News

Joint Seminar: The 3D Eco-Concrete Printing for Hong Kong’s Construction Industry

A joint seminar with Hong Kong Institute of Project Management (HKIPM), PolyU-NAMI 3D Concrete Robotic Printing Research Centre (RCC3D), BRE and CEE of PolyU, titled "The 3D Eco-Concrete Printing for Hong Kong's Construction Industry," was held successfully on 28 October 2025. The seminar featured insightful presentations from three distinguished guests: Dr Jacky Chung (RCC3D and RCRE Member), Ir Lucas Lam (RCC3D) and Dr Junli Liu (CEE). Following the seminar, attendees toured RCC3D’s lab to observe 3D concrete printing technologies in action.  

RCRE Director Partners with Industry to Convert Waste Glass into Low-Carbon Bricks for Central Mall Renovation

Ir Prof. Poon Chi-sun, Director of RCRE, has partnered with Gammon Construction to support Hongkong Land’s HK$7.8 billion “Tomorrow’s Central” initiative, which aims to renovate its shopping mall in Central. This project will transform demolition glass waste into partition bricks and low-carbon cement alternatives, with the goal of recycling 75% of the waste generated. The innovative technology grinds waste glass into powder to replace 20–30% of the cement in brick production, resulting in eco-bricks that are 10–20% stronger than conventional ones. With over 41 tonnes of glass already dismantled and more than 20,000 bricks expected to be produced, this approach offers a scalable solution for managing Hong Kong’s extensive glass waste and could be expanded to develop structural building materials in the future.   Online coverage (Chinese only): Ming Pao Daily News - https://polyu.me/4qnMOFr Hong Kong Economic Times - https://polyu.me/43oVvpc (subscription required) Headline Daily - https://polyu.me/4nlRr0d Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/4nl6yXQ Bastille Post - https://polyu.me/49ovAlc Macau Business - https://polyu.me/43B2X0v PC home - https://polyu.me/3L9A1X3 Sina HK - https://polyu.me/43wW9Ru Global News - https://polyu.me/3WWvQjW NetEase - https://polyu.me/4hmWmfP    

Visit of Delegation from Nanjing University

A delegation from Nanjing University visited PolyU on 22 October 2025. In the meeting, Prof. Shipeng Zhang (Associate Director of RCRE) introduced RCRE’s research direction and discussed the research issues related to resources engineering and carbon neutrality with the delegates.  

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