2018 UK-China Workshop on Water-Wise Cities and Smart Water System held in Xi’an, China

Updated on September 13, 2018

On September 11-13, 2018, a UK-China workshop on Water-Wise Cities and Smart Water System was held in Xi’an, China. The workshop was co-funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and British Council (BC). It was jointly hosted by Xi’an University of Architecture & Technology (XAUAT) and University of Exeter, and organized by the International Science & Technology Cooperation Center for Urban Alternative Water Resources Development (Int’l AWR Center). This workshop provides a platform to enhance communication and establish new methods for analysis and calculations in all aspects of water-wise cities and smart water systems development, including urban water resources management. More than 100 scientists and researchers were in attendance including workshop mentors, early-career researchers and various officials from XAUAT. For detailed information about the workshop, please click to download the UK-China Workshop Report on Water-Wise Cities and Smart Water Systems.

At the opening ceremony in the morning of 11 Sep., Prof. Xiaochang Wang, the Chinese Coordinator for the Workshop, kicked off the event with a welcome talk. Subsequently, Prof. Guangtao Fu, the UK Coordinator gave his remarks on the background and objectives of the Workshop. Afterwards, Prof. Tinglin Huang, the Vice President of XAUAT delivered a welcome address on behalf of the host university and expressed his best wishes for the Workshop’s success.

Addresses by Profs Wang, Fu, and Huang at the Opening Ceremony

Group Photo at the Opening Ceremony

The three-day workshop covered several sessions with themes covering concepts, technologies, systems analyses and modeling, and case studies. Six world-leading researchers and scientists were invited to the workshop as mentors for giving keynote lectures, leading discussions with young professionals, sharing their career development experiences and advising early career researchers’ professional development. They are Prof. David Butler of University of Exeter, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Prof. Nanqi Ren of Harbin Institute of Technology, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Science, Prof. Qiang He of Chongqing University, Prof. Guangtao Fu of University of Exeter, and Prof. Xiaochang Wang, director of Int’l AWR Center.

Keynote Lectures

Besides, twenty-six research/technical presentations were delivered by early career researchers from 9 UK and 7 Chinese institutions to present their latest research results and case studies at the workshop. The presentations covered various aspects of developing water-wise cities and smart water systems, which generated broad interests from the attendees and stimulated wide-ranging discussions.

Research Presentations

Furthermore, open discussion sessions were held during the workshop. The researchers raised questions for discussion with the mentors for the keynote lectures and research presentations, and talked about the issues relating to water-wise cities and smart water system. 

Open Discussion

A technical visit was arranged in the afternoon of 13 September. All the participants from the UK and some participants from China paid a visit to the site of a wastewater treatment and reuse project implemented by XAUAT research group for Xi’an Siyuan University. The project was designed following the principle of Water Cycle Management by a novel integration of conventional biological treatment, membrane filtration, and water quality polishing through a natural purification process in the environmental lakes which also play the role of regulation reservoirs. The project received IWA Global Project Innovation Award in 2012 and provided a successful case for the IWA Cities of the Future Program. All the visitors showed their interest not only in the engineering facilities, but also the site laboratory where many pilot scale wastewater treatment devices are implemented for research purposes.

Green Campus Nourished by Reclaimed Water