Environmental Biogeochemistry

	Prof. MAEDA Morihiro E-mail: mun [at] cc.okayama-u.ac.jp greenhouse gases, nitrogen, phosphorus, sediment, soil, organic waste, water   Directory of Researchers　　　Link to group homepage

Agriculture is responsible for emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane (CH4). Production of these gases in farmland soil results from biological processes like organic matter decomposition, nitrification and denitrification, and highly depends on organic matter inputs. We aim at analyzing the effects of organic matter amendment on GHGs emissions. In particular, we are interested in agricultural soil amended with livestock compost.

	Assoc. Prof. HASHIGUCHI Ayumi E-mail: hashiguchi-a [at] okayama-u.ac.jp ） Soil and Water Environment / Water Treatment / Microbial Applications/ Chemical Substances Directory of Researchers

Improvement of Sulfate-reducing bacteria-based wastewater treatment by utilizing quorum sensing.

I am currently working on improving Sulfate-reducing bacteria-based wastewater treatment by adding the autoinducer. It is well known that
autoinducers (AIs) are utilized by microorganisms for their communications, and exhibit their microbial functions such as biofilm formation, luminance,
and so on. However, details of the mechanisms and functions caused by the addition of AIs to diverse microorganisms like activated sludge are unclear.
The aim of this study is to accelerate wastewater treatment by clarifying which AIs contribute efficiently to improving water treatment capacity in the wastewater treatment process.