On July 14^th, the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CNIA) carried out a video conference for evaluating the scientific research outcome of Prof. LIN Hai's program, "Key Technologies and Applications of Heavy Metal Pollution Control of Nonferrous Metals Mining, Processing and Smelting in the Yangtze River Basin".

The research was supported by the Major Science and Technology Program for Water Pollution Control and Treatment as part of China’s 12th Five-Year Plan and was achieved through cooperation between USTB and other six institutes of the United Nations. The program aims to solve water safety problems brought on by heavy metal contamination in the mining, processing, and smelting process of nonferrous metals. Prof. LIN Hai and his team creatively proposed the research framework of source control, clean production, terminal management, basin pollution control, and goal management. Based on the removal and transformation route of heavy metals as well as the concept of gradient control and reduction, the research tackled a series of technical challenges including impeding the effects of heavy metals in mining and barren rock processing and slag smelting, the remediation of vegetation, resources utilization of vanadium smelting and cooperative control of heavy metal pollutants, and the remediation of microorganisms contaminated by heavy metals and aquatic plants. A whole set of heavy metal pollution control technologies, including nonferrous metal waste rock sites and vanadium smelting and tailings impoundment, were developed to reduce the negative effects of heavy metal pollutants and recover the ecosystem of mining areas.

Currently, the technology has been applied to six demonstration projects in Yunxi county, Hubei province, and has shown good results on dealing with heavy metal contamination control and ecological remediation. Meanwhile, it has also been used by many nonferrous metal mines, polluted lands and rivers in China, creating satisfying environmental, economic and social results.

The technology evaluation panel consisted of academicians WU Fengchang and CHAI Liyuan, as well as five other experts who agreed that Prof. LIN Hai's program has reached the world-leading level. The complete set of technologies and its application are promising and of great significance to pollution control of heavy metal contamination in the nonferrous industry and its sustainable development.