Sato Yuki in his laboratory at Refine Technology in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

Sato Yuki, a Japanese expert working in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, said that he loves the city as it has become "a home away from home" for him.

Introduced by the Wenzhou government as a foreign elite talent, Sato started working as the laboratory chief at Refine Technology in 2018, where he devoted himself to extracting valuable microorganisms from soil samples collected from across the country.

Despite being seemingly repetitive and tedious, Sato has infused great passion and patience into his work.

"I have to ensure the survival of the strains as they may live well in natural soil but die in artificial environments for different temperature, PH value, salinity, and many other parameters," Sato said.

Sato's work paid off as he found two new and unrecorded strains in the local soil of Wenzhou, with one being able to decompose high oil with high intensity and another able to break down the fiber in vegetables.

Just last month, Sato once again discovered a new type of strain that is good at breaking down algae and kelp.

"I have applied for a patent and that's quite inspiring. Our team will go on looking for strains that can decompose tissues," Sato said.

In addition to making breakthroughs in his work, Sato has found satisfaction in his personal life in Wenzhou where he met his girlfriend.

"I'm planning to buy a government-funded apartment in Wenzhou, with the goal of settling down and getting married," Sato said.