A brand-new research field far behind the international level, she shocked her international counterparts with original technology in three years. This deceptive technology, once considered impossible in China, won an international patent award in 2004. For those unfamiliar with ocean transportation, ship ballast water is a strange term.
Ocean-going ships often sail empty when they go to the destination port to carry goods. For the safety of navigation, the ship should inject enough seawater into the cabin at the departure place to maintain the stability and safety of navigation in the vast sea. This kind of water is called ship ballast water.
It is said that water is the mother of life, but the ballast water is a headache. There are great differences in marine ecosystems in different sea areas. When ships dump ballast water at the departure point, they will carry local marine life and discharge it at will after being transported to the destination. Once these exotic marine creatures are released into the natural marine environment, they may produce uncontrollable "avalanche" reproduction, which will have a great impact on native species, even lead to the extinction of native species and trigger a series of ecological disasters. Facts show that ship ballast water is one of the main reasons for destroying the global marine biodiversity, and it is also one of the important ways to cause the rapid spread of harmful parasites and pathogens in a large area. Invasive species have brought great losses to the global economy. According to incomplete statistics, this kind of loss is increasing by nearly 10 billion dollars every year.
At present, the scale of international shipping is growing. Cargo ships and oil tankers sailing on the sea have a displacement of tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of tons, carrying a lot of ballast water through the ocean. In response, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted the Convention on the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Its Sediments in February 2004. According to the law, ocean-going ships must treat ballast water before reaching their destination to kill all marine alien creatures. How to treat hundreds of thousands of tons of ship ballast water efficiently, quickly and without pollution has always been a worldwide problem faced by scientists all over the world.
"Foreign countries have been studying the biological invasion of ballast water from ocean-going ships since the 1980s." Bai Mindong, a professor at Dalian Maritime University, said: "We have been doing this work since 2000. At that time, few people in China did relevant research, and we almost started from scratch. "
Bai Mindong still clearly remembers that she wanted to discuss this issue with a foreign expert at an international conference. As soon as she opened her mouth, the other party sneered: "It is very difficult to deal with the ship's ballast water. We have been doing it for many years, and there is no good solution. It's amazing that you can track the latest research results in this field. "
After less than 10 years' efforts, Bai Mindong and her research team have overcome this difficult problem and completed the projects of "Green Treatment of Alien Biological Invasion in Ship Ballast Water" and "Treatment Technology and Equipment for Hydroxyl Radical in Ocean Ship Ballast Water", which shocked their international counterparts.
Bai Mindong's research team first proposed and established a new method to efficiently generate hydroxyl radicals by atmospheric electric field discharge, which achieved rapid, efficient, low-concentration and low-cost killing of marine invasive organisms. The treatment cost per ton of water was only 3 cents, which was 1/30 of the international common method (in-flight medium-pressure water-carrying replacement method). The treated ballast water can completely meet the discharge standards stipulated in the international convention of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), conform to the principle of advanced oxidation technology (AOT), and realize zero pollution and zero waste discharge.
This makes China's ship ballast water treatment from scratch, from weak to strong, standing in the forefront of the world. Bai Mindong, a 43-year-old young female scientist, has a family history. Her father is a famous expert in environmental engineering. Influenced by her father, she was determined to be a female scientist like Madame Curie from an early age.
1988 After graduating from Anshan Iron and Steel Institute (now Liaoning University of Science and Technology), Bai Mindong entered the local national environmental pollution electrostatic control engineering technology research center. She originally studied mechanical manufacturing, but later switched to environmental engineering research.
At that time, there were not so many master students and doctoral students. As an undergraduate, Bai Mindong began to participate in the research work of major national projects (the National Eighth Five-Year Plan) as soon as he graduated. At that time, Bai Mindong and her colleagues were studying acid rain, which required the release of toxic sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides in the laboratory. In that environment, not to mention slim women, even strong guys can't last long, but Bai Mindong often works overtime to tackle key problems.
"It is really difficult for me to engage in scientific research as soon as I graduate from my undergraduate course, and my major and scientific research are very different. I can only learn by doing. But I am such a temper: no matter what I do, I can't be worse than others. " Bai Mindong said. It is this indomitable character that has made her great achievements in scientific research.
From 65438 to 0997, Dr. Bai Mindong worked in Dalian Maritime University after graduation. At that time, the associate professor was only in his thirties and was still unknown in school. How can she determine her future research direction and occupy a place in scientific research as soon as possible?
"The safest way to do scientific research is to track the cutting-edge achievements in a certain field, and take the road of others to study, not seeking success, but seeking nothing. But this kind of work is not challenging and will never produce original results. " Bai Mindong said.
In her opinion, the pioneering and originality of scientific research work is the most important, which cannot be repeated by others and should be closely combined with the major needs of the country, so she chose the international research topic of ship ballast water treatment. In 2000, Bai Mindong began to conduct research. After a period of accumulation, she put forward a very bold idea, which is unique in China and groundbreaking in the world. It is this unique insight that has brought her great difficulties.
"When we first put forward this idea, our domestic colleagues couldn't understand it. We think this is a' deceptive' technology and it is impossible to achieve. " Recalling the situation at that time, Bai Mindong still remembers the pressure on her.
Without the proper recognition and approval of the project, the research funding has become the biggest problem. Bai Mindong and her colleagues had to "scrimp and save" to fund other projects to carry out research in this field. Without domestic support, Bai Mindong brought her research ideas and achievements to international conferences and "promoted" them to her international counterparts.
Her efforts were not in vain. In 2003, the technology of "green control of alien invasion in ship ballast water" was basically mature. In May, 2004, the International Maritime Organization hosted the Second International Conference on the Control and Management of Ship Ballast Water, and Bai Mindong was invited to give an academic report at the conference, which was the first time that China researchers boarded the platform of this international academic report.
Brand-new thinking, innovative theory, a large number of detailed experimental data, perfect processing equipment and Bai Mindong's wonderful academic report have pushed this international conference to a climax. After the speech, there was a long round of warm applause at the venue-this is a brand-new research achievement and has been sincerely admired and admired by scientists all over the world. The project "Green Treatment of Alien Invaders in Ship Ballast Water" won the annual international patent award, and only two technologies in China won this honor that year. Soon, this technology won the first prize of Liaoning Science and Technology Progress Award and China Patent Award.
Since then, her achievements have finally been fully recognized.
Since then, Bai Mindong led his own innovative team to conduct extensive research in the fields of marine red tide control, hydrogen production from methane conversion and liquid fuel, resource utilization of flue gas desulfurization and denitrification, and biochemical pollution prevention and control. These projects face the major needs of the country and have important economic and social benefits.
At present, their scientific research groups have undertaken more than 20 national-level major projects, such as key projects of national science and technology support plan, key and exploration projects of national "863" plan, special projects of national "973", key projects of international scientific and technological cooperation among governments and key projects of national natural fund. During the research period (nearly 5 years), 4 international invention patents and 6 national invention patents were authorized; * * * Published more than 100 papers, including more than 60 papers published by the first author and correspondent; 44 articles were included by SCI and EI, and SCI cited 37 times; Published 3 monographs; He gave a 10 invitation report at important international conferences, and served as a member of the international organizing Committee and chairman of the branch for 6 times.
Bai Mindong has successively won the National May 1st Labor Medal, the China Youth Science and Technology Award, the National Innovation Award for Women Inventors in the New Century (nationwide 10) and the National March 8th Red Flag Bearer, and was selected as the first-class talent in the National Excellent Talents Support Plan for the New Century and the "One Hundred Thousand Talents Project in the New Century" of the Ministry of Communications. More than 20 honorary titles such as "Top Ten Outstanding Talents" of Liaoning Youth Science and Technology Award.
On February 24th this year, Bai Mindong boarded the podium of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions and won the title of "National Women's Day". This selection is held every two years. In this selection, only 10 people in China won this honor.