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Chemical Systems Engineering Lab
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A lab studying catalysts and processes that make fuels and chemicals from CO2 and nitrogen.
AboutAbout the lab
Seeing both the trees and the forest in chemical system design
The Chemical Systems Engineering Lab studies both energy and materials systems (the forest) and the materials that support them (the trees).
It develops processes that use renewable energy to make fuels and chemicals from CO2 and nitrogen, as well as the catalysts that work in them.
The lab is working on the direct production of ammonia and methanol by electrolysis, and on converting CO2 into useful substances by reacting it with hydrogen.
Aiming to realize a zero-carbon society, the lab welcomes undergraduate students doing graduation research and graduate students at any time.
Key terms
- Catalyst
- A substance that makes a reaction proceed more easily without being changed itself. A small amount can change how a reaction proceeds.
- Electrolysis
- Passing electricity through a compound to break it down or convert it into another substance.
- Solid solution
- A state in which another element is uniformly dissolved within a crystal.
NewsLab news
A paper on methyl acetate synthesis from dimethyl ether has been accepted by The Journal of Physical Chemistry C
A paper on electrochemical ammonia synthesis has been accepted by Chemistry – A European Journal
A review article on fuel cells and electrolysis has been accepted by ChemPhysChem
Professor Kikuchi received the FY2025 Japan Institute of Energy Award (Academic Division)
Associate Professor Tada received the FY2025 Encouragement Award of the Hokkaido Branch of the Chemical Society of Japan
ResearchResearch themes
While looking at the whole system of energy and materials, the lab develops the catalyst materials that work within it. Its central theme is processes that use renewable energy to make fuels and chemicals from CO2 and nitrogen.
*Illustrative imageElectrochemical Synthesis of Ammonia
The lab builds electrolysis cells from proton-conducting materials and synthesizes ammonia from water and nitrogen. It is improving electrocatalysts that work under mild conditions of atmospheric pressure and 220°C, aiming to raise synthesis efficiency.
*Illustrative imageElectrolytic Reduction of CO2
This research electrolyzes CO2 in cells that use a solid phosphate electrolyte to directly produce methanol, ethanol, ethylene, and other products. By optimizing electrocatalysts and reaction conditions, the lab is developing devices that convert CO2 efficiently.
*Illustrative imageMaking Chemicals from CO2 and Hydrogen
Hydrogen produced with renewable energy is reacted in a catalytic reactor with CO2 captured from sources such as combustion flue gas. The lab is developing catalysts that selectively produce methane, methanol, dimethyl ether, olefins, and more.
*Illustrative imageMetal Oxide Solid Solutions and Catalysts
When a small amount of another element is dissolved into alumina or zirconia, that element takes on a distinctive fine structure. The lab designs catalysts that use this structure as the starting point of reactions, and explores new reactions.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Chemical Systems Engineering Lab are faculty members, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, research students, and secretaries.As of 2026
- ProfessorRyuji Kikuchi
- ProfessorYoshiko Tsuji
- Associate ProfessorShohei Tada
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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: “Wind power plants in Xinjiang, China” 林 慕尧 / Chris Lim from East Coast (东海岸), Singapore (新加坡) / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Electrochemical Synthesis of Ammonia: “Ammonia-3D-balls” 作者不詳 / Public domain (cropped)
- Electrolytic Reduction of CO2: “Methanol-3D-balls” Ben Mills / Public domain (cropped)
- Making Chemicals from CO2 and Hydrogen: “Moorburg Power Plant Unit A synced to grid seen from ferry pier 2” Cvoelker / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Metal Oxide Solid Solutions and Catalysts: “Corundum-215330” Robert M. Lavinsky / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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- Related lab (界面電子化学): “The army of titanium dioxide nanotubes” Robert Kamalov, Irina Dorosheva, Alexander Vokhmintsev, Ilya Weinstein / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (エネルギーメディア変換材料): “Molten iron from the blast furnace” UCL Engineering / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (環境材料学): “Anode effect steel” Александр Наумов / Public domain (cropped)
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