Graphene has been a sensational discovery of recent years. In the last two to three years, there has been effort to prepare graphene-like layered inorganic materials such as MoS₂, WS₂, GaS and BN. Several methods of synthesis of such nanosheets have been developed. Some of the recent results on few-layer metal chalcogenides and BN will be presented. Specially interesting are some of the physical properties of these nano materials such as magnetism and superconductivity. Transistors and devices have been fabricated with some of the few-layered inorganic materials. A new graphene-like material is B_x C_y N_z. The unusual gas adsorptive properties of high-surface area borocarbonitrides will be discussed. Open-framework materials incorporating graphene have been synthesized and characterized. These materials also show gas adsorptive characteristics. Porous materials wherein graphene layers are connected by organic linkers constitute a novel class of materials. Few-layer species of two-dimensional open-framework hybrid materials are generated by ultrasonication.

Mass concentrations of particles in the air may seem small (µg/kg of air), but they profoundly impact human health and climate. Even at such low concentrations, inhaled particles trigger respiratory and other diseases, and are linked with increased death rates in cities throughout Europe and North America, regions where efforts to control air pollution have already had some success. Megacities such as Beijing are now suffering much more extreme levels of particulate pollution whose properties are only now being studied, and whose effects have not yet been quantified. However, much has been learned about the nature and origins of the atmospheric particles from studies in other locations around the world, including a number of other highly polluted regions. These studies reveal that the atmospheric aerosol is a heterogeneous mixture: some particles are emitted directly to the atmosphere; others by homogeneous nucleation of the products of atmospheric reactions; mixed particles result from coagulation, condensation, and condensed phase reactions. This growing understanding is being integrated into models of their transport and transformations in the atmosphere to aid in developing strategies for addressing this growing problem.

Many countries face the serious issues for Solid Waste Management(SWM) in the Asian region,especially "Landfill".
I will present the history of progress on development of "Fukuoka Method (Semiaerobic Landfill Type)" and the transfer technology of landfills for developing countries,especially China and Asian region, which I have been carring out up the this time.
And also,I will introduce for the case stuy on the improvement and reuse of completed landfills based on Fukuoka Method.

E-waste has both valuable and hazardous substances. It is recommended that valuable substances (precious and rare metals, etc.) are recovered effectively and hazardous substances are controlled without emission.

In order to understand the formal and informal recycling of E-waste in Asia and find the possible improvement, we surveyed the processes of dismantling and recycling of E-waste in detail by site investigations in Asia. We also tried to understand the substance flow and recovery potential of metals in Japan and other Asia.

For improving hazardous and resource potential related to E-waste, we need to consider the collection and recycling system together with appropriate responsibilities and awareness raising.

Advanced inorganic materials particularly ceramics have been used in wide area of applications like structural, mechanical, chemical, electrical, electronic, optical, photonic, biological, medical, etc. They have generally been fabricated by so-called high-technology, where  high temperature, high pressure, vacuum, molecule, atom, ion, plasma, etc. have been used for their fabrications, because ceramics are difficult in shape forming and fixing due to their intrinsic rigidity and brittleness. Even though nano-sized particles of inorganic materials could be synthesized by low-energetic route, i.e.”soft chemistry” or “green chemistry”, their shape forming and fixing  cost energetically and environmentally.

We have challenged to fabricate those advanced ceramics with desired shape/ size/location,etc. directly in low energetic ways using aqueous solutions since 1989 when we found a method to fabricate BaTiO3 film on Ti substrate in a Ba(OH)2 solution by Hydrothermal Electrochemical[HEC] method at low temperatures of 60-200 C.  We  proposed in 1995 an innovative concept and technology, “Soft Processing” or “Soft Solution Processing,” which aims low energetic (=environmentally benign) fabrication of shaped, sized, located, and oriented inorganic materials in/from solutions.  It can be regarded as one of bio-inspired processing, green processing,Eco-processing,etc.. Here their feature and future will be discussed in relation to sustainable society.