At Hyper Interdisciplinary Conference Osaka 2026, held on September 5, 2026, we held a session titled "An Era of Excess Nitrogen: How Should We Design the Fate of Nitrogen in Natural and Artificial Ecosystems?" A session report summarizing the discussion is now available on L Media.
Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for the growth of living organisms and food production. However, when excessive amounts enter the environment through human activity, they can cause problems such as eutrophication. The starting point for considering desirable cycles is not simply to reduce nitrogen, but to understand where it exists, in what form, and who will use it.
With Inoca Corporation as the session partner, the session brought together members of Leave a Nest, ARK, the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Inoca, and Hase Tora Spinning Co., Ltd. Using wastewater from textile factories and closed recirculating aquaculture as case studies, the speakers discussed the flow of nitrogen across natural and artificial ecosystems.
Should water discharged from a factory be considered acceptable simply because it is transparent? How should we think about the nutrients needed by organisms living in rivers and seas? What is needed to manage nitrogen generated by aquaculture safely while putting it to productive use? Through these questions, the report introduces perspectives for considering wastewater treatment and water quality management in connection with regional ecosystems and industries.
The LVNS Water Cycle Project is also working to optimize textile wastewater treatment and nitrogen circulation in closed recirculating aquaculture systems. To see water as a flow connecting nutrients, living organisms, industries, and regions: this discussion also connects to our vision of "creating flows and cycles of water that nurture life."
We invite you to read the session report.
Read the session report
Read the session report on L Media