I am very please to encourage you to participate in the IWA NRR 2012, the IWA Nutrient Removal and Recovery 2012 Conference to be held in Harbin, China September 23-25, 2012. This is the next in a long line of highly valuable and successful conferences sponsored by the Nutrient Removal and Recovery Specialist Group, going back several decades. Nutrient removal is, of course, becoming the global norm for wastewater treatment, and this conference will highlight the latest developments. Nutrient recovery is emerging as the new paradigm which all state of the art researchers and practitioners must be up to speed on. This conference will address all aspects of these important topics and provide an opportunity for attendees to come fully up to speed with the latest developments. As many of you know, I have been deeply involved with nutrient control throughout most of my career and I can tell you how much I have enjoyed and benefitted from participating in this conference series. It certainly has been career-advancing for me, and I wish the same for you.

The timing and location for IWA NRR 2012 have been selected to make it easy for those who are interested to attend the IWA World Water Congress in Busan, Korea the previous week and NRR 2012 the following week. Harbin is a lovely venue, and I know that our colleagues there will go out of their way to ensure a wonderful experience for all who attend. This coupled with an outstanding technical program will make this a "not to miss" event for nutrient removal and recovery researchers and practitioners. This, coupled with Busan for those who can attend both events, will make for an unforgettable professional and personal experience. So, I strongly urge you to consider participating in this conference.

Glen T. Daigger, Ph.D., P.E., BCEE, NAE
President
International Water Association (IWA)

On behalf of the Organising Committee of IWA NR R 2012 and Harbin Institute of Technology, I sincerely and warmly welcome all participants to Harbin for such a specific conference in the cheerful season. Nowadays, the eutrophication of receiving waters has become a critical issue around the world, and new challenges are emerging in some fast developing countries that have huge population and/or large scale industry. Hence, we need feasible technologies and wider applications of NRR solutions. This conference will provide an excellent opportunity to bring together many distinguished researchers,engineers, policy makers and industry suppliers in related fields from around the world to share the latest NRR concepts and advanced technologies. In such a wonderful event, we can also experience current NRR case studies of system installations and upgrades, engage in discussions with policy and regulatory drivers, and explore the market potential for NRR technologies in developing countries. Harbin, with the name of “Ice City” and “Eastern Paris”, is one of the rare examples of coexistence of multiple cultures in China. We will offer our renowned hospitality to all water scientists,engineers, managers and administrators on September 23 – 25, 2012.

Professor Nanqi Ren
Chairman of organizing committee
Vice-President of Harbin Institute of Technology