LAB LOGA page on LabLog, a review site (not the lab's official page)
Tomishige Lab
Machine-translated · View original
A catalysis lab that turns biomass and carbon dioxide into useful substances.
AboutAbout the lab
Manufacturing that doesn't depend on petroleum, through catalysis.
The lab studies solid catalysts that convert biomass, natural gas, and carbon dioxide into useful substances.
A catalyst is a substance that lowers the activation energy of a chemical reaction so that the reaction proceeds faster.
Much of the raw material for gasoline and PET bottles is currently made from petroleum, but petroleum will eventually run out.
The lab actually prepares many catalysts, and uses the results of activity tests and structural analysis to design new ones.
Key terms
- Catalyst
- A substance that lowers the activation energy of a chemical reaction so that the reaction proceeds faster
- Biomass
- Organic resources originating from plants and animals. They can be used continuously without increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
- Synthesis gas
- A gas mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. It is a raw material for liquid fuels and chemicals
NewsLab news
A doctoral student received a Poster Award at the TOCAT10 Pre-Symposium in Sendai
A doctoral student received the Best Poster Award at the Summer Training School of the Young Researchers' Group of the Catalysis Society of Japan
Assistant Professor Yabushita received the JAICI Award from the Japan Association for International Chemical Information
A doctoral student received a Poster Award at the CatBior Conference
Assistant Professor Yabushita received the 2025 Encouragement Award of the Catalysis Society of Japan
ResearchResearch themes
The lab focuses on biomass, natural gas, and carbon dioxide as resources to replace petroleum. Because these are harder to convert than petroleum, the lab works on developing new solid catalysts that can convert them efficiently.
*Illustrative imageNext-generation natural gas reforming systems
The reaction that produces synthesis gas from methane, the main component of natural gas, requires a large amount of heat. The lab studies a system in which oxygen is added to the reaction gas so that combustion also proceeds on the catalyst, and the heat generated there is used on the spot for reforming.
*Illustrative imageCatalytic gasification of biomass
Conventional biomass gasification required very high temperatures to prevent the formation of tar, a heavy hydrocarbon. The lab aims to use high-performance catalysts to gasify biomass in an energy-efficient way at low temperatures without producing tar.
*Illustrative imageOrganic synthesis from carbon dioxide
The lab develops reactions that use carbon dioxide as a raw material, with catalysts that have both acid and base functions. It works on the direct synthesis of dimethyl carbonate from methanol and carbon dioxide, and on the synthesis of carbamate esters with the addition of an amine and an alcohol.
*Illustrative imageConversion of biomass-derived compounds
The lab focuses on unused biomass that does not compete with food, and develops conversion technologies for vegetable oils and woody biomass. It studies the hydrogenation of fatty acids obtained by processing triglycerides, the main component of vegetable oil, as well as conversion reactions of glycerin.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Tomishige Lab consist of faculty, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, research students, special research students, technical assistants, and administrative assistants.As of 2026
- ProfessorKeiichi Tomishige
- Assistant ProfessorMizuho Yabushita
- Assistant ProfessorPhilip Anggo Krisbiantoro
VoicesStudent voices
Ratings and reviews reflect the experiences of individual current or former students, not the lab's official views. Whether a lab has reviews, or how many, says nothing about the lab itself.
Students who take part in an interview may receive a thank-you gift worth ¥1,000, regardless of what they say.
Student ratings (0 students)
--
--
--
--
--
--
Student voices answer questions like these
- What's great about this lab?
- What did you learn after joining?
- What's the vibe, and what is the professor like?
- Who is this lab for?
- Where do graduates go?
Your experience can help younger students choose their lab. Your name won't be shown.
Write a lab reviewAnonymous · Your draft is saved if you stopRelatedLabs similar to Tomishige Lab
Tamaru LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Chemistry and BioengineeringBioresource engineering. Microbial degradation, saccharifica…
Kitakawa LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Chemistry and BioengineeringReaction processes that create value; development of chemica…
Solvent Element Technology LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Chemistry and BioengineeringNovel solvents: supercritical fluids; practical technologies…
Oi LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Chemistry and BioengineeringMolecular transformations enabled by transition metals and m…The information on this page is compiled by the LabLog team from the lab's public information and interviews. For corrections or removal requests, please contact LabLog, not the lab.
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: “Dry Raney nickel” en:User:Rune.welsh / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Next-generation natural gas reforming systems: “Aderklaa - Gasstation” C.Stadler/Bwag / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Catalytic gasification of biomass: “Pile of wood chips Namibia” Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) - Bush Control and Biomass Utilisation Project / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Organic synthesis from carbon dioxide: “Dimethyl-carbonate-3D-balls” Benjah-bmm27 / Public domain (cropped)
- Conversion of biomass-derived compounds: “Field of flowering rapeseed - geograph.org.uk - 7153807” Neil Theasby / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (田丸研究室): “Ausblick, Ethanolanlage, 2025 Dunaföldvár” Globetrotter19 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (北川研究室): “Ion exchange resin beads” Bugman at English Wikipedia / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (溶媒要素技術部): “Water drop 001” José Manuel Suárez from Spain / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (大井研究室): “Hoveyda-Grubbs-catalyst-1st-gen 3D-balls” Diogo Duarte / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
About LabLog
LabLog is a lab review app for students only. Student members at each university interview students in labs and publish what they say. Student voices can only be read by students who sign up with a university email address. Operated by bestiee Inc.
Learn more about LabLog ↗Search engines and AI may reference the basic lab info and rating summaries on this page and the description of LabLog. Student voices are for student members only. Automated collection by programs (scraping, or input to or training of AI) is prohibited under Article 8 of the Terms of Service. If you need data for research or analysis, please contact us.