In pictures: ‘The very best of us'
You can't see the Pleiades star cluster in Beijing.
The light pollution (not to mention the other pollution) is so thick in the Chinese capital, even at midnight, that the most you'll see if you cast your eyes skyward is a ruddy glow, wafting up from the vast city
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NZ Herald
2 days ago
- NZ Herald
In pictures: ‘The very best of us'
You can't see the Pleiades star cluster in Beijing. The light pollution (not to mention the other pollution) is so thick in the Chinese capital, even at midnight, that the most you'll see if you cast your eyes skyward is a ruddy glow, wafting up from the vast city
Scoop
4 days ago
- Scoop
Strengthening Ties To China During Prime Minister's Trade Delegation
Launching new study abroad and research collaboration partnerships with top Chinese universities and research institutes is the focus of Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington's involvement in the Prime Minister's trade delegation to China. Vice-Chancellor Professor Nic Smith is delighted to be participating in this visit to China to formalise these arrangements which offer exciting opportunities to future students interested in coming to study in Aotearoa New Zealand, as well as forge new research collaborations. These partnerships include a major research partnership with Shanghai's prestigious Fudan University, focused on public health, biotechnology, and climate science, as well as articulation and study abroad agreements with one of China's largest universities, Zhengzhou University. This visit provides an important opportunity for Victoria University of Wellington to position itself as a top choice for students to consider when looking at studying overseas, says Professor Smith. 'We are committed to deepening our partnerships with China's leading institutions—united by a shared ambition to blend academic excellence with global citizenship. 'Together, we are preparing the next generation to lead with knowledge, empathy, and purpose.' 'Being part of this delegation reflects New Zealand's recognition of universities as engines of innovation, diplomacy, and enduring global relationships. It is a privilege to represent our sector and reinforce education's vital role in connecting nations.' Prime Minister Rt Hon Christopher Luxon says New Zealand's education sector is globally respected for its quality, innovation, and commitment to partnership. 'Our universities, including Victoria University of Wellington, play a key role in fostering long-term academic and research collaborations with countries like China. These connections not only support student mobility and world-class research but also strengthen the broader relationship between our two countries.' Victoria University of Wellington already maintains deep connections and a broad reach across China through longstanding research partnerships, student mobility programmes, and alumni networks. The University first signed an agreement with Xiamen University in the 1980s, and its Confucius Institute was opened by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to New Zealand in 2010. It is a founding partner of the New Zealand Centre at Peking University and hosts the pre-eminent New Zealand Contemporary Chinese Research Centre. In 2023, Victoria University of Wellington welcomed its first cohort of students enrolled at a Joint Institute through a partnership with China's largest university—Zhengzhou University, a globally ranked university with around 73,000 students. Professor Smith says universities play a crucial role in international dialogue as the world faces increasingly complex challenges. 'In a world facing complex, interconnected challenges—from climate change to public health—our researchers are advancing global solutions. This delegation is a powerful opportunity to showcase how collaboration across borders strengthens those efforts.' 'At Victoria University of Wellington, we see education not simply as a journey, but as a launchpad—for discovery, for leadership, and for impact. We are proud to support the aspirations of students who will shape the future of our world.' The University will also be launching the Kitea Impact Programme—a leadership development initiative for future global changemakers—and a work integrated learning programme which provides students with hands-on experience in real-world projects while offering New Zealand businesses deeper insights into the Chinese market and access to top talent. Professor Smith will participate in official events and meetings in Beijing and Shanghai and will reinforce Victoria University of Wellington's commitment to China by signing partnership agreements with a number of prestigious Chinese universities. About the partnerships Research collaboration with Fudan University, Shanghai—one of China's most prestigious and research-intensive universities—in the areas of public health, biotechnology, and climate science. Student mobility agreements with Communication University of Zhejiang, Hangzhou—one of the two leading universities in China specialising in cultivating professionals for China's media and broadcast industries. Students will be provided a pathway into Victoria University of Wellington's Master's degrees in Computer Science, and Intercultural Communication and Applied Translation. Research collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences—a leading research centre in Beijing in the fields of philosophy and social sciences. The research collaboration with Victoria University of Wellington's New Zealand Contemporary China Research Centre focuses on climate change, diaspora studies, and modern Chinese history. Student mobility agreements with Yantai University, a comprehensive university in Shandong with more than 29,000 students, which will see students transfer to complete a Victoria University of Wellington Bachelor degree in Language Sciences. Study abroad agreement with Zhengzhou University in Henan. With around 73,000 students, it is the largest university in China. The agreement will allow students from ZZU to study at VUW for one or two trimesters.
Scoop
05-05-2025
- Scoop
Treating Wastewater To Store Ocean Carbon
Press Release – Science Media Centre The proof-of-concept results show that, if scalable, the approach could help reduce ocean carbon oversaturation, especially in the Northern Hemisphere where the most wastewater treatment plants are located. Treating wastewater with alkaline minerals could soak up over 18 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, new research suggests. Oceans are absorbing increasing amounts of CO from the atmosphere, which is making them more acidic. In theory, increasing the alkalinity of treated wastewater that's discharged into the sea would expand the ocean's capacity to store CO. Chinese research published in Science Advances uses lab experiments to test how effective this could be. The proof-of-concept results show that, if scalable, the approach could help reduce ocean carbon oversaturation, especially in the Northern Hemisphere where the most wastewater treatment plants are located. The SMC asked local, third-party experts to comment on the research. Dr Lokesh Padhye, Associate Director of the New York State Center for Clean Water Technology; and Honorary Academic at the University of Auckland, comments: 'This study takes the idea of using wastewater treatment plants as 'alkalinity factories' a step further. By adding olivine during the aerobic treatment stage, the researchers sped up the rock weathering process by about 20 times compared to just dumping the same mineral straight into the ocean. This helped boost the wastewater's alkalinity and, at least in theory, the authors claim, could lock away around 19 million tonnes of CO each year. Still, lower than what we emit from burning fossil fuels each year. 'The lab results are impressive, but scaling this up to the real world comes with challenges. Mining, crushing, and shipping huge amounts of olivine would use a lot of energy and create emissions of their own. Plus, dumping highly alkaline water through effluent plumes could cause calcium carbonate to precipitate, and how much CO actually gets captured would depend a lot on local ocean conditions like temperature and water chemistry. There's also a tradeoff for regulators to consider: adding olivine seems to help remove phosphate from wastewater, which is beneficial, but it might complicate sludge management. 'In short, turning wastewater plants into carbon-capturing hubs is a clever idea with real potential, but it needs more real-world testing, and it should be seen as one piece for solving this complex puzzle, not a replacement for cutting emissions from fossil fuels and industry.' No conflicts of interest. Professor Matthew Watson, Member of the Product Accelerator Network, Professor of Chemical and Process Engineering, Director – Biomolecular Interaction Centre (BIC), University of Canterbury, comments: 'A potential carbon sequestration of 0.018 billion tonnes of CO per year sounds big, but it is important to put it in perspective. 'Man-made CO emissions are approximately 36.8 billion tonnes of CO per year. That's approximately 2,000 times the 0.018 billion tonnes of CO figure listed in the article. About 3% of this is associated with wastewater treatment plants, or 1.1 billion tonnes of CO per year (approximately 60 times the 0.018 billion tonnes of CO figure listed in the article). Forests sequester 16 billion tonnes of CO per year. 'The mass efficiency (I estimate to be 0.04 tonnes of CO removed per tonne of olivine) seems to be very low (details of approximate calculations below). And the authors don't mention anything about the unintended consequences of adding large quantities of finely ground olivine (which may contain asbestos, chrome, and nickel) into rivers and waterways. 'The idea of the article is certainly a step in the right direction and the results are interesting in that the activated sludge seems to catalyse (speed up) the CO removal with olivine.' 'Mass efficiency estimate: 'Globally we discharge about 150 billion tonnes/yr of wastewater and authors have identified about 1 in 6 of the WWTPs as being suitable, so ~25 billion tonnes/yr. At 2 wt. % olivine = 0.5 billion tonnes of olivine to remove 0.018 billion tonnes/yr of CO2. The mass efficiency seems to be very low.' Conflict of interest statement: Watson is a founder of and has a beneficial ownership stake in Aspiring Materials. Dr Ricardo Bello-Mendoza, Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, University of Canterbury, comments: 'New research estimates that adding alkaline minerals to wastewater treatment could help capture and store about 18 million tonnes of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO), when biologically treated and alkalinity-enhanced wastewater is discharged into the ocean. The researchers used olivine rock, a magnesium-iron silicate mineral abundant globally, to increase wastewater alkalinity. That is, to improve its capacity to neutralise acids such as carbonic acid produced when CO dissolves in seawater. In New Zealand, olivine is used as an aggregate to make roads, and it has previously been studied for carbon sequestration in industrial applications. This study proposes using olivine in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) as a more effective way to maintain alkalinity in the treated water and disperse it into the aquatic environment. This would make a WWTP an alkalinity factory for ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) and CO sequestration. Alkalinity enhancement was studied before the activated sludge (AS) process, which is widely used in wastewater treatment, including New Zealand. While the results are promising, further research is needed to assess their potential in practical engineering applications. The addition of alkalinity to the wastewater should be customised according to the specific hydrochemical conditions at each discharge site. Furthermore, a life cycle analysis of the technology is still necessary.'
