Assisting Hong Kong go green Three School of Engineering academics have secured over HK$ million in total in the rst round of funding from the HK$ million Green Tech Fund. The fund, set up by the Hong Kong government in , assists R&D projects that can help Hong Kong decarbonize and enhance environmental protection as the city seeks to achieve carbon neutrality before . Nearly HK$ million was awarded to Prof. SHAO Minhua, Director of the HKUST Energy Institute, to develop high-performance and long-life hydrogen fuel cell stacks, the largest amount of funding among the projects supported so far. The fund received over applications in the rst round. Prof. Shao, Chemical and Biological Engineering, and his team are setting out to develop low platinum catalysts and membrane electrode assemblies that can be integrated into fuel cell stacks, suitable for wide applications related to stationary power plants and electric vehicles. The team is collaborating with Towngas and other industry partners locally and in Mainland China. Prof. Francesco CIUCCI, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, received around HK$ . million to devise an innovative active flow membraneless electrolyzer to boost green hydrogen production cost-e ectiveness. Prof. Ciucci’s project aims to scale up the current prototype stack and demonstrate it is cost-competitive compared to CO2-emitting gray hydrogen. Water pollution control expert Chair Professor CHEN Guanghao, Civil and Environmental Engineering, was awarded around HK$6. million to explore low-carbon waste management technologies that can make hard-to-treat black water from a land ll site co-treatable with a downstream wastewater treatment plant, minimizing costs and space. Heading for a net-zero carbon campus HKUST has established a Sustainability/Net-Zero O ce to drive the University’s goal to become a sustainability leader across the region and beyond. The o ce also aims to be a resource for government and businesses in addressing climate change, water scarcity, and building of a circular economy, among other major challenges. The initial assignment for the o ce is to create a roadmap for the University to become a net-zero carbon campus before . Mr. Davis BOOKHART, formerly Head of the Sustainability Unit in HKUST’s Health, Safety and Environment O ce, is now serving as the o ce’s Director. In the News From left: Prof. Shao Minhua, Prof. Chen Guanghao, and Prof. Francesco Ciucci, who are working respectively toward high-performance hydrogen fuel cells, low-carbon waste management technologies, and cost-effective green hydrogen production. 06 IN FOCUS
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDk5Njg=