Professor Wang Zhiwei's Team Wins Gold Medal at the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions

From April 17 to 21, 2024, the 49th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva was held in Geneva, Switzerland. The project "End-of-life Membrane Regeneration Technology: A Revolution for Improving Sustainability of Membrane Separation," presented by Professor Wang Zhiwei's team, was awarded the prestigious Gold Medal.

The membrane regeneration technology project focuses on addressing the challenge of membrane materials reaching their end-of-life due to irreversible fouling accumulation in membrane-based wastewater treatment processes. The team developed a series of patented agents and introduced a three-step strategy: deep cleaning, structural transformation, and hydrophilic modification. This approach enables the in-situ regeneration of end-of-life membranes directly at engineering sites, achieving performance equivalent to new membranes while reducing annual membrane costs by over 50%. Additionally, the technology significantly lowers carbon emissions associated with membrane processes, marking a critical step toward the low-carbon development of membrane-based wastewater treatment technology.

The project was completed by Tongji University, with key contributors including Professor Wang Zhiwei, Dr. Dai Ruobin, Postdoctoral Researcher Wang Xueye, PhD candidate Tian Chenxin, and undergraduate student Wang Tianyue.

Founded in 1973, the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva is jointly organized by the Swiss Federal Government, the State of Geneva, the City of Geneva, and the World Intellectual Property Organization. It is one of the longest-running and largest invention exhibitions globally. This year’s exhibition attracted over 1,000 invention projects from nearly 40 countries and regions, covering fields such as machinery, metallurgy, medicine, environmental protection, renewable energy, electronics, architecture, and transportation.