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Research Education Initiatives
Leveraging HKUST's expertise in environmental studies, in 2012 a partnership with Xian Jiaotong University in Shanxi Province was formed through a Memorandum of Understanding, establishing the XJTU-HKUST Joint School of Sustainable Development. The Division of Environment also established joint research laboratories with Xiamen University and the South China University of Technology and actively collaborated with Mainland research institutes on various environmental research and education subjects. To further promote research opportunities, the Division organized a number of forums, distinguished lectures and seminars, including the Environmental Forum on Climate Change Adaptations in 2012. Academics from the National Center for Atmospheric Research in the US spoke at the Workshop on Air Quality and Climate at the urban rural interface.
Ground-breaking Environmental Initiative
The first Air Quality Research Supersite, launched by the Division of Environment, continues to enhance air quality research and to tackle air pollution problems in Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta. The research facility, funded by the UGC Special Equipment Fund and the Environment and Conservation Fund, is equipped with state-of-art instrumentation for real-time characterization of particulate pollutants.
Environment-related Research
In 2012, 46 environment-related research projects were conducted at HKUST, gaining over HK$20 million in funding. The scope of these projects covered a wide range of environmental issues including renewable energy production, climate change, water treatment, air quality, sewage management, the marine environment, pro-environmental behavior, waste management, green transportation, energy conservation and others. Units engaging in environmental studies include:
- The Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
- The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- The Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering
- The Department of Industrial Engineering and Logistics Management
- The Department of Mathematics
- The Department of Mechanical Engineering
- The Division of Environment
- The Division of Life Science
Green slopes and sustainable urban infrastructure
A research team from the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department is currently engaged in an interdisciplinary group project which explores green slope engineering to advance sustainable urban infrastructure. A prime objective of the project is to investigate and develop a fundamental understanding of root-soil-water interactions as a basis for an innovative reliability-based design framework for an "integrated bioengineered live slope cover" for shallow soil slopes in Hong Kong.
The Human Face of Conservation
Environmental activists often represent nature in a "human-like" manner, a practice called "anthropomorphism". Does this practice have any conservation implications? Indeed it does, according to a study on the effects of anthropomorphism on conservation behaviour conducted by the School of Social Science. The study revealed that individuals who consider nature to be human-like are more protective towards the environment compared to those who do not. This finding has important implications for the promotion of environmental concepts.
 Eco-friendly Sewage Treatment
To help solve Hong Kong's long-running sewage treatment problem, an HKUST research team from the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department has come up with the eco-friendly SANI (Sulphate reduction, Autotrophic denitrification and Nitrification Integrated) Process. This novel technology effectively eliminates 90 percent of sewage sludge production, reducing sewage treatment costs by 50 percent, reducing space requirements by over 50 percent and cutting down greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent.
This project has leveraged Hong Kong's unique seawater flushing system to develop a novel, energy-efficient and low-carbon sewage treatment technology. A large-scale trial run will soon be activated with the joint sponsorship of the Drainage Services Department, the Innovation and Technology Fund and other sponsors; who have collectively pledged HK$24.6 million, the largest-ever sponsorship for a single local environmental project. This pioneering comprehensive water management and sewage treatment platform has been enthusiastically honoured beyond Hong Kong's borders, earning five international awards in 2012. The HKUST team was also invited by the UNESCO-IHE Institute of Water Education to join a four-year research project to continue to develop this environmentally-friendly and economically-viable process.
.jpg) Solar Sorption Cooling System
A research team from HKUST's Fok Ying Tung Graduate School has invented a solar sorption cooling system, which uses materials with sorption properties to control the pressure of refrigerants. As sorption cooling systems do not require compressors, this system consumes 70-80 percent less electrical power than traditional systems and avoid the usage of ozone-damaging, toxic and flammable materials. When the sorption material adsorbs a certain amount of refrigerant vapour, the material becomes saturated. Heat can then be supplied to it to "desorb" the adsorbed refrigerant vapour, which completes the cooling cycle. Solar heat or waste heat can be used as the major power source for the cooling system, making it highly energy efficient. The HKUST system uses mineral salt composite as the sorption material and water as the refrigerant. The team aims to collaborate with companies to begin marketing products using this system in the coming year. | 
