On July 15, 2020, the State Intellectual Property Office issued the 21st China Patent Award (GuoZhFaYunZi [2020] No. 28).“A method for recycling aluminum alloys with target composition from scrap aluminum alloys” wonthe China Patent Silver Award. The patent was invented by the team of Professor Zhang Shengen and the Delta Aluminum Industry Co., Ltd.

In the last decade, Prof. Zhang Shengen’s team has been devoted to the research and development of green and high-value recycling technology of scrap aluminum alloys. They developedthe method to regenerate the target aluminum alloys from the scrap aluminum materials by pretreatment, green melting, online composition measurement and controlling processes. The team has obtained79 Chinese invention patents, 1 computer software copyright, 1 PCT patent, 2 US patents, 1 European patent and 1 Japanese patent,and presided or participated in the compilation of 26 national standards, 1 national military standard and 6 industry standards. Based on thiscore patent, thetechnology has realized industrialized application in the Delta Aluminum Industry Co., Ltd. And the company produced 134 kinds of cast and wrought aluminum alloys, all of which meet the requirements of the national standard.

This year’s competition received a record-breaking number of more than 2,400 patent entrants, who were recommended by national and local intellectual property departments, industry associations, and academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. After being evaluated by the China Patent Award Evaluation Committee and publicized by the public, altogether 30 China Patent Gold Awards, 10 Design Gold Awards, 58 Silver Awards, 15 Design Gold Awards,696 Excellence Awards and 60 Excellence Design Awards were granted.