Kick-off Workshop and Opening Ceremony of WATCH Joint Laboratory in Beijing

In November 2018, a series of activities were successfully held in Beijing under the framework of the Sino-German Center for Water and Health Research (WATCH). On November 27th 2018, the kick-off workshop and opening ceremony of the WATCH Joint Laboratory between China Water Environment Group (CWEG) and RWTH Aachen University was held at the Beijing Headquarter of CWEG. Professor Reimers and Dr. Yao Gang of RWTH Aachen University, Dr. Dorgeloh, the managing Director of the Development and Assessment Institute in Waste Water Technology at RWTH Aachen University (PIA), Shao Yanqing, Vice President of CWEG, and Dr. Pang Hongtao, Deputy General Manager of Technology R&D Center of CWEG, attended at the meeting.

The WATCH Joint Laboratory is the first one being funded by the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission for international science and technology cooperation, and the only international joint laboratory in the field of water. At the kick-off meeting, Vice President Shao of CWEG first welcomed and thanked the representatives of the German Delegation. He said that the CWEG has always emphasized core competitiveness and technological innovation, and attached great importance to the innovation, research and development of industry-university-research cooperation in water treatment technology. The WATCH Joint Laboratory was established under the cooperation of both sides. It is desired that the two sides will work closely together to build a state-of-the-art joint laboratory in the field of water and health.

Professor Reimers spoke on behalf of the WATCH Steering Committee, congratulated and appreciated the launch of the WATCH Joint Laboratory. He expressed his great pleasure to cooperate with the China Water Environment Group. Professor Reimers hopes to continue promoting the construction of WATCH. Under the framework of WATCH, the Joint Laboratory will integrate research, education and industry as a platform known worldwide in the field of water and health research. The two sides also conducted detailed discussions on the Joint Laboratory construction plan, including joint research, technology transfer, talent exchange and joint training.

During the kick-off meeting, Dr. Dorgeloh and Dr. Yao from RWTH Aachen University gave lectures on the “Status quo of decentralized wastewater treatment in Germany” and “Legislative and technical developments of phosphorus recovery and sludge disposal in Germany” respectively for the research staff of CWEG.

Under the WATCH framework, on November 29th, 2018, the Northern Research Center for Rural Wastewater Treatment Technology of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, CWEG, and PIA together held a workshop on the construction of testing platforms for decentralized sewage treatment facilities in China. After intensive exchanges and discussions, the three parties came to an agreement: Trilateral cooperation in the areas of the assessment system legislation for China, testing base construction in Beijing and personnel training. They intend to promote the establishment of testing standards for the decentralized sewage treatment facilities and the construction of testing platforms in China. The objectives of the tripartite consortium, the responsibilities and tasks of the parties as well as the time schedule of the next steps were determined.

During this period, the German delegation visited the underground urban sewage treatment plant Bishui in Beijing constructed and operated by CWEG and the WATCH Joint Laboratory. The activities were successfully completed in a friendly and cooperative atmosphere on the afternoon of November 29th, 2018.

Kick-off workshop	Opening ceremony of WATCH Joint Laboratory
Workshop on the construction of testing platforms for decentralized sewage treatment facilities in China	Visiting WATCH Joint Laboratory