Hokkaido University
Hokkaido University is a university that is part of the pulse of the water sector. Here we bring together everything it publishes on Smart Water Magazine: its news, its blogs and the events it takes part in.
Effective new catalyst brings hope for cleaner energy, wastewater treatment, and green chemistry
A catalyst that significantly enhances ammonia conversion could improve wastewater treatment, green chemical and hydrogen production. A team of scientists have developed an effective catalyst with a remarkable ability to enhance the efficiency of ammonia conversion. Published in Advanced Energy Materials, the study reveals the catalyst's potential to significantly advance wastewater treatment, green nitrite and nitrate, as well as hydrogen production. […]
Recovering phosphorus from sewage sludge ash
Chemical and heat treatment of sewage sludge can recover phosphorus in a process that could help address the problem of diminishing supplies of phosphorus ores.
Ocean currents threaten to collapse Antarctic ice shelves
Meandering ocean currents play an important role in the melting of Antarctic ice shelves, threatening a significant rise in sea levels.
Using sewage to forecast COVID-19 infections
Sifting through sewage for SARS-CoV-2 genetic material could help authorities tailor infection control policies. A new mathematical model uses wastewater samples to effectively forecast the number of clinical COVID-19 cases in a community five days in advance. The approach was developed and validated by Hokkaido University environmental engineer, Masaaki Kitajima, and colleagues in Japan. It […]
Deep-sea black carbon comes from hydrothermal vents
Hydrothermal vents have been identified as a previously undiscovered source of dissolved black carbon in the oceans, furthering the understanding of the role of oceans as a carbon sink.
Mekong Delta will continue to be at risk for severe flooding, study finds
The Mekong River Delta is the agricultural heartland of Vietnam; it is affected by droughts and flooding, which have become more severe in recent years. If severe weather events can be more accurately predicted, risk assessments in the regions can be improved. This, in turn, will reduce the negative effects of floods and droughts in […]
Deeper understanding of the icy depths informs global water circulation
Scientists have uncovered new details of how ice forming below the ocean surface in Antarctica provides cold dense water that sinks to the seabed in an important aspect of global water circulation. The results, published in the journal Science Advances, come from a team at the Hokkaido University's Institute of Low Temperature Science, its Arctic Research […]
Satellites capture massive drainage of proglacial lake in remote Patagonia
Only satellites were watching when the world’s fourth-largest proglacial lake suddenly drained in 2020. Hokkaido University researchers now uncovered the event and analysed the cause—the collapse of a sediment bump at the outlet of the lake. Proglacial lakes form when meltwater from retreating glaciers is trapped by ice or by a moraine left behind by […]
Glacier melting on Kamchatka contributed to sea rise
Scientists have quantified the glacier mass loss on the Kamchatka Peninsula; the accelerated loss in the region since the turn of the millennium is likely to increase in the short term. One of the many effects of global warming and climate change is the reduction in the size of glaciers due to accelerated melting. The […]