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Tokoro Lab
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The lab develops technologies to separate, extract, and recirculate resources.
AboutAbout the lab
Separating and extracting to recirculate resources
Tokoro Lab studies technologies for extracting resources from used products so that they can be used again.
For each of the basic steps of recycling, namely comminution and separation, sorting, and recovery, the lab works to elucidate the mechanisms and develop technologies.
The lab is divided into four teams for research: electric pulse, chemistry, DEM simulation, and comminution and separation.
The main targets are wastes that will appear in large quantities in the coming years, such as lithium-ion batteries, solar panels, and carbon fiber reinforced plastics.
Key terms
- Electric pulse method
- A separation method that passes a strong electric current for a very short time and uses the resulting shock to selectively break materials apart at their boundaries
- DEM simulation
- A method that tracks the motion of each individual powder particle by calculation to reproduce the behavior of the whole assembly
- Powder
- An assembly of fine particles. It behaves so distinctively that it is said to be a fourth state of matter after gas, liquid, and solid
NewsLab news
Two master's students won an award at the poster session of the 23rd "Resources, Materials and Environment" Technology and Research Exchange Meeting
Prof. Tokoro was elected an Academician of the World Academy of Ceramics
Graduate students won an Excellent Presentation Award at the Mining and Materials Processing Institute of Japan (MMIJ) 2026 Spring Meeting
A collaborative study in which Prof. Tokoro participated won the 51st MMIJ Paper Award
Prof. Tokoro received the 2025 Society of Chemical Engineers, Japan Research Award (Masao Saneyoshi Memorial Award)
ResearchResearch themes
Tokoro Lab works on elucidating mechanisms and proposing processes for the series of steps in which resources are comminuted and separated, sorted, and recovered. Combining simulation with experiments, the lab aims to build processes that are low-cost, efficient, and applicable to many kinds of resources.
*Illustrative imageSeparation by Electric Pulses
Focusing on the electric pulse method, a highly selective and efficient physical separation technology, the lab uses it to propose designs and manufacturing processes that make products easier to disassemble. Its targets include cathode materials of lithium-ion batteries, bonded metals, and carbon fiber reinforced plastics.
*Illustrative imageChemical Recovery Processes
Chemical treatment is widely used in the recovery stage of recycling. By accurately understanding chemical reactions and their mechanisms, the lab improves conventional treatment methods and proposes new processes.
*Illustrative imageDEM Simulation
Powders are difficult to evaluate experimentally, and even for simple operations their mechanisms are not well understood. Using discrete element method (DEM) simulation, the lab elucidates the mechanisms of processes such as comminution, separation, mixing, and granulation, and works on optimizing them.
*Illustrative imageComminution and Separation
Comminution and separation by mechanical stimulation involve many phenomena that remain unexplained. Alongside elucidating the mechanisms for various targets, the lab also carries out thermal treatment that makes use of material properties, as well as physicochemical verification.
MembersFaculty
The members of Tokoro Lab consist of faculty, researchers, research assistants, research support staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorChiharu Tokoro
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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: “Recycled Electronics - Circuit Boards ( )” Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Separation by Electric Pulses: “Woven carbon fiber fabric” Acheolg / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Chemical Recovery Processes: “Bumblebeeelectroplating” Huravaleriia / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- DEM Simulation: “Several marbles” Conrad 7 / CC0 (cropped)
- Comminution and Separation: “Stone crushed into building material” BogTar201213 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Yamaguchi Lab): “Ore smelting furnace, Gedabey” Siemens Corporate Archives, Munich / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Itsubo Lab): “Whole world - land and oceans 12000” NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Sasaki Lab): “Titanium(IV) oxide” Walkerma / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Nozaki Lab): “Active hydrothermal vent- Mushroom (OOI 222)” Ocean Observatories Initiative / Public domain (cropped)
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