International environmental support in collaborative research project with NEDO

Fujitsu is using ICT to provide support in resolving environmental problems in the Map Ta Phut industrial estate⁽¹⁾ in Thailand.

Sponsored by Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), the project is a government-subsidized collaborative research effort in environmental technologies. It was taken up by NEDO in December 2011 based on a request received from the Government of Thailand.

In this project, Fujitsu will construct an environmental monitoring system that will gather, monitor, and analyze data on environmental pollutants, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs)⁽²⁾, noxious odors, and ozone gas, in the Map Ta Phut industrial estate. The measurement data provided by this system will then be used to support research on the VOC diffusion prediction model of Chulalongkorn University, a national public university in Thailand, in partnership with the Asia Center for Air Pollution Research (ACAP). Moreover, Fujitsu's environmental technology, which has a track record in Japan for environmental solutions, will be transferred to Thailand to help cultivate environmental engineers in Thailand.

Project Overview

Based on a petition from the Government of Thailand titled "Project Proposal for the Green Partnership Plan" received by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, a proposal submitted by Fujitsu titled "Research Cooperation for VOC Monitoring and Environmental Data Management in Thailand" was adopted by NEDO, thereby resulting in this project.

Based on a basic agreement signed today between NEDO and Thailand's National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), the initiatives outlined below will be undertaken during fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2012. By bringing together the advanced technologies and know-how of Fujitsu and all of the other institutions involved, the project seeks to help efforts led by NSTDA to resolve the environmental issues of the Map Ta Phut industrial estate.

1. Construction of an environmental monitoring system

Fujitsu will construct an environmental monitoring system in which will measure VOCs, noxious odors, and ozone gas using a variety of sensors placed in multiple locations in the Map Ta Phut industrial estate. Data on these environmental pollutants will be collected, monitored, and analyzed by the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand and Chulalongkorn University. Leveraging the environmental technologies and know-how it has developed in its environmental solutions in Japan, Fujitsu will develop a high-quality system that meets the needs of NSTDA.

2. Support of VOC diffusion model research

To use the various measurement data collected by the environmental monitoring system to advance Chulalongkorn University's research on a VOC diffusion prediction model, Fujitsu will construct a PC cluster system that will serve as the platform for this research and will work with ACAP, which has a wealth of experience in atmospheric simulations, to support research on the VOC diffusion prediction model.

3. Transfer of environmental technology and cultivating engineers

Using its experience in Japan in the field of environmental solutions, Fujitsu will conduct operational training programs and formulate standardized procedures for the measurement work, thereby supporting the transfer of environmental technology to Thailand and the improvement in the level of skills of Thai's environmental engineers.

1 Map Ta Phut industrial estate:

An industrial estate located in Rayong Province in eastern Thailand that is the site of petrochemical, steel, and refinery plants.

2 Volatile organic compounds:

Organic chemicals that easily evaporate into the atmosphere at ordinary, room-temperature conditions. When released into the environment, they represent a public hazard in the damage they cause to human health.