An International Organization for Standardization subcommittee recently reaffirmed the new progress made by a Nanjing-University-professor-led Chinese team in setting up international standards for industrial water reuse.  

The leader of the team is Professor Ren Hongqiang, dean of the School of the Environment, Nanjing University, and executive vice president of the university’s Yixing Environmental Research Institute.   

Professor Ren Hongqiang

His role was reaffirmed by the conference resolution of the Industrial Water Reuse Subcommittee of the Water Recycling Technical Committee, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO/TC 282/SC4),       

The second conference of the subcommittee was held in Faro, Portugal, from May 25 to 28, and it passed the resolution.

At the conference, Professor Ren Hongqiang, Nanjing University, was appointed chair of the Industrial Water Reuse Subcommittee, according to the resolution.    

The meeting decided to set up workgroups of “Classification of Industrial Water” (WG2) and “Cooling Water Reuse” (WG3), with Professor Zhang Xuxiang, the School of the Environment, Nanjing University, serving as convener of both groups.   

It also discussed the three draft standards (Phase WD) prepared by Nanjing University, including the standards for industrial water classification.    

It decided to move on to the next phase when it convenes, by the ISO work schedule, in Madrid November this year. 

Conference site   

Setting technical standards is key to promoting the core competitiveness and is the “new engine” for industry transformation and upgrading in the new situation of China’s economic development.    

Since the allocation of the secretariat of the industrial water reuse subcommittee and its technological counterpart to Nanjing University and its Yixing Environmental Research Institute, Professor Ren and his team have made many achievements.    

Taking advantage of the university’s overall strength in environmental sciences and engineering, which ranks the third nationwide, and its internationally advanced industrial water treatment and reuse technology, Professor Ren has been for many years engaged in basic application research, technology development and engineering practice in industrial water treatment and waste water pollution control in industrial areas.   

He has won national technological awards for three times. He masterminded in establishing the first industry-university-research cooperating platform, that is, Nanjing University-Yixing Environmental Research Institute, and he made great achievements in innovation and entrepreneurship.    

For the past few years, Professor Ren and his team have explored the achievement transformation mode of “original technologyàplatform developmentàproject promotionàstandardizationàbusiness incubation.”    

This is a method that promotes the rapid win-win development of industry and discipline.    

In May 2016, Professor Ren organized and established the Committee of Water Environmental Engineering Technology and Equipment of China Association of Quality Inspection (CAQI) and was appointed president of this committee.    

With Nanjing University’s Yixing Environmental Research Institute serving as the standing institution of this committee, the committee has cooperated with leading enterprises in developing and compiling national/industry/group standards.  

In July 2015, Ren’s team submitted to the International Organization for Standardization an application for establishing a subcommittee on industrial water reuse (ISO/TC 282/SC4).    

After a year’s negotiation, China and Israel were jointly commissioned the work of SC4 Secretariat. The secretariat work by China is undertaken by Nanjing University. Associate Professor Ye Lin, from the School of the Environment, acts as the secretary, and Yixing Environmental Research Institute serves as the local technological counterpart.   

The conference in Faro marked the first time China independently put forward as the proposal the technology-oriented ISO international standards for industrial water reuse, and this shows that Nanjing University has become a world leader in industrial water treatment and reuse technology.    

It is a crucial step for China’s industrial water treatment industry to take initiative in international competition, and is of great significance to the development of both environmental sciences of Nanjing University and industrial water treatment industry of our country.