Beijing TV Station Beautiful Beijing: Carbon Reduction, Pollution Control, and Public Welfare Education - Beijing Bishui Reclaimed Water Plant Creates a Green Model

Recently, the Beautiful Beijingprogram of Beijing TV Station followed over 50 faculty and students from Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture on a visit to the China Water Environment Group's Bishui Reclaimed Water Plant in Beijing to understand the situation of sewage resource utilization. The visit aimed to educate the public about the green practices of carbon reduction and pollution control associated with this project.

Beijing Bishui Reclaimed Water Plant is the largest sewage treatment plant in Beijing's urban sub-center, responsible for treating 84% of the domestic sewage in the developed areas of Tongzhou City. Plant staff explained that the plant, originally above ground, underwent an upgrade and transformation. It now utilizes the China Water Environment Group's distributed sunken-type reclaimed water ecological system, placing all sewage treatment facilities underground. What was once an open pit emitting unpleasant odors has been transformed into a green landscape within the park. Above-ground landscaping incorporates low-impact development and reclaimed water utilization technologies of sponge cities, creating an integrated green model with lush greenery, flying waterbirds, clear water, and blue sky above and below ground.

Above-ground landscaping at the Bishui Reclaimed Water Plant

From the northern passage of the plant, descending underground through a 400-meter-long corridor, various sewage treatment facilities are distributed on both sides. Within a 46-square-kilometer radius, sewage is sent into the plant through municipal drainage pipes for treatment and purification. After initial processing, it goes through bio-chemical tanks, secondary sedimentation tanks, and finally, after efficient settling and ultraviolet disinfection, the sewage completes its remarkable journey, transforming into the clear water in front of us.

Comparison of water quality before and after treatment

Since its official operation in 2017, the Bishui Reclaimed Water Plant has achieved a daily processing capacity of 170,000 tons. After about 20 hours of treatment, domestic sewage becomes the city's second water source. Currently, reclaimed water is mainly used for landscaping at Universal Studios, municipal irrigation, river replenishment, and power plant cooling.

Sand table display of ground landscape inside the educational pavilion

In recent years, the Bishui Reclaimed Water Plant has been actively exploring pollution reduction and carbon reduction. The significant results in energy conservation and carbon reduction have been achieved through the adoption of intelligent aeration control systems, intelligent dosing systems, water-source heat pumps, and other facilities. In winter, the water-source heat pump extracts heat from sewage for heating, changing the traditional energy consumption and pollutant emissions associated with conventional air conditioning and coal-fired heating. This results in an annual carbon emission reduction of over 10,000 tons, fully reflecting the concept of resource recycling.

Introduction to the "cloud" intelligent control system at the educational pavilion

Water-source heat pump system

Promoting environmental protection and public welfare science popularization, the Bishui Reclaimed Water Plant has been awarded the title of Science Popularization Base in Beijing. This year, the plant was honored with the title of "City of Science and Technology Museum" by the Tongzhou District Association for Science and Technology. At the event, students accompanied water plant staff to visit the water environmental-themed science education pavilion. Through multimedia perspectives across six exhibition areas, students gained a deeper understanding of recycled water circulation, sewage treatment, and other environmental protection knowledge. One student expressed that through a VR perspective, they witnessed the complex process of sewage treatment and learned that water resources should be conserved from the source. Another student expressed the hope to use professional knowledge to make daily life more efficient and promote the recycling of water resources.

Students using VR to understand the full process of sewage treatment