Our research interest is in the catalysis for efficiently using natural resources and plastic waste.
We focus on the hydrolysis of cellulose, the most abundant biomass, over carbon-based catalysts with weak acid sites. Moreover, our study includes the catalytic conversion of chitin, which is marine biomass, as a feedstock for nitrogen-containing organic compounds. Additionally, our research covers the chemical recycling of plastic waste. We also investigate the oxidation of alkane to fundamental chemicals, the reaction selectively putting one oxygen atom into a saturated hydrocarbon. It is a simple, prominent but one of the most formidable challenges.

Selective Synthesis of Oligosaccharides by Mechanochemical Hydrolysis of Chitin over a Carbon-Based Catalyst, H. Kobayashi, Y. Suzuki, T. Sagawa, M. Saito, A. Fukuoka, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 62, e202214229 (2023). DOI: 10.1002/anie.202214229

Impact of tensile and compressive forces on hydrolysis of cellulose and chitin, H. Kobayashi, Y. Suzuki, T. Sagawa, K. Kuroki, J. Hasegawa, A. Fukuoka, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 23, 15908 (2021). DOI: 10.1039/D1CP01650D