We launch the area on Chem-bioeconomy. The area director is Professor Sakai of the School of Agriculture, Kyoto University.
– The currently prevailing concept is carbon neutrality with only CO2, renewable energy, and biomass. We will propose a new concept of coupling the cycle of C1 compounds from a broader perspective including both greenhouse gas, methane and CO2.
– We study a quantitative model based on the theory for the cycle of C1 compounds. The first step would be to use a simple math concept like system dynamics to estimate the amount of all the possible inputs and outputs, such as biomass, CO2, and methane, within the cycle.
[Activities]
Research project; Establishment of a research foundation for the C1 chem-bioeconomy discipline
It is known that the classical carbon cycle between biomass and CO2 is driven by plants, while the methane cycle between methane and CO2 is driven by C1 microbes that can utilize C1 compounds such as methane and methanol. The classical carbon cycle and the methane cycle have been discussed separately, but recent research results have revealed that these two cycling systems are conjugate. Therefore, in this field, we will establish a research foundation for C1 chem-bioeconomy discipline based on a new image of the carbon cycle through an interdisciplinary approach. We will also disseminate it as a basis for policy discussions toward the realization of a carbon-neutral society.
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