News

RCRE Associate Director Awarded HK$4.06 million from the RGC Research Impact Fund

Congratulations to Prof. Zhen Leng, whose project titled “Durable Low-carbon Asphalt Pavement Built with Recycled Waste Polyolefin Plastics through Reactive Extrusion” has been awarded $4.06 million funding by the RGC Research Impact Fund (RIF) 2023/24.   

WASCON2023 – Hong Kong

The 11th International Conference on the Environmental and Technical Implications of Construction with Alternative Materials (WASCON2023) was successfully held from 13th to 16th December 2023 at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). The conference was jointly organized by the International Society for the Environmental and Technical Implications of Construction with Alternative Materials (ISCOWA), the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and the Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE) of PolyU.   With the theme of "Innovative Valorization of Alternative Materials and Waste towards Circular Construction”, more than 160 papers were presented at the conference and they covered the full spectrum of topics related to the theme. We were honoured to have Prof. Christopher Cheeseman from Imperial College London, Mr Simo Hakkarainen from Peikko Group Corporation, Prof. Baoshan Huang from University of Tennessee – Knoxville, Dr Harn-wei Kua from National University of Singapore, Prof. Zhichao Liu from Wuhan University of Technology, Prof. Chi Sun Poon from PolyU, Dr Hirofumi Sakanakura from National Institute for Environmental Studies, Prof. Julia Stegemann from University College London, and Prof. Dongmin Wang from China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing) as our keynote speakers to share their valuable insights in the field. Their contributions have enriched our knowledge in turning wastes into recycled materials in construction.   In addition, we had around 300 participants from academia, industry, and government joining from all over the world, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mainland China, Malaysia, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, and United States. The conference served as an effective platform for sharing insights on new directions for research and innovative solutions to emerging problems and challenges relating to utilization of alternative materials and wastes in construction.   To enhance the overall experience, technical visits to Y·PARK, WEEE·PARK, T·PARK and CIC iHub were organized. The participants have learnt about the process of recycling of yard waste into useful materials at Y·PARK, recovering useful materials from the electrical and electronic appliances through various physical processes at WEEE·PARK, burning sludge and using the excess heat energy to generate electricity for the entire plant’s operation and the public power grid at T·PARK, the knowledge of construction innovation at CIC iHub. The participants found the tours were an eye-opening and fruitful exploration.   We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all speakers, Organizing Committee members and participants who made this conference a resounding success. Your passion and dedication are very much appreciated. Our sincere gratitude also goes to our sponsors, Sanfield (Management) Limited, Beijing Limecho Technology Co., Ltd., Fortum, Nano and Advanced Materials Institute (NAMI) and Score Tech Mortars Co., Ltd. for their generous supports.  

RCRE hosted a Lab Tour for MTR Corporation

Two representatives from MTR Corporation visited the RCRE laboratory on 22 November 2023. During the lab tour, Ir Prof. Chi-sun Poon, Director of RCRE, and Dr Jianxin Lu, RCRE member, introduced some of the low-carbon construction materials developed by the Centre including foam glass-based lightweight concrete, superhydrophobic lightweight foam concrete, sustainable permeable concrete for urban drainage, process of turning concrete waste into low carbon products by carbonation, and 3D concrete printing products, etc.

A Delegation of the Shenzhen Longgang District Government visited RCRE

A delegation of the Shenzhen Longgang District Government visited the Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE) on 22 November 2023. During the laboratory visit, Ir Prof. Chi-sun Poon, Director of RCRE, and Dr Jianxin Lu, RCRE member, introduced some of the low-carbon construction materials and technologies developed by the Centre, including foam glass-based lightweight concrete, superhydrophobic lightweight foam concrete, sustainable permeable concrete for urban drainage and the carbonation process for turning concrete waste into low carbon products, etc. The two parties had an enlightening and fruitful exchange.

RCRE hosted a Lab Tour for KU Leuven, Belgium

Three delegates from KU Leuven, Belgium visited the RCRE laboratory on 8 Nov 2023. During the lab visit, Prof. Poon introduced some low-carbon construction materials such as foam glass-based lightweight concrete, superhydrophobic lightweight foam concrete, sustainable permeable concrete for urban drainage, and the process of turning concrete waste into low carbon products by carbonation, etc.

RCRE Management Committee Member win BOCHK Science and Technology Innovation Prize

Congratulations to Prof. Benny Cheung, Management Committee Member of RCRE, has been awarded the BOCHK Science and Technology Innovation Prize (STIP) in the field of “Advanced Manufacturing” for his outstanding contribution to the scientific and technological innovation in Hong Kong.

RCRE Director and Sixteen Members Ranked World’s Top 2% Scientists Released by Stanford University (2023)

RCRE Director and 16 members have been listed among world’s top 2% scientists 2023 released by Stanford University, with 3 of them ranked among the top 100 of their respective fields. To highlight a remarkable achievement, Ir Prof. Chi-sun Poon, Director of RCRE, ranked 3rd in the world in the field of Building & Construction.   The report was prepared by a team of experts led by Prof. John Ioannidis of Stanford University. According to the team, the publicly available database provides standardized information on citations, h-index, co-authorship adjusted hm-index, citations to papers in different authorship positions and a composite indicator (c-score).   Congratulations to our top-notch researchers! This internationally recognized list reflects RCRE’s commitment in research excellence and the endeavour to conduct ground-breaking research.

RCRE showcased at the InnoCarnival 2023

RCRE showcased the advanced technologies, including production of low-carbon concrete materials, novel CO2-activated construction processes, sustainable 3D concrete printing technology and applications, in the InnoCarnival 2023 from 28 October to 5 November 2023 at Hong Kong Science Park. These inventions aim to effectively manage both greenhouse gas emissions and solid wastes.  Dr Shipeng Zhang, Member of RCRE, joined the InnoCarnival on 28 October 2023 and presented the novel green materials and technologies for carbon-neutral construction to the VIP delegation.   

RCRE-led Green Building Material Technologies to be showcased at InnoCarnival 2023

Two advanced technologies from RCRE including the eco-cements synthesised from recycled solid wastes, and the eco-friendly radiative cooling coating UmiCoolTM, will be showcased at the InnoCarnival 2023 to be held from 28 October to 5 November 2023 at Hong Kong Science Park. The eco-cements developed by Ir Prof. Chi-sun Poon, RCRE Director, and his team, are produced from solid wastes including waste concrete, waste incineration ash, and waste glass. These eco-cements can capture, mineralise and store the carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere, while enhancing the hydrophobic performance of concrete, hence greatly reducing the risk of flooding in extreme weather. The cooling coating UmiCoolTM  developed by Prof. Jianguo Dai, RCRE Member, and his team, uses the principle of radiative cooling to cool the surface and interior of buildings or infrastructure under direct sunlight during the day. It can reduce the surface temperature by up to 6°C as compared to the ambient temperature without consuming any electricity.   Online coverage (Chinese only): Oriental Daily News - https://polyu.me/3tuzdDs Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/3FjcKvW

RCRE hosted a Lab Tour for Shiseido HK

Two representatives from Shiseido HK met Ir Prof. Chi-sun Poon, Director of RCRE, and visited the RCRE laboratory on 12 Oct 2023. The potential collaboration has been discussed during the visit for recycling of glass containers from Shiseido to low-carbon construction materials.