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Saito Lab
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A geochemistry lab exploring how radioactive substances move through the environment.
AboutAbout the lab
Geochemical research for radioactive waste disposal
The Saito Lab studies how radionuclides and other hazardous substances behave in the environment.
Its goals are to make geological disposal of radioactive waste a reality and to assess and remediate contaminated environments.
Radionuclides in the environment take many chemical forms, so the lab investigates their reactions using X-rays, laser light, and neutrons, and builds models from the results.
The findings are also applied to research on radionuclides released by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.
Key terms
- Geological disposal
- A method of burying radioactive waste in deep underground rock formations to isolate it from human living environments for a long period of time
- Radionuclide
- A type of atom that emits radiation while changing into another atom, such as cesium or uranium
- Chemical form
- The way an element exists, which can differ even for the same element depending on whether it is an ion or a compound and on what it is bound to
NewsLab news
A doctoral student won a poster award at the IHSS-IWA26 conference
A paper was accepted by Applied Clay Science
A paper on predicting mass transport in fractures with machine learning was accepted
A paper was accepted by Journal of Hazardous Materials
A master's student won the Young Researcher Excellent Presentation Award from the Japanese Association of Groundwater Hydrology
ResearchResearch themes
Through experiments and simulations, the lab seeks to understand how radionuclides and hazardous elements react with barrier materials and with substances in the environment, and it represents their movement in the environment with models. It also analyzes environmental samples collected in the field.
*Illustrative imageModeling Adsorption and Binding Reactions
The lab models how metal ions attach to mineral surfaces and to natural organic matter such as humic substances. Using experiments and molecular-scale structural information, it aims to predict how elements move in the environment.
*Illustrative imageEvaluating Chemical Speciation
This research investigates the chemical forms in which elements exist. Projects include studying radioactive cesium in rivers in Fukushima Prefecture with DGT devices, and evaluation using laser fluorescence spectroscopy.
*Illustrative imageColloids in Deep Groundwater
The lab studies small particles (colloids) and natural organic matter in deep underground groundwater. In joint research with the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, it compared colloids in groundwater from granite and from sedimentary rock.
*Illustrative imageRadionuclide Behavior in Contaminated Environments
The lab studies how radioactive cesium spread by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident behaves in soil. Topics include desorption of cesium from clay minerals and the distribution of its chemical forms in soil.
MembersFaculty
The Saito Lab's members are faculty, project researchers, technical assistants, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorTakumi SaitoPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorKanako Toda
VoicesStudent voices
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Onkalo driving tunnel” kallerna / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Modeling Adsorption and Binding Reactions: “A soil profile on Kilner Bank - geograph.org.uk - 92677” Chris Yeates / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Evaluating Chemical Speciation: “Abukuma River, Fukushima City, Japan” Brian Adler (BrianAdler) / Public domain (cropped)
- Colloids in Deep Groundwater: “Tunnel end Onkalo” kallerna / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Radionuclide Behavior in Contaminated Environments: “Biotite flakes (GeoDIL number - 5)” Dexter Perkins / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Geosphere Environmental Systems Lab): “Layers of sedimentary rock formed on the earth's surface. 5310” AlixSaz / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Dodbiba Lab): “Prominenthill-flotation” Geomartin / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Tokoro-Takaya Lab): “Froth flotation” Andreslan / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Ocean Environment Systems Lab): “Posidonia oceanica meadow and school of Salema porgy - Exploration and observation - Calanque de Sormiou - June 2022” Karim saari / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
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