Professor Zhiguo Yuan receives ATSE Clunies Ross Award
Fundamentally improving the water industry’s management of sewer corrosion has led to CRC for Water Sensitive Cities’ Future Technologies Program Leader, Professor Zhiguo Yuan, receiving a top national technological sciences award.
Professor Yuan, Director of the Advanced Water Management Centre at The University of Queensland, received the Australian Academy of Technology, Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) Clunies Ross Award for his innovative technologies which have revolutionised the water industry’s capability and practices for sewer corrosion and odour management.
The awards ceremony, held at the Brisbane City Hall, recognised outstanding achievement in the application of science and technology for the benefit of the wider community.
Professor Yuan won the award for his work over the past decade with sewer systems. The ‘Sewer Corrosion and Odour Research Program: Putting Science into Sewers’, is believed to be the world’s largest sewer-related research effort. Urban water utilities have estimated the value of this approach to have generated an economic benefit in excess of $400 million.
“One of the key research outcomes is the SeweX model, which provides powerful support to the water industry to proactively manage its sewer assets,” Professor Yuan said.
“The research has also delivered further innovative technologies to enable more cost-effective control of sewer corrosion and odour.”
As a result of Professor Yuan’s active and genuinely collaborative approach, the majority of water utilities in Australia (covering in excess of 60% of the population) have adopted outcomes of his research.
This has resulted in an industry-wide transformation of maintenance practices, thereby reducing operating costs, enhancing asset utilisation and extending useful life, and reducing the need for major capital works expenditure.
Council of the City of Gold Coast’s Manager of Service Sustainability, Mr Bill Capati congratulated Professor Yuan for his leadership and determination in addressing one of the largest challenges faced by the global water industry today.
“Sewer corrosion and odour problems are a world-wide phenomenon, particularly in countries with a warm climate, which includes Council of City of Gold Coast,” Mr Capati said.
“The most valuable feature of Professor Yuan’s research work is how directly relevant the findings and solutions are for water industry practitioners which has led to rapid industry-uptake and substantial monetary benefits.”