As one of the most influential professors in the field of environment at Tohoku University, over the years, he has studied environmental protection countermeasures and engineering technology, focusing on the research on the mechanism of anaerobic digestion of organic wastewater and waste, and the scientific research with the development of resource and energy technology as the core. So far, many research achievements have been applied in engineering.

He has formed a wide popularity and academic influence in Japanese environmental engineering academia and industry, not only established an authoritative position in the field of anaerobic biological treatment technology in Japan, but also widely recognized by international peers. He has won three times the Japan Civil Society Environmental Engineering Committee Paper Award (2000, 2006, 2009), the Monthly [Water] Paper Award (2009), the Japan Society for Environmental Technology Paper Award (2012), and the Japan Sewer Association Merit Award (2013), Japan Water Environment Society Paper Award (2019) and Academic Award (2021), etc. He has published more than 500 papers in international and Japanese academic journals in the field of environmental engineering, including more than 360 papers in SCI source journals, and participated in the compilation of more than 20 monographs. Obtained the national registered engineer qualification of Japan’s sanitary engineering, water and sewage 2 departments. At present, his main research direction is to promote the low-carbon treatment and resource recycling of wastewater and waste. Research topics include anaerobic membrane bioreactors, anammox process development, and optimization of biomass energy systems.