Industry News
2026-10-19Introduction: The Yantai Taozhiwan Wastewater, Reclaimed Water and Sludge Circular Economy Demonstration Project, led by Wanhua Chemical, recently won the 21st China Civil Engineering Zhan Tianyou Award—the highest honor in China's civil engineering science and technology innovation field. After systematic upgrading and renovation of 11 sub-projects, the project has built a complete "wastewater—reclaimed water—sludge—resources" circular system. Through the coordinated use of multiple energy sources such as sludge fermentation power generation, photovoltaic power generation, and sewage-source heat pump heating, it achieves an annual reduction of 56620.75 tons of carbon dioxide.
The Weight of the Zhan Tianyou Award: Why This Project Deserves Attention
The China Civil Engineering Zhan Tianyou Award is a评比达标表彰 retained project approved by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council and recognized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. It was established in 1999年 to promote scientific and technological innovation and progress in the civil engineering industry and to commend outstanding engineering projects with excellent quality and outstanding scientific and technological innovation. It is worth noting that the Taozhiwan project is not a new construction project, but a systematic upgrade completed through technological iteration and model innovation on the basis of an old plant area—which is exactly the situation currently faced by a large number of existing wastewater treatment plants in China.
During the construction and operation stages, the project has successively received multiple national-level honors, including the First Prize of the Huaxia Construction Science and Technology Award, the National Quality Engineering Award, and the National Survey and Design Industry Award, and was shortlisted for the 2022年 GWA (Global Water Awards) Smart Water Project of the Year. With this Zhan Tianyou Award, its chain of honors basically covers the main evaluation systems for engineering quality and scientific and technological innovation in China.
Technical Path: 11 Sub-projects Support the Full "Water—Energy—Sludge" Chain
The Taozhiwan Wastewater Treatment Plant initially faced the dual challenges of upgrading existing facilities and low-carbon transformation. Instead of adopting a single-point renovation approach of "treating the symptom only," the project team advanced systematic upgrading through 11 sub-projects simultaneously, integrating wastewater treatment, reclaimed water reuse, and resource-based sludge disposal into one integrated system.
- Upgrading at the wastewater end—upgrading existing treatment structures and process units, implementing advanced membrane treatment technology, providing a stable water source for reclaimed water reuse, and exploring a feasible path for resource utilization of large-scale wastewater treatment facilities;
- Reuse at the reclaimed water end—further deeply purifying treated water that meets standards and reusing it for industrial production and urban miscellaneous use, forming a circular chain of "treatment—regeneration—value addition";
- Resource recovery at the sludge end—supporting sludge fermentation power generation facilities to convert organic solid waste into electrical energy while reducing end-of-pipe disposal pressure;
- Coordination at the energy end—combining photovoltaic power generation and sewage-source heat pump heating to form a multi-energy complementary low-carbon operation pattern, ultimately achieving an annual carbon dioxide reduction of 56620.75 tons.
The project's original model of "phased above-ground and underground construction + full-chain resource circulation + multi-energy complementary low-carbon operation" is regarded by the industry as a replicable solution for renovating old wastewater treatment plants. Its key experience lies in repositioning the wastewater treatment plant from a mere "end point of pollutant reduction" to a conversion node for three urban resources: water, energy, and sludge.
Industry Reference: Dual Pressure of Existing Facility Upgrading and Low-Carbon Transformation
China's urban wastewater treatment capacity ranks among the world's leading, but a large number of facilities built early are simultaneously facing two pressures. On the one hand, discharge standards are becoming increasingly stringent—many places require effluent to be upgraded from Grade A of the Discharge Standard of Pollutants for Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant (GB 18918-2002) to quasi-Class IV or even Class IV surface water standards, imposing higher requirements on nitrogen and phosphorus removal and advanced treatment; on the other hand, energy consumption constraints under the "dual carbon" goals are becoming increasingly rigid. Electricity consumption in links such as aeration, lifting, and sludge treatment makes wastewater treatment plants a carbon emission source in the municipal field that cannot be ignored.
Against this background, the demonstration value of the Taozhiwan project is concentrated in three points: first, it proves that existing plant areas can complete systematic technological iteration without interrupting operation; second, it verifies that membrane technology, after large-scale application in large municipal wastewater treatment plants, can simultaneously support the two goals of upgrading and reclaimed water reuse; third, it demonstrates the actual reduction effect on the plant's carbon footprint after combining anaerobic sludge fermentation, photovoltaics, and sewage-source heat pumps. For large urban wastewater treatment plants in China that simultaneously face the dual tasks of upgrading and carbon reduction, these experiences have direct reference significance.
From "Compliant Discharge" to "Resource Factory"
Industry observations suggest that the Gouzi Bay model represents a clear technological evolution path: the value anchor of wastewater treatment plants is shifting from "pollutant reduction volume" to "resource output volume." When Reclaimed Water can replace industrial fresh water intake, sludge can be converted into electricity, and wastewater residual heat can supply heating to surrounding buildings, the revenue structure of wastewater treatment plants also changes accordingly—from relying solely on wastewater treatment fees to a diversified combination of "treatment fees + Reclaimed Water fees + energy revenue."
This shift is also highly consistent with recent policy directions. The newly revised Regulations on Urban Drainage and Wastewater Treatment require six categories of water use, including industrial production, urban greening, and road cleaning, to prioritize Reclaimed Water; the Ecological Environment Code incorporates wastewater resource utilization and the unified allocation of unconventional water into law; and the 3000亿 yuan water-saving industry credit line jointly launched by the Ministry of Water Resources and the Agricultural Bank of China also lists wastewater reclamation and utilization as a key support area. Policy, technology, and finance are all signaling toward Reclaimed Water and resource recovery simultaneously, and the "resource factory" retrofit of existing wastewater treatment plants has become an irresistible trend.
Conclusion
An old wastewater treatment plant used 11 sub-projects to achieve an annual carbon emission reduction of 5.66万 tons and a Zhan Tianyou Award trophy. Its significance lies not in the advancement of individual technologies, but in integrating upgrading, reuse, sludge disposal, and energy recovery into a single system for coordinated solutions. For peers currently struggling with upgrading and retrofit plans, the "Yantai Solution" provides a reference answer that has been validated by the highest award.
About TIANYI TECH Co., Ltd.: TIANYI TECH Co., Ltd. (TIANYI LIMITED) focuses on the fields of wastewater treatment, Reclaimed Water Reuse, and Water Environment Governance, providing municipal and industrial clients with full-chain services including process design, equipment integration, engineering general contracting, and smart operations. The company continuously tracks global water treatment policies, technologies, and market dynamics, and is committed to helping customers achieve efficient water resource utilization and sustainable management with reliable solutions. For more information, please visit the company website at www.tianyitech.hk.
Source: The 21st China Civil Engineering Zhan Tianyou Award winners list and public project reports (2026年10月)
