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MessagesKiyohito YamasawaShinshu UniversityPresidentShinshu University is bolstering its education and research programs as part of its efforts to realize a sustainable future for Earth and humanity.The goal of Global Aqua Innovation Headquarter for Increasing Water-sustainability and Improving Living Standards in the World is to generate real-world implementations of innovative water production and circulation systems capable of producing potable and otherwise usable water from a broad range of underutilized water resources, including sea water and water contaminated by oil. Through this project, we seek to ensure safe water supplies for people around the world.Toward this vision, we will build a research team drawn from across Japan and combine our academic knowledge in nanofiber engineering and materials science (both key strengths of the University) with the world-leading technological development capabilities of other participants across Japan. In this way, we will establish a facility capable of taking on the research needed by people the world over. Not only will the facility pursue advanced, innovative research to ensure a sustainable future for Earth and for humanity, but it will disseminate the results of such research worldwide in the form of real-world technologies.Today, water-separation membranes produce and purify some 20 billion cubic meters of water each year worldwide, roughly equivalent to 20% of Japan’s annual water use. Population growth, advancing industrialization, and economic development are expected to drive growing water use on a global basis. To meet the needs generated by this growth, an ever-widening net has been cast to identify additional water sources: from groundwater, river water, and inland waters to sea water and consumer and industrial wastewater. Nonetheless, it is becoming ever more difficult to secure high-quality water. Many of the problems confronting water treatment plants that use separation membranes involve the fouling of separation membranes. Since fouling is inevitable when using such membranes, plants must find ways to continue operating efficiently while cleaning them, whether by chemical or other means. Key features of separation membranes required to secure high-quality water at a reasonable cost include (i) a correct balance between water permeability and separation performance at high levels and (ii) resistance to heat and chemicals. Selective separation, which is required to recover valuable materials from water, is also expected to become a major feature as we move forward. Nanocarbon technologies will be core to all these efforts, and we expect this facility to develop world-leading separation membrane technologies, module technologies, and systems technologies.Sub-Project LeaderDirector, Water Treatment Division/R&DToray Industries, Inc.Masahiro HenmiI’d like to offer some comments at the start of the Global Aqua Innovation Headquarters COI project.Although we appear to live on a blue planet, the fresh water we can actually use without significant treatment accounts for a mere 0.01% of the Earth’s water.Accordingly, there is an urgent need to develop methods for using water—which, despite its illusion of abundance, is a highly limited resource—in ways that can support humanity.We must keep in mind that, even today, many people around the world lack access to safe drinking water, and that limited water resources can lead to serious conflict, food shortages, and other problems.With Shinshu University playing a central role, this project has as its goal the development of innovative technologies for new water production and circulation systems. I believe these efforts will be instrumental in identifying solutions to these problems.As project participants, we at Showa Denko intend to play a key role by developing technologies based on carbon materials.Showa Denko K.K.Officer in charge of Corporate R&D Department/General Manager, Business Development Center,Tetsuo Nakajo

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