At the research presentation (September 14-16) of the 2021 Hokkaido Competition of Japanese Society of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition held at Hokkaido University (online), Yudai Kohira, a first year Graduate of Science and Engineering Environmental Engineering for Symbiosis student, received the Young Oral Presentation Excellence Award (Soil Improvement Materials Category).

The Society promotes research and development for the construction of modern theories and technical systems of soil science, fertilizer science, and plant nutrition, which are deeply related to food production, and aims to contribute to the stable development of human society associated with environmentally friendly agriculture. 
Mr. Kohira, who presented on " Ammonium and phosphoric acid adsorption (on the surface) and desorption performance of functional biochar derived from coffee grounds treated with different metals", performed different metal treatments on biochar obtained by carbonizing discarded coffee grounds. Improving the absorption and detachment performance of nutrients by each treatment. It was announced that the effective use of coffee grounds, especially the further availability as an organic fertilizer, can be expected.

Mr. Kohira said, "I am very grateful to receive such an award. I feel that this is a result that could not have been achieved without the support of my professor Shinjiro Sato, and my colleagues in the Environmental and Soil Science Laboratory. I will learn from this experience and continue to work diligently on future research activities without being defeated."