Kyoto Prefectural University
Graduate school of life and environmental sciences
Faculty of environmental sciences
Welcome to "Chemistry of Biomaterial Utilization" Laboratory
Our research interests are mechanical aspects of various chemical reactions
occurring in lignocellulosics, their major constituents (cellulose, hemicelluloses,
and lignin), and their related compounds. We are making our investigations
on molecular and/or atomic mechanisms of many types of lignocellulose-related
reactions, taking advantage of our specific backgrounds of organic chemistry,
physical chemistry, and computational chemistry.
Chemical reactions usually occur in the world of quantum – the world smaller
than nano-scale. Molecules and atoms “living” in such extreamely tiny world
are ruled by rows that are absolutely different from those of the macroscopic
world that we usually recognize that we live in. In other words, their
behaviors cannot be understood on the basis of our intuitive expectations.
Molecules and atoms – they are fundamental components of all materials
– behave in unusual manners – this is a very interesting fact but nobody
knows why nature is made in such ways. “Rational understanding of nature”
is one of the essential subjects of science. From that perspective it is
highly important and interesting to understand (or try to understand) chemical
reactions of lignocellulosics as above 90 % components of the biomass on
the earth.
From practical point of views detailed mechanisms of chemical reactions
are helpful for the development and improvement of various chemical processes.
Biomass conversion processes that are under development worldwide are not
the exceptions: they sometimes lack information on their background mechanisms
and thier elucidation is highly desired. Thus, it also becomes our aim
to provide chemical conversion processes of lignocellulosics with mechanical
understanding and a clue to improve them.