From August 21 to 22, the Final of the 16th National Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Design Competition (2022 “Tianzheng Design Cup”) concluded at East China University of Science and Technology(ECUST). The work titled "100,000 t/a BDO Production Project for Xinjiang Markor”by the FLUMIX Team from the School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University (team members: Wanpeng Liu, Xinyuan Zhang, Mengyu Hao, Huan Liu, Ru Han; advisors: Bangqing Ni, Zhuying Yan, Tengfei Niu, Liangliang Lin, Jianquan Hong)progressed through the Jiangsu Provincial Competition, the East China Regional Selection, and the National Final. Through close collaboration during the evaluation andoraldefense sessions, the team received unanimous recognition and high praise from the judges, ultimately winning the NationalGrand Prizeat the 16th National Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Design Competition. This marks the fifth consecutive year that the School of Chemical and Material Engineering has won the NationalGrand Prizein this competition.

The National Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Design Competition is a Category A national competition recognized by the Ministry of Education. It is sponsored by the Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China (CIESC) and the China Education Association of Chemical Industry (CEACI). It is currently the highest-level, largest-scale, and most influential competition among undergraduate chemical engineering programs nationwide. It plays a significant role in cultivating and enhancing students' scientific research capabilities, innovative thinking, and teamwork skills, and has become the most influential competition for undergraduates in the chemical engineering discipline. A total of 2,939 teams from 415 universities across the country registered for this competition, with nearly 15,000 participants. After rigorous selection across seven regions—Northwest, Southwest, North China, South China, East China, Central China, and Northeast—a total of 60 teams advanced to the National Final. The design task required participants to design either a new 1,4-butanediol (BDO) production plant for a large chemical enterprise or a retrofit plan for an existing plant, in accordance with China’s green and low-carbon development requirements.

Since the start of the competition, the School actively encouraged student participation. A total of 18 teams submitted their works, achieving one National Grand Prize, one National Second Prize, one East China Regional Grand Prize, two Jiangsu Provincial Grand Prizes, and one Jiangsu Provincial First Prize, and the remaining 15 teams received Jiangsu Provincial Second Prizes. The team of advisors overcame challenges posed by the pandemic by adopting a hybrid format of online and offline guidance, continuously refining the works with the students over several months to enhance their quality. After the competition, advisor Bangqing Ni shared his thoughts: "Each year follows a similar process. Over six months of guidance, faculty members mentor successive groups of students, culminating in shared success. The experience enables students to apply their knowledge, develop perseverance, and gain skills that will have a lasting impact on their future." The participating students also gained much from the experience: "We value both the challenges and the achievements we experienced as a team. We are grateful to our advisors for their dedicated guidance over the past six months and to the School for its strong support. While specific details may fade over time, the sense of gratitude, respect, and inspiration will remain." This spirit of dedicated teaching and rigorous learning has fostered the School's culture of "integrity, continuity, collaboration, and innovation," further achieving the educational goals of promoting learning, innovation, and teaching through competitions.

Faculty members from the School of Chemical and Material Engineering have guided students in the National Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Design Competition for eight consecutive years, achieving excellent results in each competition. These accomplishments reflect the School's commitment to implementing theconcept of New Engineering Educationand advancing practical teaching. These achievements have earned broad recognition from universities across China for the quality of engineering education in the Chemical Engineering and Technology program.

FLUMIX Team from the School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wins NationalGrand Prize

Rankingof theNational Final

Advisors Providing Guidance

Group Photo of Participating Students and Advisors