanaka/lab/
Collaborating researchers
Tomoaki OKUDA, Full-time lecturer, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University; Sri Juari Santosa, Professor, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia
Research record
  • (1) T. Okuda, S. Tanaka et al.,
    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs) in the aerosol in Beijing, China, measured by aminopropylsilane chemicallybonded stationary-phase column chromatography and HPLC/fluorescence detection, Chemosphere, 65, 427-435, 2006.
  • (2) Okuda, T., Iwase, T., Ueda, H., Suda, Y., Tanaka, S., Dokiya, Y., Fushimi, K., and Hosoe, M.,
    Long-term trend of chemical constituents in precipitation in Tokyo metropolitan area, Japan, from 1990 to 2002, Sci. Tot. Environ., 339-127-141, 2005.
  • (3) Okuda, T., Kato, J., Mori, J., Tenmoku, M., Suda, Y., Tanaka, S., He, K., Ma, Y., Yang, F., Yu, X., Duan, F., and Lei, Y.,
    Daily concentrations of trace metals in aerosols in Beijing, China, determined by using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry equipped with laser ablation analysis, and source identification of aerosols, Sci. Tot. Environ., 330(1-3), 145-158, 2004.