On Feb 17, the 2021-2022 annual Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation awards ceremony was held in Beijing. Professor Peng Yongzhen of the Beijing University of Technology, member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and the director of the National Engineering Laboratory of Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, received the Science and Technological Progress Award.

The Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation(HLHL) was established in 1994 by four patriotic financiers in Hong Kong. It aims to encourage outstanding Chinese scientists to make greater contributions to the national cause of developing science and technology. The Scientific and Technological Progress Award, one of the three HLHL awards, recognizes those who have made major inventions, discoveries, and achievements in specific disciplines, especially in recent years. A total of 112 scientists received the HLHL Scientific and Technological Awards in 2021-2022.

Academician Peng has long been engaged in the theoretical research and engineering practice of biological nitrogen removal for wastewater, and the automatic and intelligent control of activated sludge wastewater treatment systems, and he has made significant contributions linked to addressing technical bottlenecks and engineering problems in this field. He has gained four second prizes in the National Science and Technology Award and the State Technological Invention Award, and nine first prizes at the level of provincial science and technology awards. As the first inventor, he has obtained more than 310 patents and transferred more than 140. He has published eight books, including three for which he is the independent or the first author. He has also published over 350 SCI papers as the first or corresponding author, including more than 200 papers with IF >10.0 and 14 highly cited ones. He has mentored 95 engineering PhD students, including two winners of the National 100 Excellent Doctoral Dissertation Awards and nine winners of the National Excellent Doctoral Dissertation Nomination Awards.