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INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ON WATER SCIENCES AND RESEARCHThe Eco-Smart Waterworks SystemSoo Hong Noh, Centre for Eco-Smart Waterworks System, Yonsei UniversityThe global water shortage and uneven water supply anddemand problems are getting serious. According to aUN-Water analytical brief in 2013, one in six people worldwidedoes not have access to improved drinking water sources. 1Climate change dramatically affects water environments, causingincreases in frequent and heavy rainfall events, high turbidity inwater and algal blooms. In Korea, the concentrations of taste andodour-causing substances such as geosmin and 2-Methylisoborneol(2-MIB) in raw water have increased up to 1,000 nanograms perlitre (ng/L) during the summer season. Conventional drinkingwater treatment processes could not remove high turbidity or thetaste and odour-causing substances effectively. Climate change isan increasingly significant challenge in water supply.The Centre for Eco-Smart Waterworks System at YonseiUniversity was established in May 2011 and funded by theMinistry of Environment of Korea as a part of 10-year Global TopProject. 2 The centre has more than 50 academics and industrialpartners and an overall budget of US$72 million for five years.Its main goals are to:• develop advanced hybrid membrane water treatment systemsfor safe and sustainable water supply• develop total solution processes based on ET-IT-NT integratedtechnology covering the entire process from raw water intake towater treatment plant to the tap• promote the growth of global water companies.The global water market has rapidly expanded overrecent decades and is expected to grow even faster inthe coming years. The Korean Government has designatedwater business as a new growth engine and, likemany countries, has been building national strategiesfor promoting the water industry.The centre develops world-class membrane technology,a high-tech intelligent optimized water treatmentsystem, and a water treatment process optimized forexport markets. Its three main technologies for thedrinking water industry are:• fouling and chemical-resistant membrane moduleswith less energy consumption• hybrid membrane processes for the treatment ofdrinking water from various water sources• the Eco-Smart Waterworks System with a totalsolution based on ET-IT-NT technology.Korean engineering and construction companies haveextensive experience in the design and construction ofwaterworks systems in domestic and oversea markets.However, they have limited experience in the operationand maintenance of waterworks. The centre hassupported participating companies to obtain operationand maintenance experience with the cooperationof local governments such as Seoul and Daegu. ThisImages: Daewoo E&C (left); Hanwha E&C (right)Yeongdeungpo waterworks: the DIMS pressured membrane (left) and HTM submerged membrane (right)[ 311 ]