About ReproMise [English]

Water shortage and pollution has been one of the big issues for human lives along with food and energy crisis. Since year 2000, 10m3/day scaled water treatment system, which can provide daily life water for approximately 400,000 people, are constructed all around the world. As a result, desalination technologies targeting unused water sources have been developed and commercialized rapidly.

　As the severity of water problem increases, demand for Mega-ton scaled water treatment system is expected to become more serious.

Development of membrane water treatment technologies, especially focusing on commercialization, has been the recent trend for industry-government-academia research groups. For example, sewage treatment system utilizing membrane technologies aiming resouce recovery have been proposed in the U.S. Japan has also proposed resource recovery and facility updates in "Wastewater System Vision 2100" which reflects the tremendous increase of momentum toward sewage treatment plant innovation, domestically and abroad.

　Among membrane water treatment technologies, membrane bioreactors (well known as MBR) hav received much attention for its integral treatment of sewage and sludge. MBR is also expected to capture and immobilize nutrients, in addition to production of water and biomass.
　Recent researches by EU exploiting immersed MBR to sewage treatment is one representative works reported abroad. New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism are promoting researches aiming energy saving and commercialization of MBR technologies.

　This project is supported by New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and Japan Society of the Promotion of Science (JSPS) through the Funding Program for World-Leading Innovative R&D on Science and Technology (FIRST).

ReproMise Logo　ReproMise (Resources Productive Membrane Integral-system for Sewage) is the sub theme group of Mega-ton water system project. The aim of this group is to develop a MBR based sewage treatment system "MBR+ system" for the mega-ton or sub mega-ton scaled water circulation loop technologies.
　This group will also cover functional analysis and optimal system design of resource recovery typed multifunctional membrane treatment system "Baffled MBR (BMBR) system", which can be applicable for smaller treatment plants.

　MBR+ system is a innovative system which combines resource production and membrane sewage treatment. By promoting sewage treatment and recycling, it contributes to the recycle-oriented and low-carbon society.

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　BMBR is a patent owned sewage treatment technology with excellent nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiency, expected to be commercialized as a unique treatment system.

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　This project, as one of the sub themes of Megaton-Water System, aims to develop ‘Resources Productive Membrane Integral System for Sewage’ (ReproMise). As such a R&D, we need a big mouth or a regulatory ideal. Here, we aims at the same impact of the innovation as the activated sludge process had achieved as Modern Sewerage. By this mean, we could realize the Water Cycle Pass and the Renewable Resource Pass proposed in the Wastewater System Vision 2100. Our final target is to contribute to mitigation of the water vulnerability and realization of the low carbon society on the globe by applying our research outcomes to renovation of existing wastewater treatment plants as well as new construction of them or else not only in Japan but also in other countries. Integrated Membrane System (IMS) is a typical translation of the Japanese words ‘Togo Maku System’, but IMS usually means just a combination of different membranes that doesn’t match with our project design. ‘Togo’, here, does mean ‘not only membrane but also other processes integration’. Avoiding misunderstanding or having a big mouth of ‘Perfect system’, we give a new translation of the words: Membrane Integral System (MIS).

Professor Kazuo YAMAMOTO
Sub theme Leader,
Environmental Science Center, The University of Tokyo