Innovation & Technology Transfer

Involved Advisor and Member: Prof. John P. GIESY, Prof. Kenneth Mei Yee LEUNG Microplastics are a growing threat to aquatic organisms and their ecosystems. Apart from marine and freshwater environments, microplastic fibres have been found in air and terrestrial ecosystems, where they are relatively persistent. Exposure to airborne microplastics has been linked to adverse effects on the health of humans, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Involved Members: Dr. Siu Gin CHEUNG, Prof. Paul Kwan Sing LAM, Prof. Kenneth Mei Yee LEUNG In collaboration with Environmental Protection Department and Drainage Services Department of the Hong Kong SAR Government, SKLMP team led by Dr. Kai Zhang (former Research Associate at SKLMP and now Assistant Professor at Macau University of Science and Technology) developed scientifically robust standard methods for monitoring of microplastics (two size ranges: 0.3-5 mm and 0.02-0.3mm) in wastewater, seawater, freshwater and stormwater.

Involved Member: Prof. Kenneth Mei Yee LEUNG At present, there are over 350,000 registered chemicals. Many of them will be eventually released into the estuaries, which connect human cities to natural oceans. However, little is known about their environmental contamination and ecological risks. For example, our recent findings of pharmaceutical contamination in global rivers published in PNAS suggested that many of the most polluted rivers are located in the countries and regions from sub-Sahara Africa, South America and parts of southern Asia, which are mostly beyond the reach of current research efforts (Wilkinson et al., 2022).

Involved Member: Dr. Ruquan YE We developed an in situ functionalization strategy by first covalently grafting CoTAPc onto carbon nanotubes via a diazo-reaction, followed by a complete methylation reaction. This is conducive to a 700% increase in CO partial current density compared to that of a physically mixed sample at -0.72V vs. RHE with highly stable currents.

Spatial distribution of the detected BFRs (ng/g dry weight) in the surface sediment from the South China Sea Involved Members & Researcher: Prof. Paul Kwan Sing LAM, Dr. Phoebe Yuefei RUAN, Dr. Hongru FENG We investigated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs) in the seawater and surface sediment from the South China Sea collected in 2018. Decabromodiphenyl ether and decabromodiphenyl ethane were the predominant BFRs.

Involved Members & Researcher: Prof. Paul Kwan Sing LAM, Dr. Phoebe Yuefei RUAN, Dr. Hongru FENG

Diagnostic ratios of PAH isomers in 11 particle size fractions at the sampling sites Involved Members & Researcher: Prof. Paul Kwan Sing LAM, Dr. Phoebe Yuefei RUAN, Miss Jiayong LAO We collected gaseous and size-segregated particulate samples of ambient air at two sites in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) so as to investigate the impacts of anthropogenic activities on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the oceanic atmosphere.

Involved Members & Researcher: Prof. Paul Kwan Sing LAM, Dr. Phoebe Yuefei RUAN, Miss Jiayong LAO