Prof. David PUI of University of Minnesota delivers lecture on “Green Technologies Development for Sustainable Environment”

Prof. David Y. H. PUI, Regents Professor and LM Fingerson/TSI Inc. Chair in Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, USA, delivered the 29^th PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “Green Technologies Development for Sustainable Environment” on 13 September 2024 at PolyU. The lecture attracted nearly 100 participants to join in person and captivated an online viewing audience of over 11,200 from different countries and regions to watch the live broadcast on multiple social media platforms, including Bilibili, WeChat, Weibo, YouTube, etc.

The lecture commenced with a warm welcome and brief speaker introduction by Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of PAIR. Prof. Pui kickstarted his presentation by highlighting the severity of pollution nowadays. He shared that his research in the field of green technologies and environmental sustainability aims to mitigate PM_2.5, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and ozone (O₃) in urban environment; reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) to mitigate global climate change; and provide clean water to achieve water sustainability. Next, he introduced the current research projects by the Center for Filtration Research (CFR) at the University of Minnesota, covering indoor air cleaning and COVID-19 prevention, bioaerosols sensor development and evaluation, nanofiber production and modelling, nanotechnology and instrumentation developments, etc. Prof. Pui also shared some real case examples of large-scale air cleaning towers, including the Solar Assisted Large Scale Cleaning System (SALACS) in Xian and Yancheng in China, as well as the air cleaning towers in Delhi, India. He shared with the audience some recent developments on the second generation of the cleaning system, and explained how it can collect PM_2.5 and remove CO₂ effectively. To conclude, Prof. Pui pointed out that academia, government and industry play important roles and the three parties must work together closely in the same direction and at the same pace towards developing clean cities.

Following the presentation was a lively and insightful question-and-answer session moderated by Prof. Chen. The audience engaged in a productive discussion with Prof. Pui. As a token of appreciation for his inspiring talk and support for PAIR, Prof. WANG Zuankai, Associate Vice President (Research and Innovation), presented a souvenir to Prof. Pui.