Water Pollution Control and Water Environment Protection
The research on water pollution control and water environment protection is crucial for national water environment security and ecological environment sustainability, and it has always been a research priority for SOE. . Aiming to keep up with international research frontiers and dealing with Chinese water environmental problems through integration of modern biotechnology, new materials technology, chemical technology and information technology, the research on water environment includes the following areas:
1) industrial and municipal wastewater treatment and reclamation;
2) resource (e.g. carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus) and energy recovery from wastewater;
3) water environment biological monitoring, and integrated technology for monitoring and simulation of water pollutants;
4) non-point pollution control and quality improvement of polluted water bodies for urban water protection.
All of these research areas are focused on providing theoretical and technical support for controlling water pollution and protecting water environment in China.
Air Pollution Control
The research of air pollution control seeks to solve urgent air pollution problems in China while keeping up with international research frontiers. It has carried out a high-level scientific research on formation and emission of air pollutants, atmospheric transport and physic-chemical processes of air pollution, simulation of air quality, and air pollution control technologies, strategies and countermeasures. It has been long engaged in the multi-scale research of new sciences and technologies of air pollution control, and assist major national strategic decision making. The division of air pollution control has successfully completed a number of significant national research projects. . The division has become a major force in the field of air pollution control and an important base for talent cultivation.
Solid Waste Management and Recycling
The research of solid waste management and recycling is committed to solving the major problems in solid waste pollution control and recycling in China. As a multidisciplinary research field integrating scientific research, engineering, and management services, the research of solid waste management and recycling is supported by new materials science, thermodynamics, microbiology, engineering chemistry, modern computational mathematics, and advanced management science. The main research areas include:
1) environment-friendly solid waste treatment and environmental security treatment of hazardous waste;
2) resource technology for solid waste and biomass waste;
3) remediation of sites contaminated by solid waste and hazardous waste;
4) sustainable solid waste management and risk control.
UNEP Basel Conventional Coordination Center for Asia and the Pacific, UNEP Stockholm Conventional Regional Center for Capacity-building and the Transfer of Technology in Asia and the Pacific, State Key Laboratory for Environment Protection and Ecological Industry, and a number of engineering centers and joint research centers have been set up at SOE.
Drinking Water Safety
Drinking water safety is closely related to economic development, social stability, and human health. It is one of the most serious challenges in China and even in the world. The research focuses on the following areas:
1) impact of drinking water quality on human health;
2) treatment of micro-polluted drinking water source;
3) drinking water early warning and emergency technologies; pre-treatment and advanced treatment of drinking water;
4) chlorine and UV disinfection technology;
5) improvement of biological and chemical stability of drinking water;
6) hydraulic and water quality modeling of water distribution systems;
7) leakage control in water distribution systems;
8) application of aluminum in drinking water treatment;
9) treatment of arsenic, fluoride and brackish water; etc.
Municipal Engineering
The research of municipal engineering (water supply & drainage engineering and environmental sanitation) in SOE is based on technology development and oriented by technology application. The primary research areas include water supply and drainage, water pollution control, treatment and recycling of industrial wastewater, industrial cleaner production and industrial parks integrated pollution control, advanced treatment and recycling of municipal solid waste and biomass, and energy recycling application.
Environmental Chemistry
Environmental chemistry is devoted to approaching environmental problems from the chemistry perspective and solving regional and global environmental problems by using chemical and material methods. The main research fields include pollution control chemistry, pollutant chemistry, environmental analysis and monitoring, and environmental functional material. In recent years, many important research, which are supported by the High-Tech Research and Development Program (863) of China, the National Basic Research Development Program (973) of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, projects of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and international cooperation projects, have been performed in the following aspects:
1) persistent organic pollutants (POPs) control and policy-making support;
2) indoor air pollution control;
3) treatment of micro trace organic pollutants;
4) environmental catalysis and adsorption materials;
5) environmental analysis and survey.
SOE has established POPs Research Center, and Tsinghua Environmental Quality Test Center, which support the teaching, research and social service in the field of environmental chemistry.
Environmental Biology and Ecology
Environmental biology and ecology mainly focuses on hot issues of the global ecological and biological-systems, as well as important environmental science and technology needs in China. SOE has established advanced platform, like the State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Microorganism Utilization and Risk Control in this field. In the field of environmental biology, the research is dedicated to pollution control, energy conversion and biological processes of bioremediation, in which the use of environmental (micro) organisms and safety control act as the core. Major research interests in recent years include:
1) water resource reclamation and safe reuse;
2) technology and mechanism for biodegradation and bioremediation of emerging contaminants;
3) novel biological technologies for biofuel and bio plastics production from waste.
In the field of ecology, the main research areas include:
1) ecosystem responses to climate change with focuses on pattern-process relationships, environmental microbial gene and function, biodiversity discovery and conservation, regional ecological balance and high capacity maintenance;
2) macro- and micro- ecology;
3) ecological management and policies relevant to ecological compensation, restoration and application;
4) impacts of climate change on human health.
Groundwater and Soil Environment
Keeping up with the national strategic needs and international research frontiers, the researchers of groundwater and soil environment carries out strategic, forward-looking and original research on groundwater and soil pollution control, risk assessment in contaminated sites, and groundwater recharge and conservation, and have obtained international leading achievements. Focused on issues related to food safety, drinking water safety, living soil safety, and environmental quality of groundwater and sites, the research and development of composite functional materials, technologies and facilities for groundwater and site pollution and environment restoration have been carried out. Methodology for the ecotoxicity of contaminants and risk assessment in contaminated sites has been established. Researchers have revealed the transmission processes of contaminants in groundwater and soil environment and mechanisms for microbial functional gene identification and gene transformation in contaminated sites, which have supported the major scientific decision making and construction in groundwater and soil environment protection in China.
Environmental Planning and Management
Environmental planning and management is committed to the theories and methods of environmental system modeling and uncertainties analysis, environmental planning and strategic environmental assessment, planning and management of sustainable urban water systems, strategy and simulation of global climate change, environmental information technology, and environmental management and policy, which have formed a teaching and research team of high quality and cultivated a large number of professionals. Based on environmental science and engineering, environmental planning and management has committed to theoretical and methodological innovations, models and tools development. The research team has made fruitful achievements in fields of regional environmental planning, planning and optimization of urban water systems, energy and global climate change and strategic environmental assessment of social economic development. SOE has nurtured many professionals with engineering background and environmental management and policy knowledge.
