Earth’s soil is often described as the “living skin” of the planet, playing a vital role in safeguarding the environment and supporting life. This analogy underscores the dynamic and interconnected nature of soil, which serves as a habitat for diverse microorganisms, helps regulate water flow, and provides essential nutrients for plant growth. Additionally, the soil acts as a crucial buffer, protecting against erosion and serving as a reservoir for carbon and other essential elements. In essence, the living skin of the Earth embodies a delicate balance that sustains ecosystems and contributes to the overall health of our planet.

The loss of exceptional reaction sites (i.e. humic substances) in the soil, surpassing its capacity, is exacerbated by phenomena such as desertification, resulting from practices like excessive overfarming and overgrazing. These unsustainable activities degrade the soil quality, erode its fertility, and diminish its ability to support diverse ecosystems. Desertification, characterized by the expansion of arid areas, further accelerates the depletion of vital reaction sites in the soil, contributing to environmental challenges and the loss of fertile land.

This paper discusses ideas on increasing the production of humic substances, identified as universal reaction sites in arid lands, based on the research findings conducted by us.

To improve domestic food security, phosphorus recovery from sewage is being promoted as a national policy. In Kobe City, phosphorus is recovered from digested sludge and recirculation of phosphorus is established within the city. This paper outlines examples of contributions to sewer business and agriculture and regional cooperation by phosphorus recovery.

This report includes a discussion of the possibilities of microalgae-related projects in the desert. Microalgae use the sun as energy to produce organic matter using CO₂ and water as their main materials. Microalgae has high potential for production speed and settlement efficiency per area and it is attracting attention in the aim of creating a sustainable society. While working for a construction company, the author has been exploring the possibility of harnessing the potential of microalgae for sustainable material production. Based on that experience, we attempted to extract the conditions for establishing a microalgae business in the desert.

This article introduces overseas microalgae production projects that are thought to be applicable even in the desert. Based on these examples, I consider the conditions that enable mass microalgae cultivation in desert.

The technology developed as a new regenerative energy from plants is carbon-free and environmentally friendly energy. It is based on the basic concept of obtaining electrical energy simply by inserting electrodes into fallow fields, making installation easy. It references microbial fuel cells that obtain electrical energy from the soil and magnesium-air batteries that utilize chemical reactions of electrodes to achieve high output. By restraining the chemical reactions of the electrodes with a coating, only voltage is utilized, and electric current is obtained by electrolyzing the electrolyte. It is possible to obtain electrical energy from any land and applicable even in desert areas.