Prof Dan TSANG Delivers Keynote Speech on Biomass Carbon Utilization and Sequestration at World Laureates Forum
Prof. Dan TSANG, Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CIVL) at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Director of HKUST’s Research Center on Decarbonization Technology (RCDT), delivered a keynote address titled “Biomass Carbon Utilization and Sequestration” at the 2025 World Laureates Forum (WLF) in Shanghai. The WLF is regarded as one of Asia’s most high-profile scientific gatherings, convening leading scientists, Nobel laureates, and rising researchers to discuss frontier science, international cooperation, and the future societal role of technology.
In his keynote, Prof. Tsang outlined a materials-science pathway in which waste biomass is thermochemically converted into engineered bio-carbons with controlled porosity and surface chemistry. These bio-carbons deliver two direct climate services: they act as high-performance media for industrial and municipal water purification, and they can be embedded into cementitious and 3D-printed construction materials to create thermally efficient, durable, carbon-negative building elements. The approach couples pollutant removal with long-term carbon storage in the built environment.
“Cities do not just consume materials, they can store carbon in their own infrastructure,” said Prof. Tsang. “By engineering bio-carbons so they both clean water and lock biogenic carbon into concrete and structures, we turn waste and emissions into assets for climate resilience.”
This framing reflects a broader shift in civil and environmental engineering: infrastructure is no longer viewed only as a service platform, but also as a carbon sink and a pollution-control technology. Prof. Tsang’s group at HKUST has demonstrated biochar-enhanced, additively manufactured (3D-printed) concrete elements that improve buildability, reduce clinker demand, enhance insulation, and physically sequester carbon, positioning construction materials as part of urban decarbonization strategy.
The keynote aligns with CIVL’s mission at HKUST. CIVL is committed to advancing both the state-of-the-art and state-of-practice in civil and environmental engineering; training next-generation engineers; and explicitly promoting sustainability as a design criterion for future development. The Department integrates environmental protection, low-carbon construction materials, waste-to-resource engineering, and intelligent infrastructure to support resilient, livable, and climate-aligned cities.
It also showcases the mandate of RCDT: established in 2025 under Prof. Tsang’s leadership, RCDT is an institute-scale platform that unites expertise across civil and environmental engineering, chemical and biological engineering, mechanical and aerospace engineering, and data/AI to accelerate low-carbon technologies for the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area. The Center targets biomass utilization, carbon-neutral infrastructure solutions, and circular resource recovery as near-term levers for system-level climate impact.
RCDT’s translational model is designed to move beyond proof-of-concept. By working directly with industry, regulators, and public bodies, the Center aims to align material performance, safety, and compliance requirements early, so that decarbonization technologies, such as carbon-negative concretes and low-impact wastewater treatment systems, can be demonstrated at scale rather than remaining in the laboratory.
By placing biomass carbon utilization and sequestration on the World Laureates Forum stage, HKUST underscores a simple but powerful idea: civil and environmental engineering is no longer only about delivering infrastructure. It is about building cities that actively remove carbon, safeguard water, and strengthen climate resilience, and doing so at scale.
Relevant Links:
https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202510/25/WS68fcbd90a310f735438b6f03.html
