Two PolyU research projects have been approved in the first round of applications of the Green Tech Fund with an overall grant of more than HK$11 million. The two projects were among the eight approved research projects submitted by four local universities and a private enterprise. A total grant of around HK$39 million was offered in this round.

Details of the two PolyU projects are as follows:

The Green Tech Fund approved a HK$8.8 million grant to Professor Dan Tsang of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering to conduct research on biochar-enhanced construction materials for sustainable waste management and decarbonisation. In this three-year project, Prof. Tsang’s team will develop innovative designs and science-informed manufacturing technologies for the cutting-edge production of biochar-enhanced construction materials, which will be agenda-setting and impactful for scalable applications in the local industry. The pioneer products will include a biochar partition block and biochar porous paver.

The Green Tech Fund also approved a HK$2.8 million grant to Dr Lawrence Lee, Assistant Professor of the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, to commence research on an out-of-the-box approach to recycling the mounting volume of waste lithium-ion batteries. The novel thermos(electro)chemical method employed in Dr Lee’s study could help simplify the existing recycling process, reducing the use of hazardous chemicals and directly fabricating active catalysts for fuel cells – another promising energy-generating device. Success of the two-year project is expected to bring a cost-effective, environmentally friendly and scalable process of recycling waste lithium-ion batteries.

The Green Tech Fund of HK$200 million was set up by the Hong Kong SAR Government in 2020 to provide better and more focused funding support for research and development projects which can help Hong Kong decarbonise and enhance environmental protection.