Professor Yano
On 29 September, the Honda Foundation announced that it is awarding the 2016 Honda Prize to Professor Hiroyuki Yano, of the Kyoto University Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere (RISH), and Professor Akira Isogai, of the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences. The two researchers are cited for their "tremendous contributions to the development of high-efficiency cellulose nanofiber (CNF) production methods, which have helped expand the material's industrial applications and future potential".
Established in 1980, the Honda Prize annually recognizes individual or group accomplishments in the development of ecotechnologies, which enable ecologically sustainable human activities and promote the creation of a "truly humane civilization". The Prize is in its 37th year.
Professor Yano invented the "Pulp Direct-Kneading Method", also known as the Kyoto Process, for the production of CNF-reinforced composite materials. Unlike the conventional method, where CNF is first produced and then mixed with resin or other composite materials, the Kyoto Process nanofibrillates pulp fibers and disperses the resultant CNF uniformly in the resin in a single step, enabling time- and cost-effective production of ready-to-mold CNF composite materials.
Professor Yano has also played a leading role in a number of multisector collaborative projects, contributing to the development of various new applications for CNF.
The award ceremony will be held 17 November 2016 at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo.
