Contributing to Environmental Sustainability
PolyU undertakes transdisciplinary environmental research to create sustainable solutions for coping with the challenges of urban development. By turning innovation into applications, we continue to achieve environmental research excellence through fruitful collaborations with worldwide parties such as worldwide academic institutions, government, and industry partners.
Sustainable Road Solutions
To create solutions to the challenges of road construction and maintenance in the dense urban environment and the complex terrain of Hong Kong, PolyU researchers partnered with the Highways Department to study the rubberized bituminous pavement materials, looking at the optimal amount of crumb rubber from waste tyres that can be added to bituminous pavement materials while maintaining their performance. The study offered solutions to alleviate the problem of scrap tyre waste.
Apart from researching pavement materials, researchers also reviewed different traffic noise mitigation techniques on concrete road surfaces by evaluating the feasibility of diamond grinding techniques. Key findings of this review of international literature and recommendations were put forward for consideration by Hong Kong’s Environmental Protection Department with a view to adopting these techniques in the local context.
Combating Photochemical Air Pollution
A Chair Professor from the University’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is leading a collaborative research team made up of experts from Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland, the US, and Europe to study photochemical air pollution in highly urbanized subtropical regions. This five-year collaborative project has been funded with a grant of over HK$33.3 million.
The project involves a state-of-the-art study of atmospheric chemistry, including the sources and formation mechanisms of photochemical pollution and the interactions between emissions, chemistry, and meteorology. These research findings will be of great significance to the governments of Hong Kong and Guangdong Province and will help to aid the development of control measures to tackle current regional photochemical and roadside air pollution in Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta.
Towards a Smart City Tree Management Strategy
A three-year project which is currently underway, the Jockey Club Smart City Tree Management Project, is exploring the creation of a tree stability monitoring system with quantifiable data to enhance timely mitigation measures for extending the life span of trees and lowering the risks they present to public safety. Led by PolyU, this large-scale pilot project is a collaboration between academia, the government, and non-government organizations.
The project concept leveraged Smart Sensing Technology and Geographic Information Systems to develop a system that collects and analyzes data from custom-made sensors installed on selected trees. The data collected, along with various environmental factors, will be used to determine a set of safety thresholds which measure trees’ root-plate movement and stability. If a sensor indicates that the tilt angle of a tree exceeds a set threshold, the system will trigger an alert and the project team will then take action. This system is applicable to daily, large-scale tree monitoring in cities, and in the long run will enhance both air quality and the urban living environment.
PolyU Experts Create Eco-friendly Fiber
Created as an alternative to conventional materials used in the textile industry, PolyU’s newly-developed fiber blend is eco-friendly, non-toxic, and highly functional. Unlike the commonly-used polymers like polyester and nylon which are derived from non-renewable resources such as petroleum, the new eco-friendly fiber blend developed by a group of researchers at the University’s Institute of Textiles and Clothing offers anti-microbial and biocompatible properties and is suitable for an array of applications. These include bedding or upholstery textiles that require less-frequent washing, as well as medical applications like compression stockings, wound dressings, surgical gowns and masks. The process of producing this fiber blend and transforming it into fabric can be carried out by regular production and dyeing equipment, hence no additional investment in equipment or machinery modifications is necessary.
Giving Retired Batteries a Second Life
PolyU’s research expert and students teamed up with HK Electric to design a hybrid battery energy storage system which repurposes one of the most valuable components of an electric car – the battery – by using retired batteries from electric vehicles (EVs) in combination with new batteries. Through a tailor-made bi-directional inverter and an inter-battery smart charger, the service life of both retired EV batteries and new batteries can be extended.
Retired but still-functional car batteries also serve as part of a proposed photovoltaic solar power system which aims to supply electricity to residents of Po Toi Island and reduce the existing demand for diesel generators. The proposed project potentially creates economic and environmental benefits by reducing the carbon footprint involved in the manufacture of new batteries and by creating cost savings from the use of retired EV batteries.
Energy Harvesting Textile Generates Electric Power
PolyU developed a novel energy harvesting textile based on an innovative structural design. This promising textile is lightweight, can be easily tailored, and has outstanding thermal comfort. It also possesses other important characteristics inherent in functional fabrics, like washability, flexibility, and durability.
The textile can harvest and convert mechanical energies broadly wasted in the environment – like the energy generated while walking or running – into electrical energy during changeable weather conditions, such as on humid or rainy days. It is envisaged that this energy harvesting textile will pave the way for the development of an independent and continuous power source for portable and wearable devices such as hearing aids and fitness trackers.
