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Dowaki Lab
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The lab takes renewable energy from experiments and evaluation all the way to deployment.
AboutAbout the lab
Researching renewable energy with deployment in view.
The Dowaki Lab studies the development of renewable energy and, in related fields such as agriculture, how to use it optimally, along with equipment development and evaluation of its deployment.
Guided by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) advocated by the United Nations, the lab uses life cycle assessment (LCA), an environmental assessment method, as its evaluation criterion.
Through experimental verification, prototype building, and assessment of social acceptance, the lab carries out technology assessment, which proposes optimal scenarios up to deployment, in international industry-academia collaboration.
The lab was newly established in April 2026 in the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering.
Key terms
- Life cycle assessment (LCA)
- An environmental assessment method that evaluates the environmental impact of a product or technology across its entire life cycle.
- Technology assessment
- A method that evaluates the performance of a technology or system and how it is received by society, and proposes the optimal scenario up to deployment.
- Hydrogen storage alloy
- An alloy that can absorb and release hydrogen. The lab turns it into cartridges and studies its use for hydrogen storage.
- Indirect pyrolysis gasification
- A gasification process the lab uses to produce hydrogen from biomass resources and waste.
NewsLab news
Paper published in the Journal of the Japan Institute of Energy (in English)
Won the Nikken Sekkei Award and the Group Work Excellence Award in the cross-disciplinary course (Energy and Environment Course)
Won an award for a poster presentation in the cross-disciplinary course (Agriculture-Science-Engineering Interdisciplinary Collaboration Course)
A master's student's company was certified as a university-originated student startup
A master's student won the Excellent Poster Presentation Award at ACBS 2025
ResearchResearch themes
The lab conducts broad industry-academia collaborative research centered on the production, purification, and use of hydrogen derived from biomass, extending to agricultural applications and air-conditioning and refrigeration technologies using natural refrigerants. From a life cycle engineering perspective, it examines the performance of technologies and systems through experiments and simulation.
*Illustrative imageProducing hydrogen from biomass
This research produces hydrogen by processing biomass resources and waste through an indirect pyrolysis gasification process. Thermal conversion characteristics such as heat exchange and gas yield, as well as hydrogen concentration performance, are examined through experiments and simulation.
*Illustrative imageFuel cell bicycles powered by hydrogen storage alloys
As a use for the hydrogen produced, the lab aims to introduce it in power-assisted bicycles for sharing services. In industry-academia collaboration that also involves other labs, it takes real-world measurements of the battery design and operating characteristics of systems that combine a fuel cell with a hydrogen storage alloy.
Purifying hydrogen with natural adsorbents
Hydrogen made from biomass or waste contains impurities that lower fuel cell performance. The lab verifies the adsorption effect of natural resources, such as sediment from abandoned mines, to see whether they can be used in place of metal oxide adsorbents.
*Illustrative imageDeveloping agricultural products using biochar
The lab uses heat-treated biomass residues, such as char from power plants and coffee grounds, as agricultural materials, aiming to improve the quality of fruits and vegetables (for example, sugar content). It carries out demonstration trials and social implementation, and part of this work is developed in a student venture.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Dowaki Lab consist of faculty, students, and administrative secretaries.
- ProfessorKiyoshi Dowaki
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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: “GASAG Biogas plant in Schwedt (051)” Vasyatka1 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Producing hydrogen from biomass: “Wood pellets-small huddle PNr°0108” D-Kuru / CC BY-SA 3.0 at (cropped)
- Fuel cell bicycles powered by hydrogen storage alloys: “Hino Motors Fuel Cell Bus (Tokyo Motor Show 2015 Concept model) with bicycle trailer” Comyu / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Developing agricultural products using biochar: “Biochar Application” GIZ/Tim Brunauer / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (片山研究室): “Toyota Mirai fuel cell stack and hydrogen tank SAO” Mariordo (Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz) / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (木村研究室): “The European robotic arm extends out from the Nauka module (iss067e034864) (cropped)” NASA / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (中村研究室): “VEX Robotics Competition Robot and Controller” Noah Wulf / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (杉山研究室): “Solar World wafer ( )” Oregon Department of Transportation / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
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