On Wednesday, October 6, 10, Ryuma Ogawa, a fifth-year student in the Department of Marine Science and Technology, and his supervisor, Associate Professor Masanao Hirose, participated in the Marine Engineering Society held at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology and presented the results of their research to date.
　The Marine Engineering Society is made up of researchers who study engineering and technology related to ship engines and equipment and marine equipment. This time, Mr. Ogawa and Associate Professor Hirose gave a presentation on the theme of "Basic characteristics of feedstock oil for BDF produced using oyster shell catalysts."
　The subject of the presentation is biodiesel fuel, produced by a laboratory led by Associate Professor Kenji Kodama of the Department of Information and Mechanical Systems Engineering at our school. This biodiesel fuel is produced using used vegetable oil discarded from inns in Toba City and oyster shells discarded from oyster farming, and has been attracting attention in recent years as a renewable fuel made by specially treating discarded materials. Our school is exploring the possibility of using this biodiesel fuel as ship fuel, and has begun working on it as a cross-disciplinary project jointly undertaken by the Department of Information and Mechanical Systems Engineering and the Department of Merchant Marine Engineering.
　One student who participated in the conference said, "I was a little nervous to take part in the presentations at the Marine Engineering Society this time, as many of the major industry-leading companies were in attendance. However, every session dealt with themes such as reducing environmental impact and improving equipment efficiency, which I found very interesting. I was particularly able to gain new knowledge about how companies are using technology to implement environmental measures, which I feel I can use in my future life as a working professional. I also received a variety of advice after the presentations, and some of it was valuable and will be useful for my future research. By participating in an academic conference like this, I was able to learn about the latest information in the industry and approaches to solving problems, and it was a very meaningful time."