The watershed environmental research team from Shandong University has made significant contributions to improving the wetland environment, and their research has been promoted in 16 provinces in China.

Nansi Lake in Weishan county, East China's Shandong province, was an environmental disaster two decades ago due to heavy pollution from industrial, agricultural, and domestic waste. Thanks to the efforts of the Shandong watershed environmental research team, the lake's environment was changed dramatically and is teeming with life once again.

Over the past several years, the team has developed artificial wetland technology for efficient water purification. The team made use of the withered plats in winter and developed the wetland plant-based activated carbon, which enhanced the adsorption capacity for pollutants like heavy metals, allowing for the recycling of wetland plant straw.

After 10 years of research and practice, the team has developed key technologies that significantly reduce pollution and carbon emissions, as well as allow for the operational stability of artificial wetland systems. A project titled "Key Technologies and Applications of Low-Carbon Artificial Wetland Wastewater Regeneration," led by Shandong University, was awarded the top 2023 Environmental Protection Science and Technology Award.