Over the years, Professor Cai Hong has been engaged in a large number of scientific research projects involving environmental engineering and bioengineering funded by government departments and industrial and commercial enterprises, and is responsible for 65,438+000 projects, with R&D funding exceeding HK$ 56 million. He has also published more than 280 academic papers and research reports in international journals with high SCI impact factors. At the same time, he also owns six environmental protection patents, and has won many world-class awards such as the Geneva International Invention Award, the Nuremberg World Science and Technology Award, the Shanghai National Environmental Hero Award and the French Green Palmer Environmental Protection Award.
Professor Cai Hong's main research projects at this stage include:
(a) the application research and effective application of biological deodorization technology in sewage treatment plants, garbage transfer stations, livestock and poultry farms and other places.
(2) The application of' Water Garden' high-efficiency constructed wetland technology has been successfully applied to purify domestic sewage in residential quarters, which not only purifies wastewater, saves wastewater treatment costs, but also beautifies the environment.
(3) Productive test of biodegradable plastics, which makes activated sludge harmless and resource-oriented, and produces environmentally-friendly plastic substitutes at lower cost.
(4) Applied research on oily wastewater treatment technology. The application of ultrasonic technology in oily wastewater treatment has the characteristics of small floor space, high removal efficiency, low investment and convenient maintenance, and has been successfully applied to many restaurants and hotels in Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
(5) Special industrial wastewater treatment technology can make all kinds of toxic and harmful industrial wastewater meet the discharge standards at a lower cost.
(VI) Non-toxic and harmless sludge and its resource utilization
Sludge from domestic sewage and industrial wastewater is usually directly discarded in landfills and discharged without reuse. Sludge contains high concentrations of organic matter, heavy metals and bacteria, which will directly pose a serious threat to the environment and cause secondary pollution, especially in a highly urbanized city like Hong Kong. Moreover, its water content is high and its structure is complex, which makes the cost of sludge treatment and disposal extremely high. Therefore, in order to popularize green technology and develop recycling and biofuel technology, Hong Kong Higher Institute of Science and Technology Education is launching three R&D projects, namely (1) producing biodegradable plastics from wastewater and sludge, (2) producing environmentally-friendly bricks from sludge, and (3) converting sludge into biofuels. Reuse of waste water and sludge resources is realized, and secondary pollution is avoided, which not only treats sludge, but also protects the environment.
It is a win-win strategy to use sludge as building materials-new environmental protection bricks and various environmental protection building materials. Because it can not only turn waste into treasure, but also solve the problem of sludge treatment.
Regarding the technology of converting sludge into biofuel, we have mastered the related technology of sludge dehydration to produce biofuel. The combustion value of this renewable biomass fuel can reach 4000 kcal/kg, which is equivalent to 80% of the calorific value of coal. It can become a highly competitive green renewable energy, effectively realize the dream of recycling sludge treatment, turn waste into treasure, solve many problems such as large investment, high cost and secondary pollution in sludge treatment, and provide green by-products at the same time, making great contributions to the sustainable development of resources.
16 years ago, Cai Hong took over a scientific research project in the research institute: studying the solution of plastic pollution in Hong Kong. At that time, most people were still immersed in the joy of enjoying convenient and cheap plastic products, and only a handful of experts proposed to study plastic substitutes. Cai Hong is one of them. Cai Hong's coping strategy is to use microorganisms extracted from activated sludge to produce 100% degradable plastics. "The traditional plastic era with a history of more than 100 years met the terminator, that is, activated sludge." Cai Hong said. At that time, his idea caused many questions: sludge is black and smelly, and it is acceptable for people to use the plastic it produces as garbage bags; If the plastic it produces is used to make disposable tableware and food bags, it may be difficult to swallow even a good meal. Controversy and research continue. 16 years later, the project "Producing degradable plastics from activated sludge" won the 2008 Nuremberg Industrial Invention Award "Gold Award for International Exhibition of Creativity, Invention and New Products", which is also one of the three international authoritative invention competitions.