Visitors from China

A Chinese delegation led by the Deputy Director Mr LI Liandong, from The Water Conservancy Department of Henan province, China, visited CWWT and ACCWR on 13 June 2006. Professor Nick Ashbolt, Head of School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, met the delegation and answered the questions required by the delegation on water research areas in CWWT and water resource management in Australia. Mr LI introduced the situation of water resource in Henan and emphasized the importance to introduce the Australian water resource management strategy and methods to China. There were friendly discussions over the meeting.

As a part of China Australia Middle Manager Program, a Chinese delegation consistings of managers from the Department of Scientific Research & Development in Tsinghua University, Yunnan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Xiamen University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Henan Polytechnic University visited CWWT and ACCWR on 11 July 2006.

In the meeting, A/Professor Richard Stuetz, acting director CWWT, and Ms Lyn Menzies, Business manager, from CWWT gave a presentation about research and achievement in the Centre. Dr Jing Guan, ACCWR facilitator, introduced the background and the achievements ACCWR. The delegation was very interested in the research management CWWT, and gained valuable insights regarding research management from the meeting.

The people involved in the delegation were also interested in the research collaborations between the Centre and their university research institutes, and invited researchers from the Centre to visit their universities to facilitate the possible collaborations.

On 28 July 2006, a delegation from Mid-South Design And Research Institute CHECC visited the Centre for Water and Waste Technology (CWWT) and Australia-China consortium for Water Research (ACCWR).

A/Professor Richard Stuetz, acting director of CWWT, gave a presentation about research in the Centre while Dr Ashish Sharma, acting Director of ACCWR, introduced the background and achievements for ACCWR, and the research work progressing in Water Research Laboratory. The delegation appreciated the explanations on the water dam research in Australia by Dr Sharma and left a list of details of key questions in their on going projects for further discussion.

The delegation was also interested in the research work being done in Centre, and will transfer the information to the relevant department in Mid-South Design And Research Institute for further collaboration.

Professor Nick Ashbolt, the Head of School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was invited by Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) and Dalian University of Technology (DUT) and visited these two universities during 24 -27 September 2006. Dr Jing Guan, ACCWR facilitator and research fellow in CWWT, was also invited by HIT and assisted in the visit to HIT and DUT in China.

The visits were successful and the discussion of collaboration was promising.

Professor Ashbolt gave presentations of Environmental Health: Water for a Sustainable Future in HIT and DUT, which is a popular global topic, while Dr Jing Guan gave a presentation of Application of AOP Technology to Organic Contaminant Degradation in HIT.

After the presentations, Professor Ashbolt and Dr Guan visited Laboratories and facilities in those universities. The large development of environmental laboratory facilities indicated the effort to improve the environment from Chinese government.

Discussion of the possibilities for collaborations were another purpose of this visit. The International including Practicum program held in UNSW for undergraduates and postgraduates looked attractive to Chinese university students.

Research exchange will be carried out in the near future, which includes professor visiting and joint application of research funds in areas of production of hydrogen from organic wastewater treatment by anaerobic biological process, coagulation and flocculation theory and technology, advanced oxidation processes (water treatment with catalysed oxidation), analysis of organic contaminants using GCMS, HPLC, LC-MS, et al in HIT, and the areas of Aerobic granular reactor, MBR, effect of pharmaceuticals on urine and faeces applications (or wastewater reuse), LCA, sustainability, and AOP in DUT.

Academics from UNSW were invited to be supervisors to advise Master and PhD students on relevant research projects, or to be visiting professors for project research and give lectures in the relevant areas in HIT. HIT will offer some support which can cover airfare and accommodation for a period less than one month, or cover airfare and pay salary at 30,000 RMB per month for visiting periods longer than one month. DUT holds a similar program where Professors (or academics) from UNSW are invited to be visiting professors to join some project research and give lectures in the relevant areas. DUT will offer some support, which will cover Airfare and accommodation for a one-week period, and maximum two visits a year.

Dr Guan and Prof CHEN Jingwen from DUT will together prepare a draft of Collaboration Intent to start and enhance the collaborations between the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UNSW and the School of Environmental and Biological Science and Technology, DUT.