Industry News
2026-10-13Local time on 2026年10月6日, the International Water Association (IWA) World Water Congress & Exhibition held its award ceremony in Glasgow, UK. The super-large city "Water-Energy Coupling" wastewater resource recovery project submitted by the Zhengzhou New District Wastewater Treatment Plant of Zhongyuan Environmental Protection Co., Ltd. won the Gold Award in the "Water Technology and Infrastructure for Market Change" category, and stood out among the six gold awards to claim the only Grand Innovation Award of this congress. This year's selection attracted 65 countries and 320 projects.
I. 65 countries, 320 projects, China reaches the top for the second time
The International Water Association "Project Innovation Award" is held every two years and is known as the "Nobel Prize" in the water treatment field. This year there are six categories, each with one gold, silver, and bronze award; based on the six gold award projects, expert judges then select the only "Grand Innovation Award" to recognize outstanding projects of global significance. This year's competition attracted 65 countries and 320 high-quality projects to compete on the same stage, with 23 projects shortlisted for the finals. The award dinner was held during the IWA World Water Congress held from 10月4日 to 8日.
This is the second time China has won this highest global honor, following the Yixing Urban Wastewater Resource Concept Plant.
More than this one project gained recognition during the same period. Zhongyuan Environmental Protection was also selected for the International Water Association Climate Smart Utilities Recognition Programme at the "Outstanding" level in the achievement group. This is the first time a Chinese enterprise has received the highest level of recognition in the IWA climate action field—a total of 152 water utilities worldwide applied this year, and in the end only 4 received the Outstanding level.
Two other projects led by Chinese teams also won gold awards: the Shenzhen Binhe Water Quality Purification Plant Anaerobic/Oxic/Anoxic (AOA) biological treatment technology submitted by Beijing University of Technology and Shenzhen Water and Environment Group won the gold award in the "Research and Development Breakthrough" category; the UAE Hassyan 180 MIGD seawater desalination independent water project jointly submitted by PowerChina SEPCOIII and ACWA Power won the gold award in the "Project Execution and Delivery" category.
II. 100万 tons/day: activated coke process supports Class III surface water effluent
The Zhengzhou New District Wastewater Treatment Plant is China's 7th million-ton-level wastewater treatment plant, the first million-ton-level activated coke process wastewater treatment plant, and also the largest wastewater treatment plant in the Huai River Basin with the most complete functional configuration. Its treatment capacity is 100万 tons/day of wastewater and 1300 tons/day of sludge, undertaking more than 40% of the wastewater treatment task in Zhengzhou's main urban area.
The introduction of the activated coke process solves a key problem: how to intercept trace pollutants that are difficult to remove by conventional processes. At present, the plant's main effluent indicators stably meet the river Class III surface water standard, and water visibility exceeds 5 meters. Nearly one million tons of high-quality effluent per day replenishes river ecology, restoring vitality to once black and odorous river sections.
III. "Energy extraction first, reuse second, landscape last": the cascade account of reclaimed water
The reclaimed water utilization path built by Zhongyuan Environmental Protection has at its core a cascade chain of "energy extraction first, reuse second, landscape last"—first extracting the thermal energy contained in reclaimed water, then carrying out industrial and municipal utilization, and finally using it for landscape ecological water replenishment.
This path relies on the physical characteristic that reclaimed water temperature remains stable year-round. At present, reclaimed water cooling and heating projects have been built in areas such as Longhu Financial Island and Zhengzhou East Railway Station, covering an area of 375万 square meters, saving 3.2万 tons of standard coal annually and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 8.1万 tons.
The "Reclaimed Water+" comprehensive smart energy utilization project under construction has a daily transmission scale of 100万 tons. After completion, it can meet the heating demand of more than 1100万 square meters and the cooling demand of more than 550万 square meters in eastern Zhengzhou, and can later be expanded to industrial production, municipal miscellaneous use, and ecological water replenishment.
IV. Sludge: reduction by 90%, self-sufficient thermal energy for treatment
Zhengzhou has simultaneously built a thousand-ton-level sludge pyrolysis gasification project, which is also the largest project of its kind in the country. Relying on proprietary processes, the plant has achieved:
- Sludge reduction over 90% — significantly reducing the pressure of off-site disposal.
- Fly ash reduction by more than 95% — controlling pollutants at the source.
- Self-sufficient thermal energy for treatment — the combustible gas produced by pyrolysis and gasification is reused for heat supply, with emissions superior to national standards.
- Slag resource utilization — the remaining slag is used as building materials and landscaping soil, achieving "full utilization with nothing left behind."
The project also coordinates the recycling of sewage, sludge, kitchen waste, and agricultural waste, supported by distributed photovoltaics, biogas power generation, and energy storage facilities, and equipped with an AI smart management and control system, driving the wastewater treatment plant to transform from a major energy consumer into a comprehensive energy hub.
V. Industry Observation: The Paradigm of "Resources, Energy, and Carbon Sink" as Three Centers
The core value of the Zhengzhou project's award lies in the fact that it provides a replicable answer: how can a megacity's wastewater treatment plant simultaneously become the "three centers" of resources, energy, and carbon sink.
This evaluation dimension is highly consistent with domestic policy trends. The Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Developing New Quality Productive Forces was issued on 2026年10月9日, explicitly proposing the construction of a green, low-carbon, circular development economic system and the building of a batch of zero-carbon factories and parks. The Regulations on Urban Drainage and Wastewater Treatment was revised in accordance with 2026年8月8日 the Decision of the State Council on Amending and Repealing Certain Administrative Regulations, explicitly encouraging at the administrative regulation level the reuse of reclaimed water and the resource utilization of sludge and rainwater.
For the industry, the evaluation criteria for wastewater treatment plants are being systematically rewritten:
- From "compliance" to "quality improvement" — effluent must meet water quality requirements for industrial reuse, urban miscellaneous use, and even higher standards, driving up demand for advanced treatment processes such as activated coke, dual-membrane processes, and Advanced Oxidation / AOP.
- From "energy consumption" to "energy production" — the multi-energy complementary design capability of biogas power generation, photovoltaic power generation, and sewage-source heat pumps directly determines the project's carbon accounting performance.
- From "disposal" to "recovery" — sludge is no longer a burden; pathways such as pyrolysis and gasification and Anaerobic digestion make it a source of energy and building material raw materials.
Industry analysts believe that the demonstration significance of the Zhengzhou project also lies in its scale effect — successfully implementing the "water-energy coupling" model at a million-ton scale proves the engineering feasibility and economic viability of this route. For large and medium-sized wastewater treatment plants currently planning upgrading and resource-oriented transformation, this is a set of reference samples.
TIANYI TECH Co., Ltd. (TIANYI LIMITED) is deeply engaged in the fields of wastewater treatment and Reclaimed Water Reuse, focusing on the three major directions of "upgrading, energy saving, and resource utilization," providing one-stop services including advanced treatment process integration, Reclaimed Water cascade utilization systems, sludge energy-oriented disposal, and smart operations. The company insists on speaking through verifiable operational data, helping customers transform wastewater treatment plants from cost centers into urban infrastructure with the combined value of resources, energy, and carbon sink.
Source: International Water Association (IWA) 2026年 World Water Congress & Exhibition award announcement, notice from the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of Zhengzhou Municipal People's Government, compiled from Elephant News and Henan media reports.
