CWEG Chairman Dr. Hou Feng makes keynote speech at 2nd International Forum on Engineering Education opening ceremony

      On December 2, the 2nd International Forum on Engineering Education co-hosted by Tsinghua University, the Chinese Academy of Engineering and UNESCO kicked off. CWEG Chairman Hou Feng, one of the first D. Eng of Tsinghua University was invited to deliver the keynote speech at the opening ceremony.
      Li Xiaohong, President and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Ou Minxing, Director of the UNESCO Beijing Office, President P.J. MOL of Wageningen University in the Netherlands, Qiu Yong, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and President of Tsinghua University, You Zheng, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Vice President of Tsinghua University, Xie Zhenhua, Dean of the Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development, Tsinghua University, and Huang Xiaojun, Vice President and Managing Director of Veolia China, attended the opening ceremony.
      Li Xiaohong, President and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Ou Minxing, Director of the UNESCO Beijing Office, recognized in their speeches that engineering education promotes resource recycling and engineering technology innovation, and they expected that the forum can propel international cooperation at both academic and industrial levels for global green economy transition and sustainable development.
      Qiu Yong, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and President of Tsinghua University, said that engineering science and technology turn natural resources into material wealth, promote social and economic development, improve the quality of life, and create a better living environment for mankind. “The world has seen a lot of breakthroughs in engineering science and technology, and China has created the world’s largest engineering education system. Global efforts in engineering education will contribute to UN SDGs and a better home for mankind,” Qiu said.
      Xie Zhenhua, Dean of the Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development, Tsinghua University, said that although the COVID-19 pandemic had caused worldwide economic and social disruption, the green low-carbon transition under the Paris Agreement is unstoppable, and only green recovery can turn the crisis into opportunities.
      In 2012, CWEG Chairman Hou Feng became one of the first doctoral candidates of engineering of Tsinghua University. In his speech “Underground WWTPs Promote Urban Water Environmental Governance”, Hou owed CWEG’s creative business model built based on the underground WWTP technology to his years of learning and research at Tsinghua University.
      “To solve problems that hinder the development of traditional WWTPs, we started research on underground WWTPs together with the School of Environment, Tsinghua University in 2013. In 2014, under the guidance of CAE academicians Qian Yi and Peng Yongzhen and professor Wang Kaijun, we determined the research topic of “Research and Engineering Practice of Key Technologies Regarding Underground WWTPs,” said Dr. Hou Feng when introducing the development of the underground WWTP technology.
      Over the past decade, CWEG has been engaged in the scientific research and engineering practice of the underground WWTP technology, for the purpose of turning WWTPs into “digital resource and public service centers”.
      Environmental protection engineering technologies aim to address land and water shortage and low resource efficiency. CWEG underground WWTPs have been proved to be an excellent innovative solution to the conflict between traditional WWTPs and communities over land, and to NIMBY syndrome, greatly improving the efficiency of water, land and green energy. During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, underground WWTPs have effectively blocked the spread of pathogens, building the last line of safety defense for the surroundings as well as the employees. In the post-pandemic era, they will play an increasingly important role as an “eco-friendly, energy efficient and ecologically safe” environmental solution.
      Dr. Hou Feng stressed that his experience at the Tsinghua University is one of the key reasons for the sound and rapid development of CWEG. CWEG has been engaged in the engineering application of research findings. As the largest underground WWTP producer in Asia, CWEG is leading the industry in terms of innovation, technical strength, and national demonstration projects by value. At present, CWEG has built underground WWTPs in several cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guiyang, Guang’an and Dali, improving water environments and finally the quality of life of local people through engineering technology innovation. “Engineering technology is critical for human progress”, Hou said, “More than 80% of the world’s wastewater has not been effectively treated, and about 3.6 billion people are living in water-scarce areas. We are willing to share our engineering technologies, in hope of exploring a pathway towards sustainable development and water environment protection together with scientists from around the world.”
      You Zheng, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Vice President of Tsinghua University, said that CWEG underground WWTPs present an innovative solution to wastewater collection and reclamation, and highlight the significance of engineering education for ecological civilization construction. “The combination of industrial and academic efforts will promote engineering technology innovation, impelling environmental protection and sustainable development,” said You.