◆Research findings by a team led by Faculty have been published in Elsevier’s academic journal *Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry*
Release Date:
New Material Developed to Purify Water with High Salt Content by Harnessing Light
— Zero Environmental Impact for a Wide Range of Water Treatment Applications, Including Industrial Wastewater and Seawater —
Industrial wastewater and similar effluents contain organic compounds that are difficult to break down, and their removal is necessary to protect water quality. In particular, water with high salt content poses challenges such as increased treatment costs and higher reagent consumption. While environmentally friendly photocatalytic technology is effective, conventional materials have not functioned adequately in environments with high salt concentrations.
The research team developed a "photocatalytic gel" in which fine particles of tungsten oxide are embedded in a porous gel. Because the particles are dispersed within the gel, they can react more easily with contaminants, and it has been confirmed that the gel can decompose contaminants 4 to 13 times more efficiently than conventional methods, even in water with high salt content.
Going forward, we will continue to develop materials that can be used reliably in a variety of aquatic environments, with the goal of establishing sustainable water treatment technologies.
本研究は、国立研究開発法人日本原子力研究開発機構（理事長 小口正範）原子力科学研究所物質科学研究センターの杉田剛研究副主幹、上田祐生研究副主幹、中部倫太郎研究員、同研究所プロモーション・オフィスの南川卓也研究副主幹、関根由莉奈研究主席、国立大学法人高知大学理工学部の森勝伸教授の共同研究グループによる成果です。
This research was published in the Elsevier journal *Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry* on November 7, 2025.
[Paper Information]
- Journal Title: Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry
- Title: Highly Water-Permeable WO3-Containing Porous Hydrogel via Freeze-Crosslinking for Efficient and Salt-Resistant Dye Decolorization
- Authors: Tsuyoshi Sugita1,2, Yuki Ueda1, Rintaro Nakabe1, Masanobu Mori3, Takuya Nankawa2,4, and Yurina Sekine2,4
- 所属：1 日本原子力研究開発機構 物質科学研究センター、２ 日本原子力研究開発機構 関根バイオマス資源開発ラボ、３ 高知大学理工学部、４ 日本原子力研究開発機構 プロモーション・オフィス
This research was conducted with funding from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) (22K05205).