News

RCRE Director and 28 Members Ranked World’s Top 2% Scientists 2025 Released by Stanford University

The Director of RCRE and 28 members have been recognized among the world’s top 2% scientists, according to the 2025 rankings released by Stanford University. Notably, Ir Prof. Chi-sun POON, Director of RCRE, is one of only four Hong Kong scholars listed among the world’s top 1,000 scientists this year. He also achieved an exceptional distinction, placing 6th globally in the field of Building & Construction. Additionally, two RCRE members, Prof. George Q. HUANG and Prof. Xiaolin ZHAO, were ranked among the top 100 in their respective fields. Congratulations to our outstanding researchers! This internationally recognized achievement highlights RCRE’s unwavering commitment to research excellence and its dedication to pioneering, ground-breaking work. For more information, please visit: https://elsevier.digitalcommonsdata.com/datasets/btchxktzyw/8

RCRE Members won PolyU Patents Achievement Award 2024

Launched in 2023, the PolyU Patents Achievement Award aims to honour the exceptional achievements of departments and inventors who actively contribute to intellectual property (IP), research commercialisation and knowledge transfer.  This year, three RCRE members have been recognised with individual awards.   Congratulations to Prof. Benny C.F. CHEUNG, Management Committee Member of RCRE, and Prof. Xinyan HUANG, Member of RCRE, won the Top Patents Filing Award and the Most Active Patents Filing Award, and Prof. Ka-hing WONG, Member of RCRE, won the Outstanding IP Commercialisation Award.  

Director and a Member of RCRE were featured on TVB’s Programme “ESG Decoded”

Ir Prof. Poon Chi-sun, Director of RCRE, and Prof. Wong Ka-hing, a member of RCRE, were recently featured on TVB’s programme “ESG Decoded” (破局密碼ESG - 第 1 集 金融•科技新常態) on 21 September 2025. During the programme, Ir Prof. Poon discussed innovative low-carbon construction materials developed from recycled construction waste and waste glass, highlighting their environmental benefits and advantages in sustainable construction. Prof. Wong introduced a novel technology that upcycles major commercial and industrial food waste, such as spent coffee grounds, into sustainable composite materials for 3D printing. Online coverage: TVB - https://polyu.me/4pA59ik (04:44-06:52 & 13:56-16:38) (subscription required)  

RCRE showcased at the ReThink HK – Sustainable Business Forum & Solutions Expo 2025

ReThink HK 2025, organized by EnviroEvents HK and co-organized by the Business Environment Council, was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) on 11–12 September 2025. It is a flagship event for sustainable development and the largest event in the series of activities in Hong Kong Green Week 2025. RCRE was one of the exhibitors, showcasing innovative technologies related to low-carbon construction materials at ReThink HK 2025. Many visitors showed great interest in the low-carbon construction materials displayed at the RCRE exhibition booth. Ir Prof. Poon Chi-sun, Director of RCRE, also participated in two panel sessions at the event. In the session titled “Driving Circularity in Hong Kong’s Construction Industry,” Ir Prof. Poon highlighted his research on the valorisation of various types of waste as construction materials, as well as the regulatory and practical challenges that must be addressed before these materials can be widely adopted. Another session in which Ir Prof. Poon participated was “Integrating Technology and Sustainability for Urban Challenges: A Collaborative Vision for Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area.” This session was co-organized by the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau, Business France, The French Foreign Trade Advisors (CCEF), and the Research and Innovation Office (RIO) and Policy Research Centre for Innovation and Technology (PReCIT) of PolyU. Ir Prof. Poon was invited to deliver a keynote presentation on net-zero concrete materials. He also shared his journey in translating research projects into real-world applications and discussed the technical challenges involved in adopting new construction technologies in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area during the panel discussion. Both panel sessions featured fruitful discussions.  

PolyU RCRE Seminar: Low Carbon Cements and Application in China

Dr Tongbo Sui, Vice President of Sinoma International Engineering Co., Ltd. under China Building Materials Group, delivered a seminar on the topic of “Low Carbon Cements and Application in China” on 21 August 2025. The seminar was co-organized with CEE of PolyU. Over 70 participants joined the seminar.  

RCRE Director edited a Special Issue of “Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) by Waste and Concrete”

The special issue of “Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) by Waste and Concrete”, edited by Prof. Chi Sun Poon (Director of RCRE), has recently been published in Cement and Concrete Composites, a top concrete materials journal. The special issue covers recent advances in the science and technology of using waste and concrete to capture CO2 as a means to reduce the carbon emissions of the global construction industry.  

RCRE Associate Director, Prof. Shipeng Zhang, was featured in Asian Power

Prof. Shipeng Zhang, Associate Director of RCRE and Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), was recently featured in an online interview by Asian Power, a quarterly publication for the power generation, transmission, and distribution industry in the Asia Pacific region. The conversation focused on the importance of waste-to-energy technologies in Hong Kong and the latest government policies and regulations supporting their development. Published on 8 July 2025 under the title “Waste-to-energy ties with mainland key to Hong Kong’s green goals,” the article highlights Prof. Zhang’s view that partnerships with Mainland China’s waste-to-energy incinerators are essential for Hong Kong to meet its zero-waste objectives. With the city targeting the closure of landfills by 2035, tapping into these cross-border facilities will be critical to achieving a sustainable waste management strategy. To read more about Prof. Zhang’s perspectives, please visit:  https://hongkongbusiness.hk/exclusive/waste-energy-ties-mainland-key-hong-kongs-green-goals  

PolyU RCRE Seminar: The UK Perspectives of Valorisation of Incineration Bottom Ash for Construction Material Applications

Prof. Christopher Cheeseman of Imperial College London delivered a seminar on the topic of “The UK Perspectives of Valorisation of Incineration Bottom Ash for Construction Material Applications” on 6 June 2025. The seminar was co-organized with CEE of PolyU. Over 60 participants joined the seminar.

RCRE Member received PolyU Young Innovative Researcher Award (YIRA) 2025

Congratulations to Dr Yong TAO, Research Assistant Professor of CEE and Member of RCRE, for being selected as one of the awardees of PolyU Young Innovative Researcher Award (YIRA) 2025. Dr Tao’s winning project, entitled “Advancing CO2 Mineralisation and Waste Concrete Valorisation for a Sustainable Future”, focuses on upcycling waste concrete into low-carbon building materials for sustainable construction. This prestigious university-level award honors young faculty members who have demonstrated originality, contributed to technological advancement, and propelled transformational innovation into solutions addressing global challenges through their research. This year, a high record of 70 submissions were received across all schools and faculties in PolyU. After a comprehensive selection process, six exceptional individuals have been selected as YIRA awardees.   

Delegation Visit of Zhejiang Run Sheng New Energy Co., Ltd. & RCRE Seminar

A delegation of Zhejiang Run Sheng New Energy Co., Ltd. (浙江潤昇新能源有限公司) visited the RCRE on 25 April 2025. Potential collaborative research on recycling technologies was discussed during the visit. Mr. Zheng Jinwei (鄭金偉) of Zhejiang Run Sheng New Energy Co., Ltd. also gave a seminar on the topic of 城市建築垃圾和生物質固廢資源化/能源化項目. Over 70 participants joined the seminar.