Professor King-lun Yeung is the Director of the HKUST-CIL Joint Laboratory of Innovative Environmental Health Technologies, the HKUST ENVF-INA/LMA Joint Laboratory of Environment, and the France-HKUST Innovation Hub. He was the Associate Dean of the School of Engineering and Director of the Technology Leadership and Entrepreneurship Program (2014-2018).

He is a recipient of the 2020 Chief Executive’s Commendation for Community Service for the Outstanding Contribution to the Fight Against COVID-19, the 2018 Gold Medal in the 46th International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva and the 2015 Google Solve for X Moonshot.

Professor Yeung’s research on the Environmental Health Technologies for Healthier Living is rated a world-leading research with outstanding impact in term of reach and significance by the territory-wide Research Assessment Exercise 2020 conducted by the University Grant Council of the Hong Kong SAR government. It is one of the few among the 340 research impact cases rated 4 stars by a panel of 361 distinguished scholars from around the world.

Abstract

Hydrogel Technology for Odor and Microbial Control

More than forty percent of the world population live along the coastline, and 14 of the 17 megacities are coastal cities. These cities benefit from easy access to commerce, transportations, and resources fueling their growth. The city’s waterfront is often the center of economic activities. It defines the city’s identity and is the focal point of social and cultural activities. It is therefore imperative to enhance and maintain the aesthetic character of the city’s coastline and waterfront.

The HKSAR government invested in the Harbour Area Treatment Scheme (HATS) to restore and improve the water quality of the Victoria Harbour, around which 60% of the city’s population live. Contaminations from roadside runoff and drainage outfall pollute the harbor and cause malodor. Odorous compounds generated by microbial activities on pollutants have a low odor threshold and can cause a nuisance to the nearby community. Partnership between the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and the Drainage Services Department (DSD) developed a hydrogel technology that target hard-to-kill microorganisms responsible for odorous gas emission and to neutralize malodor at locations in the drainage network and outfalls.