Clean and low-carbon ship technology led by Gao Xiang from Zhejiang University that significantly reduced polluting emissions from ships has been recognized as one of the 10 top scientific and technological advancements in China's ecological environment last year.
On Wednesday, which was World Environment Day, the China Association for Science and Technology's Ecological Environment Production and Education Consortium announced the 10 top advancements in Beijing, covering research achievements in areas such as water, air, soil, solid waste and oceans.
The clean and low-carbon ship technology has been applied on nearly 500 vessels from internationally renowned shipping companies worldwide.
"The pollutants and carbon dioxide emissions from ships are important factors causing atmospheric environmental issues in coastal areas and port cities, attracting a lot of attention from international maritime organizations," said Gao, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
"Due to the special operating environment of ships, applying emission reduction systems to ships is challenging. It requires highly efficient pollution absorption, broad adaptability, compact equipment volume, and safe and reliable operation."
Gao's research team developed an efficient system for reducing ship pollution that featured technological breakthroughs in the efficient purification of ship exhaust gases and carbon emission reduction. They have lowered the emissions of ships far below the requirements of international maritime organizations.
The team's research achievement has received certifications from nine major global classification societies, including ones in China, the United States and the United Kingdom. Since last year, it has been promoted on 496 vessels.
"In the first several months of this year, our team's ship emission purification system has secured 40 percent of global orders in the shipbuilding industry, making it the largest supplier of its kind globally," Gao said.
Gao said he is proud that the technology has not only driven the development of clean and low-carbon ship technology around the world but has also provided crucial technological support for China to become a leading nation in shipbuilding and green shipping.
The top 10 advancements also include the establishment of China's water quality standards theory and technical system, global mechanisms for extreme wildfires, research on functional characteristics of plant communities and their regulation mechanisms on ecosystem productivity, and the development and application of the Yangtze River simulator.
Tu Ruihe, the representative of the United Nations Environment Programme in China, said the top 10 advancements cover various aspects of the ecological environment field, representing cutting-edge development trends in China's environmental science and technology, providing a scientific basis and technological support for the country's green, low-carbon and sustainable development.
"We look forward to scientists and the business community bringing more innovative scientific and technological achievements, contributing Chinese solutions to global ecological environmental protection and sustainable development, and contributing the wisdom and strength of technology to achieve the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda," he said.