On July 8–9, the Tsinghua University-CASIC Engineering Doctoral Forum was successfully held in Wuhan. Hosted by Tsinghua University and China Aerospace Science & Industry Corporation Limited (CASIC), the forum was addressed and inaugurated by Shao Xinyu, Vice Governor of Hubei Province, Yuan Jie, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Chairman of CASIC, and Wang Xiqin, President of Tsinghua University. More than 500 engineering doctoral students from Tsinghua University attended the event.

Under the theme of "Building a Strong Nation through Science and Technology, Creating the Future with Aerospace", the forum showcased a wide range of outstanding scientific research achievements and innovative projects. Among them, the "Unpowered HorSedi® Horizontal Tube High-Efficiency Sedimentation Tank", innovatively invented by Zhang Liangchun, a Ph.D. candidate in Resources and Environmental Engineering from Class 229 and Chairman of 9TONE Water, was selected for the Innovative Achievements Exhibition of the forum, highlighting the significance of this invention in the field of environmental science and engineering.

At the Innovative Achievements Exhibition, Zhang Liangchun presented the Unpowered HorSedi® Horizontal Tube High-Efficiency Sedimentation Tank, as well as products and solutions for high-efficiency and energy-saving ultrapure water treatment. The booth attracted extensive attention and discussions from numerous professionals, with a large crowd on site. Attendees praised the innovation and practicality of the technologies and held in-depth exchanges and discussions on relevant technologies with Zhang Liangchun, Chairman of 9TONE Water, and Zhang Xinyue, General Manager of the Marketing Department.

During the exhibition, Wang Xiqin, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and President of Tsinghua University, Huang Xingdong, Director and Deputy Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of China Aerospace Science & Industry Corporation Limited, and their entourage visited the booth. Zhang Liangchun introduced the key technologies breaking bottlenecks in the water industry – the Unpowered HorSedi® Horizontal Tube High-Efficiency Sedimentation Tank and ultrapure water treatment technology, with a special emphasis on the breakthrough progress of these two technologies in the water sector.

Wang Xiqin, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and President of Tsinghua University,

Huang Xingdong, Director and Deputy Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of China Aerospace Science & Industry Corporation Limited, and their entourage visited the booth

001 Unpowered HorSedi® Horizontal Tube High-Efficiency Sedimentation Tank

The Unpowered HorSedi® Horizontal Tube High-Efficiency Sedimentation Tank is a high-efficiency sedimentation tank equipped with horizontal tube sedimentation separation units, supporting water distribution systems, water collection systems, and sludge discharge systems. It is a pioneering and original invention that creatively places sedimentation tubes horizontally with dedicated sludge sliding channels, forming a design where "water flows through water channels and sludge through sludge channels". This fundamentally solves the problem of sludge discharge in horizontally placed sedimentation tubes, representing a major breakthrough in sedimentation technology, breaking foreign technological monopolies, and filling international gaps.

Based on its unique design principle, the product requires no additional equipment or power drive. It features high sedimentation efficiency, small footprint, low operating costs, and high treatment capacity, enabling efficient water purification and significantly improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of water treatment. It has been widely applied in all solid-liquid separation fields, including municipal sectors (water supply, sewage, reclaimed water, rainwater, water environment management), electronic industrial ultrapure water treatment, medical wastewater, pharmaceutical wastewater, petrochemical engineering, metallurgy and steel, and others.

Since its launch, the Unpowered HorSedi® Horizontal Tube High-Efficiency Sedimentation Tank has gained industry recognition. The product has applied for 2 PCT international patents and been granted 51 patents in China, the United States, Europe, India, and other regions. It has been approved and accepted under the National Innovation Fund [Guoke Fa Ji Zi [2008] No. 434], approved and accepted as a National Torch Plan Industrialization Demonstration Project [Approval No.: 2015GH061430], awarded the Silver Prize of the 9th Guangdong Patent Award (the only environmental technology to win this award), and received the First Prize of the 2022 Science and Technology Progress Award by the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation.

002 High-Efficiency and Energy-Saving Ultrapure Water Treatment Process

The high-efficiency and energy-saving ultrapure water treatment process is another remarkable technology developed by Zhang Liangchun’s team. Adopting advanced processes and equipment, it integrates two process packages: a pretreatment package to reduce membrane fouling and a deep desalination package, which efficiently remove impurities and pollutants from water to produce high-purity ultrapure water. This holds important application value for fields in the aerospace industry with high water quality requirements.

Ultrapure Water Treatment Integrated Solution

This solution not only meets the high-purity water demand of the aerospace industry but also features high efficiency and energy conservation. By optimizing the process flow and equipment selection, it effectively removes 99% of small particulate insoluble pollutants and 98% of suspended solids, eliminates 60%–90% of total organic carbon (TOC), reduces subsequent membrane fouling, significantly cuts operating energy consumption and costs, extends equipment service life, and enhances environmental friendliness.

Ultrapure water treatment technology plays a vital role in China’s aerospace industry. The development and application of high-efficiency and energy-saving ultrapure water treatment processes can meet the industry’s strict water quality requirements and contribute positively to the development of aerospace undertakings. Meanwhile, the technology is expected to expand its application scope and play an important role in other sectors, promoting the sustainable development of society as a whole.

003 9TONE Water Zhang Liangchun: Committed to Development through Innovation

As Chairman of 9TONE Water, Zhang Liangchun has long been dedicated to promoting innovation and development in the water industry. His outstanding achievements and industry influence have been highly recognized and appreciated by all sectors of society.

Under Zhang Liangchun’s leadership, 9TONE Water, a company focused on environmental science and engineering, has consistently strived to advance innovation in water treatment technologies. The selection of the Unpowered HorSedi® Horizontal Tube High-Efficiency Sedimentation Tank for the Innovative Achievements Exhibition at the Tsinghua University-CASIC Engineering Doctoral Forum not only recognizes the technology itself but also affirms the years of hard work by Zhang Liangchun and his team. Moving forward, 9TONE Water will continue to uphold the spirit of innovation and make greater contributions to the development of environmental science and engineering.