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SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2021
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Greening efforts to drive
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A robust UF solution for
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Yonsan Engineering and
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to multi-island resort
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CONTENTS
19
24
CONTENTS
04 Editor’s Note
06 News
54 SWA Newsletter
63 What’s Next?
64 Advertisers’ Index
SINGAPORE FOCUS
11 Bringing ideas to live
14 PUB deploys UAVs for monitoring
underground tunnels
5 MINUTES WITH
15 Greening efforts to drive water
sustainability
19 Shaping the future water
treatment plant
22 Water treatment using
electrodeionization: Ultrapure
water for the beverage industry
24 Cloud-based apps mitigate water
management risk
ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT
26 Creating the Concorde of
rainwater harvesting projects
28 Stormwater management
2
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
38
49
61
IN THE FIELD
30 Plant modernisation with PC-based control
ensures futureproof water supply on Lake
Michigan
33 A robust UF solution for Xiaojihan Coal Mine
34 World Heritage Lord Howe sets example with
future-focused wastewater, recycling and
sustainability initiatives
38 Puron MP membranes improve performance of
boiler water pre-treatment
FOCUS
40 Yonsan Engineering and Danfoss supply SWRO
to multi-island resort complex in the Maldives
42 Optimising operational performance through
digitalisation
VIEWPOINT
46 IDE Water Technologies seals deal to develop
project for seawater desalination plant in
Mumbai
HOTSEAT
49 Connecting pressure measurement to
the future
50 First Line adds Evoline to product
portfolio
51 Pipe coupling: A sustainable solution
for wastewater treatment
52 Automatic bacterial contamination
monitoring – Impacts and possibilities
ON OUR RADAR
58 Tsurumi integrates IE3 motor to
submersible sewage pumps
59 ZWEEC revolutionises identification and
counting of planktonic algae
SNEAK PEEK
60 Indonesia Infrastructure Week returns
this November
SHOW REVIEW
61 SIWW2021: Co-creating water
solutions for the future
3
FROM THE EDITOR WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
Last month, Singapore experienced its wettest August in over 40 years. Flash floods were
recorded at some parts of the republic; the daily maximum temperature was below 34ºC
on most days, and the lowest daily minimum temperature recorded was 21.3ºC – quite a
dip for the sunny island known for its 365 days of summer.
BUILDING
BACK BETTER
PABLO SINGAPORE
William Pang • Publisher
williampang@pabloasia.com
Pang Yanrong • Senior Editor
yanrong@pabloasia.com
Josephine Tan • Editor
josephine@pabloasia.com
Pang YanJun • Business Development Manager
yanjun@pabloasia.com
Goh Meng Yong • Graphic Designer
mengyong@pabloasia.com
Shu Ai LIng • Circulation Manager
circulation@pabloasia.com
PABLO BEIJING
Ellen Gao • General Manager
pablobeijing@163.com
PABLO SHANGHAI
Kresly Shen • Editor
pabloshanghai@163.net
At the other parts of Asia, Taiwan plunged into its worst drought in 56 years earlier this
year, and saw water curbs being imposed to address the island’s water shortages. And
in the Chinese province of Henan in China, it was affected by severe flooding in July.
Recording-breaking maximum rainfall of 201.9 millilitres in an hour was observed in
Zhengzhou, the provincial capital, marking the heaviest rainfall the region witnessed in 60
years.
In the face of the changing climate, it is more important than ever to focus on
sustainability ambitions and accelerate green transformation plans.
In this issue, we speak with Janda Campos, group director, sustainability engagement,
Grundfos, who highlights the efforts required to green the whole supply chain while
driving water and energy efficiencies. She said: “Water is a crucial pillar that needs to be
addressed urgently for us to truly achieve global sustainability. It is a scarce and rapidly
depleting resource that touches every aspect of our lives and livelihoods, and beyond that
it is intrinsically linked to our energy use, as it requires a tremendous amount of energy to
treat and transport water.” Read the full interview with Campos on page 15.
On use cases, Danfoss supplied its Danfoss APP pumps and iSave energy recovery
devices to Yonsan Engineering, which was the contractor for four seawater reverse
osmosis plants at a resort in Maldives. The engineers designed a four-train plant, with
Each 500m 3 /day train built around an APP 22 and an iSave 40. To find out more about the
project, flip to page 40.
Water is fundamental to life. And as our lives returns to more normality, it is, perhaps, time
to revisit the track on making the planet more liveable and sustainable for generations to
come.
Cheers,
Pang Yanrong
let's connect!
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Water & Wastewater Asia
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of Singapore Water Association
4
NEWS
VEOLIA WATER TECHNOLOGIES
SETS UP NEW FACILITY IN
MIDDLE EAST
Veolia Water Technologies has
continued its investment in its mobile
water services offering through the
development and construction of
a new regeneration and recycling
service centre and mobile assets in
Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The facility
will regenerate and recycle the resins
used in the mobile water treatment
process, a key sector of activity for
Veolia.
The new Dammam service centre
marks another key expansion of the
company’s mobile water services,
and demonstrates its commitment
to invest to support its Impact
2023 strategy. The location will
grant access to regional industrial
manufacturing, supporting customer
operations throughout the Kingdom
as well as Qatar, Oman, Kuwait,
Bahrain and Egypt, providing them
with support through local access to
this service.
Besides the regeneration capability,
the centre will be equipped to
maintain, service and store all Veolia’s
mobile water services assets, spare
parts and consumables. A team of
people dedicated to this service will
organise, deliver, regenerate and
support these activities.
The company has also invested in
its Malaysian regeneration station to
expand its capability from a service
ion-exchange recycling business
to being able to offer Veolia’s full
ion-exchange range of mobile
water services. Located in Penang,
the service centre will be able to
support and help its customers within
Asia-Pacific region, starting with
Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. The
expansion is planned to be available at
the end of 2021.
Veolia Water
Technologies will
enhance its mobile
water services
with investment in
regeneration facility
and new mobile
assets to cover the
Middle East and Gulf
region
NX FILTRATION SUPPLIES NANOFILTRATION MEMBRANES FOR
WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT IN INDIA
Aquarius H2O Dynamics has selected
NX Filtration to supply its hollow
fibre direct nanofiltration (dNF)
membranes for wastewater treatment
at the common effluent treatment
plant (CETP) in Jetpur in the Gujarat
province of India. This marks NX
Filtration’s second project for Aquarius
H2O Dynamics this year.
The system, based on 102 dNF40
membrane modules of NX Filtration,
will be used for the recovery of
caustic from the water intensive
textile industries at Jetpur. Caustic is
used for the purification of cellulosic
fibres, removing hemicellulose and
other impurities from the fibres, and
for higher quality dyeing and printing
operations.
Sandip Patel, managing director
of Aquarius H2O Dynamics,
commented: “Earlier this year we
piloted with NX Filtration’s hollow
fibre nanofiltration membranes for
various applications and already
integrated their membranes for the
industrial reuse of wastewater at
the KKCL denim jeans company.
This new application, for the
municipal recovery of caustic,
marks an important step for the
future of wastewater treatment in
India.”
The membrane filtration system will
enable CETP in Jetpur to recover
caustic from its wastewater streams
for reuse in the textile industry.
This not only saves spending on
caustic for the textile industry, it also
reduces treatment cost of caustic
wastewater and ensures compliance
with increasingly stringent discharge
regulations.
Manish Ghogle, sales manager
of NX Filtration in India, added:
“We are proud of this further
development of our relationship
with Aquarius H2O Dynamics. Our
hollow fibre dNF membranes enable
this simple and sustainable process
of reusing wastewater. Compared
to traditional wastewater treatment
methods, we reduce the number
of filtration steps, avoid the use of
chemicals in the pre-treatment of
the wastewater and significantly
reduce energy use.”
Current common
effluent treatment
plant in Jetpur, India,
that will be extended
with NX Filtration’s
direct nanofiltration
membranes
6
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
DE NORA COMPLETES ONE OF THE
WORLD’S LARGEST PRODUCED
WATER RECYCLING PROJECTS
De Nora has completed phase one of its
Delaware Basin Wastewater Recycling
Project, achieving produced water rates
exceeding 140,000 barrels per day –
recording a total of more than 5 million
barrels over a 30-day period.
Alex Gonzalez, president of De Nora
Neptune, said: “Understanding the various
challenges we face as an industry and
society as a whole, including water scarcity
and increased seismic activity, we prioritise
providing our customers with ESG-friendly
services that integrate seamlessly with
existing operations. Our method enables
the greenest, safest, and most efficient
approach to produced water recycling for
use into hydraulic fracturing.”
The project, which began in May,
established four ClorTec mobile treatment
units along a network of simultaneous
fracturing systems. The modular setup
gives producers the ability to target
areas of concern at any point in the
upstream or midstream water utilisation
cycle, tapping into existing pipelines or
feeding directly off saltwater disposal
(SWD) wells. This reduces the reliance on
freshwater for planned fracturing activity,
while also eliminating the emissions
traditionally required for the transport of
water to site – two challenges faced in
the energy sector.
De Nora’s electro-chlorination process
is effective at killing bacteria populations
without the use of hazardous chemicals,
enhancing the safety for workers on site,
as well as the surrounding environment
and ecosystem. Solar salt, used in De
Nora’s solution in place of complex
chemicals, is sourced responsibly
through renewable wind and solar
processes and greatly reduces trailer
traffic compared to chemicals and water
transport, supporting the company’s
commitment to offsetting carbon
emissions without compromising cost or
effectiveness.
Brian Mueller, consultant at B2K2
Consulting, concluded: “The EPA estimates
annual water usage for hydraulic fracking
to be as high as 140 billion gallons. This
project recently completed by De Nora
Neptune and their partners proves that a
drastic reduction in water supply use in
this figure is achievable. In addition to the
environmental impact of using dwindling
freshwater supplies, there is also a steep
economic cost; the technology used in the
project provides both sustainability and
financial benefits to the market, and leaves
freshwater supplies available for other
community use.”
OXFORD FLOW ANNOUNCES NEW INVESTMENT TO SPUR
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT
Oxford Flow, the flow control equipment provider
for energy, water and industrial process
industries, has received investment from GF
Piping Systems into its subsidiary OFUI.
This announcement follows the company
achieving major business milestones over
the last 18 months, since GF Piping Systems’
initial investment into OFUI in March last year.
Key milestones included broadening market
acceptance of the innovative pressure control
technology and refining new manufacturing
processes. Additionally, OFUI’s intellectual
property portfolio has been further bolstered
by patents in Europe and the USA.
Jens Frisenborg, head of BU industry at GF
Piping Systems said: “We are pleased with
the success of the first 18 months of our
partnership with OFUI. The further investment
will help propel the pressure regulating
valve (PRV) technology forward even further,
addressing a key customer requirement as
we strive to solve water loss for life within
water distribution networks. The speed of
innovation and the specialist engineering
capabilities that the combined GF Piping
Systems and Oxford Flow teams bring to
the market, ensures we can support water
utilities around the world to help reduce nonrevenue
water.”
The investment will drive the expansion of
OFUI’s operations globally as well as focus
on product development. For instance, the
company has been advancing its portfolio
of intelligent technology and developing its
first intelligent valve. This innovation will
enable water networks to remotely track
and visualise data, such as pressure and
water quality, and provide real-time control
and automation. These technologies
allow network operators to optimise and
control performance without using mains
electricity.
Neil Poxon, CEO at Oxford Flow concluded:
“With 46 billion litres of drinking water lost
every day through leakage, our technology
coupled with GF’s manufacturing capabilities
can drastically help reduce non-revenue
water from operators’ distribution networks,
meaning more water can get to those who
need it.”
7
NEWS
GRUNDFOS LAUNCHES SCALA1 IN MALAYSIA
Grundfos has announced the launch of
SCALA1 in Malaysia, a water booster
pump that offers intelligent connectivity,
allowing control over home water
systems right from the smartphone.
As the latest edition to Grundfos’
SCALA range of integrated water
booster pumps, SCALA1 is an allin-one
solution that is designed for
pressure boosting in domestic and
light commercial applications, such as
garden irrigation or pressure boosting
in one- and two-family houses and
apartments. In line with the SCALA
range which achieves optimal pressure
boosting for water on demand through
intelligent pump control, SCALA1 is
an all-in-one unit, integrating pump,
motor, diaphragm tank, pressure and
flow sensor, dry-running protection,
controller, and non-return valve.
SCALA1 comes with a built-in two-way
communication system, allowing users
to track their water system anytime
when in range. The Bluetooth-enabled
solution allows users to monitor, control,
and schedule water use from their
smartphone with the intuitive Grundfos
GO REMOTE app, which is available
for both iOS and Android operating
systems.
The Grundfos GO REMOTE app alerts
the user via a series of alarms that
indicate issues such as leakages, dryrun,
or when a pump has exceeded its
maximum runtime. Users can easily
access pump diagnostics, create and
e-mail reports onsite from the app. The
app also includes a calendar function
designed for boosting in homes and
gardens.
Giancarlo Roggiolani, regional sales for
director domestic building services –
Asia-Pacific and China, Grundfos, said:
“Water plays a crucial role in how we
enjoy our homes, and yet low or varying
water pressure continues to be a
disruptive issue for many households.
Technology like SCALA1 holds
great potential for turning a house
into a smart home, through greater
connectivity and intuitively responding
to our needs.
“The launch of SCALA1 will mean
homeowners can control and
customise their water supply
experience with ease via the app and
achieve optimal pressure boosting
all while conserving energy and
water without sacrificing comfort or
convenience.”
Grundfos SCALA1
WORLD WATER WEEK OPENS WITH CALL FOR URGENT ACTION
Thirty years after it was initiated, the
World Water Week 2021 has been
redesigned for maximum impact. The
conference took place from 23-27
Aug 2021 as an online event on the
theme Building Resilience Faster.
He said: “Freshwater must be
integrated within the climate agenda.
We must first meet the Sustainable
Development Goals by 2030, but
then transform towards a safer
future within planetary boundaries.”
investments that we are asking for
now.”
In a keynote, Professor Johan
Rockström from the Potsdam
Institute for Climate Impact
Research, described how humans
are “dangerously altering” Earth’s
life support systems. One example
is how freshwater is impacted by
the change humans are causing in
climate and biodiversity. Rockström
and his team have identified
freshwater as one of the nine
planetary boundaries that should not
be crossed.
The world, however, is not on track
to achieve Sustainable Development
Goals, warned Amina Mohammed,
deputy secretary-general of the
United Nations during an interview
at the opening ceremony. She noted:
“Before COVID-19, we were off track
and after COVID-19, even more so.
But the recovery could get us back
on track. There is a silver lining
there. There are things that we can
scale up, there are things that we
can put more at the centre of the
Torgny Holmgren (left), executive director of SIWI, and Henrika
Thomasson, head of World Water Week, speaking with Alok Jha,
science correspondent from The Economist and presenter of the
Opening Plenary
8
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
SOFREL ChlorIN
A COMPLETE & RELIABLE
SOLUTION FOR
CHLORINE
MEASUREMENT
Mohammed bin Rashid approves six new development projects in Hatta
DUBAI TO BUILD SIX NEW
DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
IN HATTA
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice
President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai,
has approved a number of designs for new tourism projects as
part of the comprehensive development plan for Hatta region.
The list of projects includes the Dubai Mountain Peak, Hatta
Sustainable Waterfalls, as well as 200 holiday homes to be
established by Hatta residents.
These projects will play a pivotal role in promoting domestic
tourism and the environmental sustainability of the region by
highlighting the importance of preserving the environment,
benefiting from renewable energy sources and enhancing the
quality of life for community members.
Implemented by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority
(DEWA) along other tourism projects, the Dubai Mountain
Peak and Hatta Sustainable Waterfalls projects are aimed at
supporting endeavours on the development of Hatta region.
Particularly for the Dubai Mountain Peak project, it will include
the establishment of a 5.4km-long chairlifts to transport
tourists from the Hatta Dam area to the summit Jebel Umm Al
Nisour at an altitude up to 1,300m above sea level.
The project will constitute an important addition to the UAE’s
portfolio of tourist attractions, noting that the chairlifts route
will pass over the Hatta Dam Lake and the upper dam lake of
the hydroelectric power station project implemented by DEWA
in Hatta, passing through the mountain range until it reaches
the Jebel Umm Al Nisour peak.
The Hatta Sustainable Waterfalls project will take advantage of
Hatta dam slope as a natural waterfall, creating a water stream
below the dam so that this water can be collected, recycled
at the end of the stream and then pumped towards the upper
parts of the slope. The project will also include introducing
aqua life into the water stream with new fish species that will
attract families and children in particular.
MANY ADVANTAGES
• Remote monitoring of free chlorine values
• Immediate alarm notification on any
threshold breach
• Critical & strategic points
monitoring
• Direct pipe installation
under pressure without
service interruption
• Pressure & quality service
measurements
• Stand-alone solution with
no external power source
• Access chlorine data via
SCADA or Cloud server
Waterproof & battery
powered data logger
Accurate
chlorine sensor
Pressure sensor
connection
Mounting kit for
DN60 to 300 pipes
LACROIX Singapore
25 Bukit Batok Crescent, #08-06, The Elitist - Singapore
Tel.: +65 6957 7131 - E-mail: info.sg@lacroix-sofrel.com
www.lacroix-environment.com
9
NEWS WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
ADB AND TIMOR-LESTE SIGN US$47M LOAN TO
PROVIDE WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION SERVICES
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and
the Government of Timor-Leste have signed
a US$47 million loan to help provide safe,
reliable, and affordable water supply and
sanitation services to about 62,000 people
living in Lospalos, Viqueque, and Same.
The Water Supply and Sanitation Investment
Project will finance the construction of new
facilities for water supply and sanitation
services, including 14 water reservoirs and
seven water treatment plants. It will also help
rehabilitate and expand 130km of the area’s
water distribution network, install water
meters for 10,000 households, and build 12
public toilets and three septage treatment
facilities.
Sunil Mitra, country director for Timor-Leste
for ADB, said: “A growing population is
putting pressure on existing water sources
and supply services in the three cities,
which are operating beyond capacity. The
project will make the cities more liveable by
building infrastructure to provide safe water
and sanitation services, and strengthening
governance and institutional capacity.
The project will also help reduce poverty
and inequality by installing free water
connections for women, the poor, and
vulnerable groups.”
The project will be co-financed by a $3
million grant from the Global Environmental
Facility, which ADB will administer. The
grant will finance the purchase of water
meters, control systems, and other
equipment, as well as consulting services
aimed to strengthened the project’s climate
resilience.
Timor-Leste’s urban population has increased
4.2% every year since 2008. Only 34% of
urban residents had access to a piped water
supply network as of 2015, and the water
supply remains unreliable.
The project will help the Ministry of Public
Works, the Municipal Water, Sanitation,
and Environmental Services, and the new
state-owned water utility Bee Timor-Leste
(BTL) plan, deliver, operate, and maintain
the country’s water supply and sanitation
infrastructure in the long run. It will create
a socially and gender-inclusive institutional
development road map to guide the transfer
of urban water supply and sanitation services
to BTL. The project will enhance women’s
participation in the water sector by providing
training and developing a customer-service
feedback mechanism.
BLACK & VEATCH PROVIDES PRELIMINARY DESIGN OF POTABLE
WATER CONVEYANCE SYSTEM IN SOUTHERN NEVADA
Black & Veatch has been selected by
the Southern Nevada Water Authority
(SNWA) to perform preliminary
and final design services for the
Horizon Lateral, a US$1.6 billion
water conveyance system that will
strengthen water delivery service for
its customers.
The system is expected to include
approximately 27 miles of pipeline
between 72-120 inches in diameter,
and approximately seven miles of
tunnelling through hard rock and
soft ground. There also will be
two large-scale pumping stations,
multiple rate-of-flow control facilities,
interconnections with existing
transmission laterals, and new
reservoir storage with a total capacity
of 40-100 million gallons.
As a wholesaler comprised of
seven local water and wastewater
agencies, SNWA provides treatment
and delivery services and manages
long-term water resources for
more than 2.3 million residents
in southern Nevada. The Horizon
Lateral is dubbed the “largest”
project proposed in SNWA’s
2020 Major Construction and
Capital Plan. It will provide system
redundancy and ensure continued,
reliable service to nearly one million
existing customers in the city of
Henderson and southern region of
the Las Vegas Valley.
Jim Morley, project manager at
Black & Veatch, said: “Constructing
infrastructure of this magnitude in
a growing, highly urbanised area
like the Las Vegas Valley is extremely
challenging. We are also aware of
the need to protect surrounding
sensitive environmental habitats and
conserved lands.”
Morley noted that the design team
is advancing the preferred alignment
and an alternative alignment through
preliminary design unit such time as
the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) Record of Decision (ROD) is
complete. Services provided for both
alignments include cost-risk analysis,
hydraulic-optimisation, environmental
assessments, and construction
packages and deliver assessment.
The planned in-service completion
data for the project is around
2030.
10
SINGAPORE FOCUS
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
BRINGING
ideas to live
There are many ways to turn ideas into reality,
but what does it take to make it a functioning
business case? Water & Wastewater Asia
speaks with PUB’s senior assistant director
Winnie Tan, and senior manager Wong Xin
Wei, who shed more insights into PUB’s
commercialisation programme to address the
challenges today’s water start-ups are facing.
As Singapore’s national water agency,
targeted at growth-stage start-ups
PUB has been leveraging technologies
to overcome the republic’s natural
water constraints. The agency
constantly invests in water research,
and small and medium enterprises
(SMEs). Furthermore, it is also part
of the range of initiatives at the
Singapore Water Exchange (SgWX)
structured lessons with dedicated
mentorship to help the start-ups
develop new capabilities.
(From left) Wong Xin
Wei, senior manager;
and Winnie Tan,
senior assistant
director, PUB
and grows its water technologies
to help water companies collaborate
The commercialisation programme
through collaborations with universities
and co-innovate, so as to build a
culminated in a Demo Day at the
and private companies to develop new
global marketplace of innovative water
recently concluded Singapore
solutions that can support its mission
companies.
International Water Week (SIWW)
of supplying good water, reclaiming
Online 2021. It was attended by
used water, taming stormwater, and
Elaborating on the purpose of the
a range of participants, including
resisting rising seas.
commercialisation programme,
investors and global water utilities.
Winnie Tan, senior assistant director
To enhance the commercialisation
at PUB, told Water & Wastewater Asia
Wong Xin Wei, senior manager at PUB,
outcomes of promising locally-
that it hopes to help water start-ups
said: “We hope that these starts-ups
developed technologies and in
in Singapore “hone their business
will continue to grow not only within
line with Research, Innovation and
model, sales and marketing strategies,
Singapore through their product trials
Enterprise (RIE) 2025’s focus on
pitching skills”, and to impart to these
and validation with PUB, but also
translation and commercialisation,
start-ups the knowledge, frameworks
access new markets in the Asia-Pacific
PUB kick-started a pilot
and tools needed to grow their
region and beyond.”
commercialisation programme in
collaboration with 500 Startups, a
US-based accelerator and global
business and access new partners or
markets.
FROM INNOVATION TO
COMMERCIALISATION
venture capital firm.
Tan emphasised that the start-ups that
In Tan’s perspective, transforming new
participated in this programme have
ideas into technologies and ultimately
The commercialisation programme
innovative technologies that are “key
commercially viable products requires
is aimed at supporting start-ups
to Singapore’s water management”.
several factors. She explained: “Firstly,
by building their capabilities and
Furthermore, PUB plays an active part
water start-up founders are very
accelerating their growth, and is
in the programme curation to blend
technically competent individuals. They
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SINGAPORE FOCUS
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
A total of six companies – Century Water, 3E Memtech, H2MO, NM3 Tech, Aerolion, and
Aquaporin – participated in the commercialisation programme
have a great understanding of the
technologies but may not be very
business savvy or good at pitching
their products. Many founders
lack the necessary business skills
and knowledge to build a viable
business.
“Secondly, water start-ups need a
first adopter for their technologies, to
gradually build a track record, which
will in turn open up more deployment
opportunities. Once this is achieved,
they need to expand the market and
find more customers, so that the
business can grow.
“Thirdly, water start-ups need funds
to develop prototypes and scale up
manufacturing. Most investors in the
market require start-ups to have a
track record, or a steady projection
of future revenue. However, what
start-ups need is seed capital.”
out of an existing problem, it will face
difficulties in looking for a use case
or a customer.”
TRIAL AND ADOPTION
A total of six companies –
Century Water, 3E Memtech,
H2MO, NM3 Tech, Aerolion, and
Aquaporin – participated in the
commercialisation programme.
Some solutions developed by these
companies include hollow-fibre
nanofiltration (NF) membranes from
Century Water and 3E Memtech,
water quality monitoring sensors
from NM3 Tech, Aerolion’s drones
for tunnel inspection, and water
purification membranes enhanced
with catalysts from Aquaporin and
H2MO for higher flux.
Many of these solutions are currently
being trialled or have already
achieved a first deployment with
PUB, Wong revealed. For instance,
PUB has an ongoing 100m 3 /d
NF pilot at the Tuas R&D facility
with Century Water; and another
ongoing contract with Aerolion for
closed drain inspection, which is
currently conducting trials to do
surveillance of PUB’s Deep Tunnel
Sewerage System. PUB also
intends to purchase some units of
NM3 Tech’s water quality sensors,
following the completion of the trial.
“PUB manages the entire
water loop. Hence, there are
opportunities for companies to test
their solutions throughout the water
cycle,” Wong concluded. “The trial
and adoption of these innovative
solutions serves to continuously
improve our operational excellence
and help to enhance our water
security through increasing water
resources, managing water quality,
and keeping costs competitive in
the long term.”
Tan is confident that this pilot
programme will help to provide an
independent third-party assessment
on the strengths and weaknesses of
some of these start-ups, and help
them chart the way forward.
“In our opinion, a water
innovation is a good candidate
for commercialisation when it
addresses an existing problem,” she
said. “If the innovation is not borne
In our opinion, a water
innovation is a good candidate
for commercialisation when it
addresses an existing problem.
Winnie Tan
Senior Assistant Director at PUB
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SINGAPORE FOCUS
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
PUB DEPLOYS UAVS FOR
monitoring underground tunnels
Wang Fei, CEO of Aerolion Technologies, shares more with Water & Wastewater Asia
on the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS) project, where unmanned aerial
vehicles are being deployed to conduct regular maintenance and inspection.
Dubbed the “superhighway” for the future
management of used water, Singapore’s
Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS) is
a solution conceived by PUB, Singapore’s
national water agency to meet the republic’s
long-term needs for used water collection,
treatment, reclamation, and disposal.
When it comes to inspection and
maintenance of the protection lining inside
the deep tunnel sewers, PUB worked with
Aerolion Technologies, a drone inspection
and survey provider in Singapore, to carry
out inspections using a miniature unmanned
aerial vehicle (UAV) system to capture highresolution
images of the tunnel’s internal wall.
According to Wang, the UAV solution can
complete 2km of inspection in one flight, and
can be further extended with better battery
technology and electronics miniaturisation in
the future. Other features of the UAV include
a 360-degree 4K/Ultra HD (UHD) camera to
provide all around footages, and a highpower
on-board LED to illuminate low-light
spaces.
Aerolion Technologies has also equipped the
UAV with a launch and retrieval mechanism
for deployment from ground level, footage
and telemetry functions for live feed
transmission to the ground, and Lidar and
Stero camera slam integrated with artificial
intelligence (AI) for obstacle avoidance.
“In the long term, other sensors can be
mounted on the same UAV for more detailed
scan or for more specific inspection
purposes,” Wang concluded. “Over the time,
when the collected visual data and other data
are accumulated, and with domain experts’
analysis and comments, a data analytics AI
model can be trained to improve efficiency,
accuracy, and coverage of the defect
detection and analysis process.”
Wang Fei, CEO of Aerolion Technologies,
shared an overview of the DTSS project with
Water & Wastewater Asia, and said: “After a
decade of usage, Singapore’s DTSS Phase
1 needs regular inspection for preventive
maintenance purposes. So far, there is no
mature solution for such a requirement
because of the extreme DTSS environmental
factors, namely total darkness, long shaftto-shaft
distance, no localisation reference,
slippery wall and fast flowing water with
varying water level.
“Launching into DTSS a miniature UAV
with inspection sensors is one of the best
solutions as it prevents human operators
to enter a hazardous environment, and the
UAV will not directly contact tunnel wall or
be affected by the fast-flowing water during
operation.
Drones at work in deep tunnels
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5 MINS WITH WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
GREENING EFFORTS
to drive water sustainability
Being environmentally sustainable goes beyond premises and manufacturing
plants, and requires efforts to green the whole supply chain. Janda Campos,
group director, sustainability engagement, Grundfos, shares more with Water
& Wastewater Asia on how the company has been driving water and energy
efficiencies, as well as improving water access globally.
What are the factors
that contribute to water
sustainability, and why is
sustainable water management
critical for cities and water
utilities?
Janda Campos: Water
sustainability calls for industries,
utilities, and communities to use
water wisely. This means using
our water resources efficiently, as
well as understanding how we get
the most out of our water through
treatment and reuse.
This is important because water
is a crucial pillar that needs to be
addressed urgently for us to truly
achieve global sustainability. It
is a scarce and rapidly depleting
resource that touches every aspect
of our lives and livelihood, and
beyond that it is intrinsically linked
to our energy use, as it requires a
tremendous amount of energy to
treat and transport water.
Photo credit: master1305
Sustainable water management
is critical, as the world sees rapid
urbanisation and industrialisation,
water demand will only continue
to increase at an exponential
rate. For Grundfos, we provide
sustainable water services every
day everywhere, from providing
drinking water for the smallest
15
5 MINS WITH
village to treating wastewater and
bringing heat – or cooling – to
skyscrapers in megacities, which
is why Grundfos has set a target of
empowering its end-users to save
50 billion cubic metres of water by
2030 through water efficiency and
water reuse.
What are some of the water
reuse methods that will
support a circular economy?
More crucially, what are the
challenges involved, and how
is Grundfos helping utilities to
address them?
Campos: A key way to support
a circular economy is reusing
industrial wastewater in industries.
Notably, industry is one of the key
areas accounting for a significant
part of the world’s freshwater
usage. As industrialisation
continues, the global water deficit
will inevitably widen. By treating
used water back to a usable
quality and then feeding it back
into the company’s water cycle, its
operations will essentially be closer
to moving away from its reliance on
one-time use, and shifting towards
a more sustainable method of
handling water.
We do this by building on the
foundation we already have –
holistic solutions that improves
efficiencies by going beyond the
performance of individual pumps.
Through the pumps that we sold
in 2020, we have enabled our
end-users to reuse over 1.5 billion
cubic metres water per year, which
is the equivalent of approximately
600,000 Olympic-sized pools.
For example, our solutions are
used by the water-intensive
brewing industry to help reuse the
wastewater from cleaning during
the brewing process.
Cooling towers, as an important
but water-intensive part of
many industrial processes and
temperature-control systems, can
also drastically benefit from water
reuse. About 30% of the water
used is lost to evaporation, drip
loss, leakage, and discharge, and
the amount of water lost in these
towers can be cut by one-fifth
through reuse.
One challenge specific to
reusing cooling tower water is
the growth of algae, which can
impair the system’s efficiency
Cooling towers,
despite being waterintensive,
can benefit
from water reuse
16
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
and pose health risks. To address
this, Grundfos’ dosing and
disinfecting offerings can minimise
and support our customers
in terms of compliance and
water conservation, and we are
constantly exploring new ways
to do this more intelligently and
efficiently.
In 2020, we introduced the
Grundfos Smart Filtration Suite
(SFS), which through real-time
analytics, optimises filtration
systems to operate in the most
cost-effective and sustainable way,
providing savings on water, energy
and chemicals and ensuring
reduced downtime of filtration
systems in wastewater treatment
facilities. A municipal water work
in Sweden is using an ultrafiltration
system for drinking water
production from surface water. By
extending the membrane chemical
cleaning interval with SFS, the
direct water savings potential of
4,334m 3 /year was achieved, with
the possibility to further increase
the savings.
Another challenge is that water
treatment and reuse can be an
energy-intensive process. In the
case of leveraging water reuse,
ensuring energy efficiency across
the entire system is more crucial
than ever. To address this, we
believe that the key to maximise
efficiency is optimising the whole
pump system, and not only the
pumps. Grundfos’ iSOLUTIONS
range, which includes digital
dosing and disinfecting solutions,
optimises water and energy
efficiency across the entire
system by leveraging connectivity,
intelligent monitoring, and
adjustment features.
Can you elaborate the reasons
for Grundfos to roll out its
sustainability initiatives, and
what are the key takeaways the
company have picked up so far?
Campos: Sustainability is at the
heart of Grundfos’ entire value
chain, and we believe that everyone
needs to play an active role and
join in a concerted, ambitious
effort to build a net-zero carbon
economy. In active collaboration
with our customers, suppliers, and
other partners, we are constantly
striving to find new, innovative, and
sustainable solutions. We have
been focused on working towards
our Strategy 2025 ambitions, which
includes halving our own water
withdrawal and CO2 emissions
by 2025, compared to the 2008
baseline.
One of our learnings was the need
to prioritise reducing our overall
footprint, including our end-users’
emissions while using our own
products and solutions. We have
also worked with internal and
external stakeholders to further
our ambition of contributing to
safely managed drinking water.
We have become wiser in how
we can define contribution in a
meaningful way, and what our main
contributors are.
In 2020, notably, we worked to fully
understand our impact throughout
the value chain and started several
key initiatives to address the issues
we identified. With regards to
reducing our CO2 emissions within
our operations, we have drafted
a clear roadmap towards 2025,
and are confident we will attain
our goals. We are both investing
heavily in energy efficiency and
gearing up to shift our entire energy
consumption to renewable sources
by 2030. This will continue to be a
focus for us in the coming years.
We have been working with external
advisors to assess CO2 emissions
throughout our entire value chain.
We established the Green Supply
Chain Management Programme.
This is a cross-functional initiative
within the four workstreams –
logistics, packaging, purchasing
and global manufacturing
– collaborating to reduce our
upstream climate impact.
To ensure we work systematically
with sustainability all through our
value chain, including the very early
design phase of our products, we
also integrated the Sustainable
Product Solutions (SPS) Toolbox,
an internally developed ecodesign
tool, into our strategic
planning, frontloading and product
development processes starting
in 2018. The SPS Toolbox aims
to help us set specific targets for
reducing the impact of our products
throughout their lifecycle, and it
is now mandatory for all product
development projects to work with
the SPS Toolbox.
Most importantly, we identified
that 98% of our CO2 emissions
can be attributed to downstream
activities, particularly the use
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5 MINS WITH WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
Photo credit: Vivek Doshi
phase of our products and solutions.
This confirms that the best way we
can help with climate change is to
forge ahead with increasing the
energy efficiency of our products
and solutions, and developing digital
solutions. We invested 4.5% of our
turnover in 2020 in new products,
and constantly explored the benefits
of new technology to enhance our
products’ performance and raise
efficiency levels.
With less than a decade left on
the Agenda 2030 Sustainable
Development Goals, how is
Grundfos, as a global pump
manufacturer, accelerating its
efforts to ensure the goals are met?
Campos: The water industry as a
whole has made significant progress,
but there is still a lot of work to be
done urgently over the next decade.
Former United Nations (UN) Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon notes that
the next 10 years will be crucially
important for global leaders to work
on the UN Sustainable Development
Goals, and this has been the driving
force behind the UN’s decision to
launch the Decade on Ecosystem
Restoration to counter ‘triple
environmental emergency’.
It [Water] is a scarce and rapidly depleting
resource that touches every aspect of our
lives and livelihood, and beyond that it is
intrinsically linked to our energy use, as it
requires a tremendous amount of energy
to treat and transport water.
Janda Campos
Group Director, Sustainability Engagement, Grundfos
This was why we have aligned
with Agenda 2030 with our own
ambitious 2030 goals – to save 50
billion cubic metres of fresh water
through water efficiency and water
treatment, as well as being “climate
positive”. We will also look towards
contributing to providing safely
managed drinking water to 300
million people in need by 2030.
How we look to achieve this,
as well as supporting the wider
water industry in becoming more
sustainable, is to continue driving
the use of digital technology and
artificial intelligence (AI) in remote
sensing, asset management,
predictive analytics and more to
improve efficiency, sustainability
and to save costs.
Strategic partnership will also
play a key role in accelerating our
sustainability efforts, sharing and
building on each other’s industry
knowledge and expertise to move
the industry forward. We will
continue strengthening our existing
partnerships and seeking out new
ones.
Notably, we signed a long-term
strategic partnership agreement
with data analytics company Augury
to develop smart diagnostics
solutions and services. The
combination of Augury’s AI
solutions and our deep applications
knowledge has the potential to
change water delivery and services
as we know them. We have been
working together for several years
testing new products and service
offerings, such as the Grundfos
Machine Health, across several
markets and industries. Meanwhile,
our partnership with Siemens, a
smart city enabler, focuses on
solutions for water and energy
efficiency problems within smart
buildings, smart industry and smart
water networks.
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5 MINS WITH WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
SHAPING THE FUTURE
water treatment plant
Engineering design and consultancy company Binnies Singapore has
been awarded the tender to reconstruct Choa Chu Kang Waterworks, one
of Singapore’s oldest water treatment plants. William Yong, managing
director of Binnies Singapore, shares more with Water & Wastewater
Asia on the technologies that will be installed for this project, and how
digitalisation will transform future water plants.
Choa Chu Kang Waterworks
(CCKWW), one of Singapore’s
oldest water treatment plants, will be
undergoing reconstruction and be
transformed into a water treatment
facility equipped with the latest
water treatment technologies and
smart capabilities to enhance its
operations, maintenance, safety and
security when completed in 2026.
The reconstruction project has been
awarded to Binnies Singapore,
an RSK Group company, by PUB,
Singapore’s national water agency.
Under the agreement, the former will
provide detailed design, construction
supervision and commissioning of
CCKWW reconstruction project for
the next five years.
Speaking with Water & Wastewater
Asia, William Yong, managing
director of Binnies Singapore, said
that the CCKWW reconstruction
project will provide PUB with a
“blueprint for future water plants”
that adopt innovative digital
technology in their operations
and maintenance. The key areas
of focus include automation in
chemical handling and preparation
using robotics to eliminate manual
intervention, as well as remote
monitoring and early fault prediction
of equipment operation.
One such solution that will be adopted
in its operations and maintenance
is the integration of cameras with
video analytics headsets that allow
for remote supervision, and wearable
devices with geofencing and health
monitoring functions via a structural
digital twin to improve operational
reliability, safety and security of the
plant.
“The technologies to be implemented
and installed in CCKWW will be
discussed at the start of the project
collectively with the plant operators
and project team at PUB to devise the
most appropriate design and control
philosophy that will meet PUB’s intent
to transform CCKWW into their most
advanced water treatment works
facility,” Yong said. “As the first of
its kind, the completed CCKWW will
change the landscape for our water
industry locally and beyond, into the
Asia region.”
CCKWW currently
hosts one of the
world’s largest
ceramic membrane
system (Photo credit:
PUB, Singapore’s
national water
agency)
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5 MINS WITH
developments in digital technology that
assists them in improving their operations in
an effective and sustainable manner.
Photo: Keppel Infrastructure
And as urbanisation continues around the
world, the demand for water sources will
increase. Hence, Binnies introduced the
Helix digital platform which, in combination
with third-party software applications
and artificial intelligence (AI), provides
businesses to maximise productivity and
improve customer benefits while further
enhancing the sustainability of their water
systems.
CCKWW is an 80 million gallon per day water
treatment plant that treats raw water from the
Western Catchment Reservoirs into potable
water, and currently hosts one of the world’s
largest ceramic membrane system. When
upgraded, the plant will be equipped with new
water treatment technologies and equipment
such as high-rate clarifiers, an advanced
membrane filtration system, as well as an
automated chemical preparation and dosing
system, replacing the existing equipment and
buildings constructed before 1981.
Parts of the water treatment plant were
upgraded in 2019 with advanced water
treatment processes such as ceramic
membranes and an ozonation-biological
activated carbon filtration system. These
upgraded infrastructures will not be affected
by the upcoming reconstruction.
PUB envisions the reconstructed CCKWW
to be an integrated and automated plant
with advanced process control capabilities
to optimise plant performance, achieving an
efficient resource footprint while ensuring
and safeguarding water quality. Process
digital twin will be incorporated to mirror the
performance of the entire plant and provide
water quality predictions, serving as a
decision support tool to enhance operational
effectiveness while doubling up as a training
simulator to continuously upskill operators.
Furthermore, new rooftop solar panels will
also be added to the existing 1mW peak
system, to power its operational needs and
reduce its carbon footprint.
Water management is a critical component
in building smart cities as it helps to balance
supply against demand to allocate the
resource efficiently and reduce wastage,
Yong explained. Digital technologies, he
added, will enable future water plants to
harness data that allows the operation of
treatment facilities to be optimised through
better informed decision making with the
data on hand.
He continued: “Additionally, digitalisation will
improve reliability of water supply through
better management of assets. This is made
possible with an effective maintenance
programme that minimises plant disruption
due to unexpected equipment failure.”
In continuation of the dialogues surrounding
digitalisation and better asset management,
Binnies is excited to play an integrated part
of an RSK initiative to established a Centre of
Sustainability Excellence in Singapore. The
centre is planned to be launched before the
end of the year, and is aimed at developing
and promoting expertise in several sectors,
one of which is digital water. Through this
Centre of Sustainability Excellence, RSK
and Binnies look forward to supporting its
clients and partners to implement the latest
“Water is a limited resource, and a multipronged
approach by governments, utilities
and the industry stakeholders will help
to educate, manage, and provide water
resources in a safe and sustainable manner,”
Yong shared. Through digitalisation and
embracing technology, operators will be able
to collect, manage and interpret data which
will, in turn, support smarter and better
decisions in the capture, treatment and
management of water for the community.
WATER SUSTAINABILITY
Besides the CCKWW reconstruction
project, Binnies has also participated in
the early stages of the Keppel Marina East
Desalination Plant (KMEDP) project, where
the company was tasked to look into the
possibilities of conceptualising a dual-mode
water treatment facility that will be close
to the city while not compromising on the
aesthetics of Singapore being a “Garden
City”.
For this project, Binnies brought in urban
architects that worked with the team to
design and conceptualise the plant, which
leverages its location at the city fringe and
connection to the East Coast Park and
Marina area. With its process facilities
located underground, the KMEDP features
a Green Roof that is accessible to the public
for recreation, which became a popular spot
for joggers and cyclists at the heart of the
city.
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WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
The KMEDP is Singapore’s first largescale,
dual-mode desalination plant, and
has been named Desalination Plant of the
Year 2021 by the Global Water Awards. It
has the capability to treat both seawater
and freshwater to supply Singapore with
up to 137,000m 3 of drinking water per day,
contributing to Republic’s water supply
resilience in the face of increased demand
and climate change.
Yong commented: “Water is a critical
resource that has a direct impact on
livelihoods and quality of living, not just
in Asia-Pacific but around the world.
Climate change will continue to drive
the water agenda of all governments
as our survival depends on how we
adapt to the weather changes causing
prolonged droughts in some regions and
severe flooding in others. As such, water
security and sustainability has been one
of the key focus areas for the industry.
And in regard to the Agenda 2030
Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs), Yong believes that the
water industry remains focused
and committed towards achieving
the global goals set up by the
United Nations. He explained:
“At Binnies, we are continuously
exploring and developing
approaches and solutions that
support our clients in accelerating
efforts to meet the SDGs, in
particular SDG 6 for Clean Water
and Sanitation, responsibly and
sustainably.”
For instance, Binnies applies a
multi-pronged effort covering
the full spectrum of total water
management, from collection to
treatment, storage and distribution;
evaluating various alternative water
sources such as seawater desalination
and used water recycling to places
where these technologies are
economically viable; and investing
in digital technologies to assist its
clients in the industry to be more
efficient in their provision of clean
water to customers as well as in the
management and treatment of used
water.
Additionally, Binnies Singapore has
also been working with government
agencies and the private sector in
developing countries in Asia, such
as Vietnam and the Philippines, to
assist them in meeting their water and
wastewater goals.
“As we move forward to a post-pandemic
era, the security of water infrastructure
against events such as the pandemic
and cybersecurity threats will remain
critical areas of concern for the water
industry and continue to be the key design
principles for future water infrastructures.”
Photo: PUB, Singapore’s national water agency
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5 MINS WITH
WATER TREATMENT USING
ELECTRODEIONIZATION:
Ultrapure water for the
beverage industry
At Makkah Water in Saudi Arabia, a new wastewater treatment system from
Krones will go into operation in mid-2021. This particular Hydronomic contains
a first – with a total dissolved solids (TDS) value of less than 0.1mg per litre, the
resulting water is “purer” than any other in the beverage industry. The combination
of the Krones Hydronomic and an electrodeionization (EDI) module makes it
possible. Dirk Scheu, sales specialists for water treatment solutions at Krones,
rediscovers this system and develops it further for the Makkah Water project.
How does electrodeionization work?
Dirk Scheu: Electrodeionization
(EDI) removes ions and ionizable
substances from water to the greatest
extent possible, almost completely
demineralising the water. The EDI
module combines a continuously
regenerating mixed-bed ion exchanger
with ion-selective membranes.
Basically, the water is split, then the
ions that need to be removed are
separated out, and the remaining H+
and OH- ions react to form the purest
possible, deionized water.
mineral salts in the water are removed
down to a TDS value of 5-10mg per
litre.
The next step is EDI, which further
reduces the TDS considerably, to less
than 0.1mg per litre. This ultrapure
water is often less conductive than
the target of 0.1 microsiemens
per centimetre. The completely
demineralised water is ideal for
remineralisation according to the
customer’s recipe in a Hydronomic
MDS.
ELECTRODEIONIZATION IN DETAIL
Electrodeionization uses resins for continuous ion
exchange. After RO, the water is split into H+ and OHions.
These ions are then captured by the resins and
pulled towards the electrodes. While the ions that are to
be removed are captured in the concentrate channels
and flushed out of the system, the remaining H+ and OHions
can react. The result is ultrapure, deionized water
that is ready to have the desired minerals added back.
How did Krones combine its
Hydronomic water treatment system
with EDI technology?
Scheu: Before the water reaches the
EDI module, two Hydronomic systems
do important preparation work. First,
the water is ultra-filtrated by the
Hydronomic UF, which uses membrane
technology with hollow fibres. Then,
in the reverse osmosis (RO) module,
Do EDI completely demineralise
water?
Scheu: Yes. But not only that. In
addition to mineral salts, the process
also removes CO2. The treated water
has a pH value of 7, which is neutral.
Therefore, there is no need to add
sodium bicarbonate, which means
the water produced can have either
very low or even no sodium.
EDI can cover the same spectrum as the Hydronomic, and can treat up
to 120m 3 of water per hour, with the option of variable product volumes
22
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
What are the advantages of using
an EDI module for continuous
operation?
Scheu: There are many. For one,
plants can operate 24/7. Because,
unlike conventional mixed-bed ion
exchangers, regeneration of the resins
here uses electrical energy instead
of acids and caustic chemicals –
and it occurs continuously during
production. By contrast, if plant
operators wanted to run a conventional
mixed-bed exchanger around the
clock, they would need at least two
systems to bridge the regeneration
cycles.
Also, as long as the feed water
doesn’t exceed the maximum values,
the EDI module can be connected
immediately downstream of the first
RO system. Thus, no additional highpressure
pump is needed as would
be the case when connecting two RO
modules. The great advantage there
is that it saves energy. In our project,
energy consumption in the EDI stage
for the MPure36 – SB developed in
collaboration with MEGA comes to
0.088kW/m 3 .
Which beverage producers might
want to consider integrating EDI?
Scheu: An additional EDI module
makes sense wherever the quality
of the raw water tends to fluctuate.
This is especially important when
producing still table water, where the
mineral composition of the water must
not deviate from the figures printed
on the label by more than 20%.
When the content of the raw water
itself already varies by +/-15% before
remineralisation, there’s very little
wiggle room for adding minerals back.
EDI eliminates these variations. With
it, the water is always demineralised
to the same degree, and the quality
of the treated water is therefore
independent of the water coming
from the RO system. When adding
minerals afterward, the dosing can
be kept closer to the minimum, thus
saving costs on the rather expensive
minerals. It saves on raw materials.
In other words, the same amount
of minerals can yield more product.
Thus, using an EDI module can
reduce consumption of the expensive,
ultrapure minerals used to make table
water by 5-10%.
EDI can also be of interest to
producers of alkaline water. Here, too,
the consistent quality and resulting pH
value of 7 provide the perfect basis for
then producing water with a pH of 9,
which is becoming increasing popular.
What outputs can be achieved by
combining Hydronomic and EDI?
Scheu: EDI can cover the same
operation as the Hydronomic. It can
treat up to 120m 3 of water per hour,
with the option of variable product
volumes. The system is always
precisely calibrated to the quality of
the raw water and the requirements of
the final product.
The water treatment solution
developed for Makkah Water is one of
the biggest Krones has built to date.
It operates at up to 3x110m 3 of water
per hour, and is therefore around three
times the size of our conventional
Hydronomic systems.
EDI can also be of interest to
producers of alkaline water. Here,
too, the consistent quality and
resulting pH value of 7 provide the
perfect basis for then producing
water with a pH of 9, which
is becoming increasing
popular.
Dirk Scheu
Sales Specialists for Water Treatment
Solutions, Krones
Hydronomic water
treatment system
23
5 MINS WITH
CLOUD-BASED APPS
mitigate water
management risk
With cloud-based applications providing water utilities with more resilient and
flexible network management options, many are finally moving away from legacy
systems. Craig Abbott, channel sales manager for Asia-Pacific at Ovarro, discusses
the latest developments in as-a-service models.
These services allow the water authority to
focus on their core responsibility of water
system management, and leave the data
chain to external IT and analyst specialists.
What are as-a-service models, and how
do they fit with water?
Craig Abbott: As-a-service models are
subscription-based applications, with
infrastructure that is entirely managed and
maintained by an external supplier. XaaS
– anything-as-a-service – is the collective
term that encompasses software-as-aservice
(SaaS), data-as-a-service (DaaS),
and information-as-a-service (IaaS), among
many others.
Many water authorities would already
be familiar with DaaS, for the collection
of flow and pressure data for network
management. With the full XaaS model,
Ovarro’s AlarmVision
rather than just supply software, the
contract agreements include secure data
collection and storage, server hardware,
and ongoing updates and new features. All
end-users need is a device and connection
to the network.
An annual subscription gives organisations
the latest software version, removing the
costly task of maintaining systems that may
rapidly become obsolete. Under the XaaS
model, software patches including the latest
features, improved algorithms, defences
against a new virus and even upgrades
to ageing hardware can all be part of the
service.
How can utilities’ security concerns be
addressed?
Abbott: Every water authority considering
an XaaS application should challenge their
providers to answer to any security concerns.
The good news is, there is an applicable
standard to conform to – ISO 27001. This
is internationally recognised as the best
practice framework for information security
management.
Another consideration raised by security
experts is to have an active defence strategy.
Older systems would be developed,
commissioned and then isolated to remove
any cyberattack vectors. Unfortunately, we
frequently see this type of production fail.
Defending against external attacks requires
ongoing discipline. This means continuous
improvement of the application software,
antivirus software, and operating systems.
Under a traditional model, updates would
require a rollout to every machine, which
takes time. Under a SaaS model, with could
managed systems, everyday can be upgraded
before their next login to the system. This
means that if a new attack method is
24
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
uncovered, a systemwide update can be
performed before the new method can be
taken advantage of.
In what areas should utilities be
embedding XaaS solutions?
Abbott: XaaS solutions should be adopted
wherever they can be. This would eliminate
a significant amount of legacy computer
hardware that would no longer need to
be managed. Desktop machines could
be replaced by thin clients, tablets or
smartphones and automatic software
upgrades would eliminate the need for a
software management team to physically
or remotely connect every machine, at
every company location, to perform manual
updates.
During the pandemic, many water utilities
made significant changes to the way they
work. Remote working is now common
practice, and under XaaS models, the benefits
of not being tied to particular premises can
be realised, enabling staff to securely access
information wherever they are.
What operational challenges can XaaS
solutions help to solve?
Abbott: Most organisations do not take full
advantage of all data collected from their
water networks. This is where they may look
towards an IaaS solution, where customers
pay for the delivery of actionable information.
Ovarro is working in partnership with water
authorities to analyse alarms from water
networks. What has been determined,
is that many incidents, such as pollution
events, are often the result of an alarm being
missed. Many operators are so inundated
with alarms, they fail to respond to unfolding
events leading to higher impact incidents that
create operational inefficiencies or result in
penalties.
We have developed AlarmVision, a cloudbased,
real-time alarm analysis service.
This IaaS analyses the stream of alarms,
comparing the frequency to internationally
During the pandemic,
many water utilities made
significant changes to the
way they work. Remote
working is now common
practice, and under XaaS
models, the benefits of
not being tied to particular
premises can be realised,
enabling staff to securely
access information wherever
they are.
Craig Abbott
Channel Sales Manager for Asia-Pacific at Ovarro
recognised key performance indicators to
determine if the system is being properly
managed.
Additional information is also provided to
identify common alarm patterns – is there
one alarm that is flooding the network, is
there a particular site generating many alarms
or is there particular time of the day where
overloads occur? With this information,
water utilities and municipalities can plan an
appropriate response to reduce the number of
alarms occurring to a level where key events
can be tracked and dealt with appropriately.
What sectors should the water industry
look to for examples of best practice?
Abbott: Ovarro collects and manages data
for clients in a wide variety of industries so we
seek to learn from any sector where secure
data management is required. Financial
services, for example, traditionally has the
domain of large, brick-and-mortar institutions
but smaller players have stepped in to take
a significant share of the market, without a
storefront in sight.
Sensitive data like money, assets and
transaction histories are now managed online.
The industry leaders help clients analyse
spending habits and apply for additional
services, adapting to clients’ needs faster
than traditional banks.
What role does innovation play?
Abbott: Innovation and the XaaS model
form a symbiotic relationship. Once data is
freely available for analysis, it encourages
innovation and the development of new
algorithms for analysis. This could identify a
new dataset that needs to be collected, a new
software service required or insights from
existing data.
It also provides fertile ground for users and
developers to collaborate, test, and trial new
ideas for continuous improvement of water
network operations.
How is Ovarro supporting the water
industry in this area?
Abbott: Ovarro recognises that data will
invariably be stored in the cloud. This shift
unlocks XaaS opportunities. We are currently
expanding our DaaS solutions, and are
already trialling SaaS and IaaS packages that
dovetail with the data we collect. We have
recently developed packages like AlarmVision,
and we have more in the pipeline. Some
services will also work with non-Ovarro
systems, providing insight for anyone in the
water industry.
The water sector has a reputation for being
conservative. It is Ovarro’s vision that by
connecting numerous technologies to collect,
store and analyse data, we can provide a
platform for the industry to become more
flexible and innovative, moving away from
legacy systems that are holding them back,
so they can adapt to the challenges of the
future.
25
ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT
CREATING THE CONCORDE
of rainwater harvesting projects
Former UK airfield being redeveloped into YTL Arena, a sustainable, area that
houses a surface water system to capture water from 10,000sqm roof.
areas in the whole Filton development,”
Hofman added. “We are looking at how this
affects the water balance and flows of the
entire area, including whether we can close
that cycle.”
Photo credit: Grimshaw
The former home of the Concorde supersonic
aircraft is set to take off once again, but this
time with innovation on water in the circular
economy.
In Bristol, UK, the former Filton Airfield
is being turned into a sustainable new
mixed-use neighbourhood, with circular
water developments at the heart of the
redevelopment.
Purchased by Malaysian company YTL
Developments in 2015, a subsidiary of YTL
Corporation and sister company of local
utility, Wessex Water, the scheme will create
over 2,600 new homes and over 60 acres of
commercial space, schools and community
facilities.
Jan Hofman, director of the water innovation
and research centre, University of Bath,
said: “YTL is developing the site in a very
sustainable manner, including creating a living
environment that includes water recycling.”
A SHOWCASE OF RAINWATER
HARVESTING
A key part of the redevelopment is a strategic
surface water system to enable the local
reuse of captured rainwater at a new YTL
Arena Bristol.
The Brabazon Hangars from the former
airport are being converted into a
17,080-capacity entertainment destination,
respecting the site’s engineering legacy past
but thrusting it into the future to put Bristol on
the world stage.
Rainwater harvesting will be installed over
10,000sqm of roof surface, with plans to
collect, clean and use the water for toilet
flushing. Excess rainwater will feed ponds
and lakes, created as part of green spaces to
enhance the area.
“We are investigating whether we can expand
the rainwater collecting system to the roofs of
the housing areas, including the commercial
NEXTGEN: DEMONSTRATING PROCESS
AROUND POLICIES
The Filton airfield demonstration site is
part of the Horizon2020 (H2020) NextGen
collaboration that aims to drive the circular
economy through a wide range of waterembedded
resources, including water,
energy and materials.
The four-year H2020 project brings
together 30 organisations to demonstrate
technological, business and governance
solutions for water in the circular economy.
From water utilities to a beer brewery, in total,
10 NextGen projects have been selected
to represent a variety of stakeholders who
could participate and benefit from circular
economy activities.
Hofman explained that the benefits for using
the Filton airfield as a case in NextGen is
to demonstrate the actual process around
policies and design, and how to bring all of
these elements together from the start.
Modelling work on the rainwater harvesting
estimating the size of the tanks for water
storage and even feasibility work on sewer
heat recovery, for example, predicting how
much heat would be available on the site
during the day.
Other stakeholders involved include South
Gloucestershire Council, The Environment
26
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
Agency (EA) and local utilities Bristol Water and
Wessex Water. The latter already has a large-scale
wastewater treatment plant operating near Bristol,
which is being taken into account in the Filton site
modelling when it comes to water reuse and the
circular economy.
YTL is developing the site in a very
sustainable manner, including
creating a living environment
that includes water recycling.
Jan Hofman
Director of the Water Innovation and
Research Centre, University of Bath
POLICIES PLAYING CATCH UP
When it comes to policy, the Filton development
is head of the curve, Hofman claimed. “Rainwater
harvesting, at scale, is still very new, and I think
it will be used occasionally in the country. There
has been some research, but there remains a
lack of regulation to encourage or discourage it.
We’re running ahead of what is available for these
systems.”
Stef Koop, scientific research at KWR Water
Research Institute, leading NextGen, said that
policy is essential to ensure such systems are
“truly circular”. He explained: “These pilots are the
forefront of new technology, new systems, where
policies still have to develop and adjust. We must
get the message of the key opportunities but also
the key barriers to implementing new technologies
and systems. The challenge remains of how do we
get that message across from more localised sites
to these more centralised policymakers?”
To help matters, Koop also believes to not confuse
circularity with sustainability.
“Circularity can be a solution for creating
something sustainable, but it also involves other
aspects,” he said. “If you are going to circulate
things, you have to deal with pollution. Otherwise,
it will accumulate in your cycle.”
The YTL development has an opportunity to lead
with water in the circular economy and create
the “Concorde” of our time. Instead of housing a
supersonic plane capable of crossing the Atlantic
within three hours, the YTL Arena Bristol could
house a rainwater recycling system.
Just like Concorde put Filton on the global
map, this project could establish the former
airfield as a global frontrunner for sustainable
development.
27
ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT
STORMWATER
management
Vincent Lee, global water skills leader at Arup’s New
York office, highlights how the company’s study of
New York’s impervious area will help the city better
understand and manage the impact of stormwater.
New York City, the most populous city in the US
To effectively manage water across an entire
city, it is important to properly understand
the environment it sits within – and crucially
where the water will go when it rains.
It was with that in mind that the New
York City Department of Environmental
Protection’s (DEP) Bureau of Environmental
Planning and Analysis (BEPA) sought out
Arup’s expertise to develop a city-wide
impervious area geographic information
system (GIS) layer. Put in its simplest terms,
it was a study to help the DEP understand
the make-up of the land across the city, and
identify which areas will soak up water, and
which impervious areas it will simply run off,
and potentially cause flooding problems.
New York City is commonly referred to
as a “concrete jungle” due to thousands
of square miles of impervious surfaces.
However, a significant amount of work has
been done by the city in reducing these
surfaces which cause significant flooding.
One such programme is the NYC Green
Infrastructure Plan from 2010, which set a
course to manage stormwater much more
effectively and sustainably.
Photo credit: Triston Dunn/Unsplash
While an impermeability map was prepared
over a decade ago, there have been
significant advances in data, map resolution,
and remote sensing techniques. Arup’s work
was to provide this information – in forensic
detail – and ensure DEP could continually
update this crucial water management
data going forward. This would enable
DEP to validate their programme and also
provide a defendable source of data that
DEP can use to drive stormwater policy to
improve the quality of the city’s waterways
while reducing the flood impacts in its
neighbourhoods.
FOUR-STAGE PROCESS
The task essentially had four stages –
research, mapping, interrogation of what the
information gathered, and finally ensuring
the process was one the DEP would be able
to update and maintain in future years.
28
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
Searching and gathering
information on land permeability
was, of course, far from simple.
Automation and digital approaches
were used throughout the project
to reduce production time and
complete the largest GIS and
remote sensing study that Arup has
performed to date.
Obviously, to carry out such a
feat physically would have taken
many years, and this is why a
digital approach, using machine
learning, was required. Even using
the very latest digital approach, it
still involved a massive amount of
data gathering and manual hours to
develop the automation process.
We used aerial imagery, LiDAR
data, planimetric and cadastral data
to create one single land cover map.
We were able to identify 17 different
elements of land space, from
roads and building footprints to
rivers, lakes and green areas.
The technology also had to be
programmed, for instance, to
recognise vehicles from above and
quantify the solid land below, as
well taking into account other aerial
imagery elements such as tree
canopies and shadows which fall in
certain times of the day.
The project team classified 1% of
the city’s land cover, which was
then used to “train” the machine
learning algorithm, to automatically
produce a complete land cover
classification map of New York.
To ensure accuracy, the results from
technology were compared with
independent hydrologist delineation
from 25 randomly selected parcels,
where we were able to demonstrate
that the technology was above 90%
accurate in all areas, even as high as
99% accuracy in many.
This enabled us to use this method
across the city, collating more than
3TB of multi-spectral imagery,
LiDAR, and other GIS data to provide
analysis of 345mi 2 and 857,589
parcels of land.
We were able to provide the DEP with
high-resolution GIS datasets, and a
comparative trend analysis report on
the position from 10 years previous.
This information has since been
posted on an open data portal in New
York, that is available for the public,
bringing total transparency to the
understanding of land across the city.
It also provided a picture of the
impact of environmental programmes
undertaken over the past decade,
which validated the work which has
been done.
Importantly, it provides a clear insight
for the local environmental agency
to understand the city land coverage
types to inform and support city wide
planning efforts, projects, policies
and programmes.
PROJECT GIVES NYC ABILITY TO
CONTINUALLY UPDATE DATA ON
LAND COVER
When selecting Arup to lead on this
18-month digital transformation
project, DEP insisted they wanted
more than just a “black box” of
data and a current overview of the
impervious land, but a system which
they are able to update and use going
forward.
With that in mind, the Arup team
worked closely throughout with
representatives of DEP, bringing
them along the process in developing
this layer, providing tutorials on
the detailed methodology and
developing data maintenance
documentation for their team to
follow.
Importantly, this means they can
now maintain and update it going
forward as land use in cities is
continually changing.
Stormwater management and
policy in New York can now be
based around data which will
continually evolve – placing water
at the heart of long-term planning
and development of this part of the
world.
Map of New York city
29
IN THE FIELD
PLANT MODERNISATION
WITH PC-BASED CONTROL
ensures futureproof water
supply on Lake Michigan
Municipal water treatment plant integrates PC-based control
technology with existing automation.
By James Figy
Eric Kiefer, plant manager of
North Shore Water Commission
(NSWC) in Glendale, Wisconsin,
understands that providing
portable water continues to be
an “incredible feat” even though
many might not give a second
thought. Roughly 35,000 residents
in the cities of Glendale, Fox Point
and Whitefish Bay rely on this
Milwaukee-area municipal entity,
which has been pumping clean
water since 1963.
“People simply cannot suffer a loss
of water pressure,” Kiefer said.
“Hospital, businesses, families –
they need this water to always be
on the moment they need it.”
The NSWC water purification
process begins at Klode Park in
Eric Kiefer, plant
manager of water
supplier NSWC,
inspects the
chemical feed
system, which
adds phosphates
to prevent lead and
copper corrosion in
the water delivery
infrastructure
In the public water utilities sector,
plant operators are to ensure
a reliable water supply to all
consumers, while at the same time
getting by with tight budgets. Their
requirements include reliability
through redundancy and safe
communication of all components
with the control system. During the
modernisation of a municipal facility
on Lake Michigan, PC-based control
and especially TwinCAT was ideal for
integration with existing systems and
for future-oriented communication
via protocols such as OPC UA,
MQTT and AMQP.
Whitefish Bay, where an intake
structure reaches into Lake
Michigan. The pump station
draws the lake water into a pit-like
shore well while a chemical feed
system keeps the intake free of
zebra mussels, which can quickly
clog the system. Four large
pumps send the water through a
30
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
control system. His requirements
were cost-effectiveness, reliability,
ease of programming and ability
to communicate with legacy
equipment. He explained that due
to pressure from consumers and
outside entities, NSWC cannot
afford any mistakes and moreover
has to stand up to competition from
private contract firms.
transmission main to the filtration
plant in Glendale, where a coagulant
and coagulant aid are added to the
water. A rapid sand filter removes any
remaining sediment left in the water.
After the addition of fluoride, water
is disinfected with both chlorine
and ultraviolet light. Finally, water is
treated with a phosphate chemical to
prevent lead and copper corrosion as
it is pumped to consumers.
On a typical day, the plant purifies
3.7 million gallons of water, but it
has the capability to process 18
million gallons per day. It may seem
excessive, but if one part of the
system failed, the technicians would
be able to start a backup right away
to safely ensure no customers lose
water service.
MODERNISING AGING SYSTEMS
ON TIGHT BUDGETS
Operation of the 55-year-old plant
requires regular modernisation.
NSWC have to continuously collect
data to create detailed reports.
These include information on system
pressure, flow, pump speeds, pump
runtimes and valve positions at the
pumping stations in Glendale, Fox
Point and Whitefish Bay, as well as
chemical tank levels, quantities of
chemicals pumped and various water
quality parameters.
In the upgrade of an outdated plant,
operators would prefer to completely
replace conventional supervisory
control and data acquisition (SCADA)
hardware to avoid communication
breakdowns between different
makes of machinery. For municipal
entities, however, this might not be
always feasible because of budget
constraints. Often it is only the risk
of not complying with state or federal
water quality standards that motivates
municipalities to fund upgrade
projects, where additional automation
upgrades might get lumped into the
project’s budget.
When the Fox Point community
decided in 2015 to upgrade its pump
station, Kiefer began to research
the best alternative automation and
The control
technology of the
chemical feed system
features a multi-touch
Control Panel as HMI
hardware, EtherCAT
Terminals and a
CX2030 Embedded PC
STRONG SYSTEM
ARCHITECTURE KEEPS WATER
PRESSIRE UP AND COSTS
DOWN
Kiefer learned about Beckhoff
through a technology partner and
decided that Beckhoff products
would provide the most efficient
option for the project due to the
system openness they provide.
At the pump station, a number
of EtherCAT I/O terminals now
communicate with the on-site
machinery and equipment. A
CP2907 multi-touch Control Panel
as HMI is connected to a fanless
CX2020 Embedded PC, which
offers ample performance to run
the complete pump station and
transmit all data to the main facility
in Glendale.
After building the pumping station’s
control cabinet, Kiefer hired
Starnet Technologies, a Caledonia,
Wisconsin, company that supports
the water and wastewater
industries, to draft an electrical
People simply cannot suffer a
loss of water pressure, Hospital,
businesses, families – they need
this water to always be on the
moment they need it.
Eric Kiefer
Plant Manager at North Shore Water Commission
31
IN THE FIELD
and more modes of operations.
Although Redford was a newcomer
to Beckhoff hardware and software
then, he found the systems to be
very intuitive. It surprised him how
well the solutions communicated
with other vendors’ products, which
is frequently a difficult proposition.
ECONOMICAL MODERNISATION
WITH PC-BASED CONTROL
Along with upgrades to two of its
three remote pumping stations, Kiefer
used a similar Beckhoff platform to
enhance the filtration plant’s chemical
feed system, using EtherCAT I/O
and a CX2030 Embedded PC. The
plant-wide SCADA update allowed
the chemical feed systems to provide
more effective reporting, alarms and
schematic to document it. On this
basis, Starnet later built an identical
control cabinet for an upgrade to
the pumping station standpipe in
Glendale, and the company will also
upgrade the Whitefish Bay station.
The open PC-based control platform
For the operation
of its chemical
feed system and
the remote pump
stations, NSWC
standardised on
built-in CP2907
multi-touch Control
Panels with 7-inch
display
The pump stations pass
encrypted data over OPC UA
using TwinCAT 3 and the CX2020
Embedded PCs to NSWC
facilities. Dashboards can display
important results. James Redford,
president of Redford Data
Services, collaborated with NSWC
troubleshooting capabilities.
The economical modernisation of the
plant and the remote pump stations
using Beckhoff technology resulted
in increased reliability of the entire
system and reduced costs. With
the open control technology, the
plant is now effectively prepared for
from Beckhoff allows any add-on
to programme a new SCADA
new methods of connectivity and
software that can run on a PC.
Kiefer appreciates not only how well
TwinCAT 3 automation software
works with other software platforms,
but also how new Internet of Things
The pumping
station is controlled
via a CX2020
Embeded PC with
directly connected
EtherCAT I/Os
system. For the pumping stations,
the updated system added
greater fault reset capabilities,
pump speed control, access
via Windows Remote Desktop
optimisation by means of cloudbased
communication.
James Figy is senior content specialist at
Beckhoff Automation USA.
All Photos by Beckhoff Automation
(IoT) and analytics packages are
designed to use innovative cloud
communication protocols, including
OPC UA, MQTT and AMQP.
He elaborated: “There will be a
communications paradigm shift
in the near future, and working
with Beckhoff puts us in a better
position to respond to it. Beckhoff
already has available libraries
that we can add to utilise those
upcoming protocols, so we’re far
more prepared for the future by
standardising on TwinCAT 3.”
32
IN THE FIELD WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
A ROBUST UF SOLUTION
for Xiaojihan Coal Mine
Nanostone’s CM-151 technology was Xiaojihan Coal Mine’s choice to deliver
incremental capacity without additional cost and complexity of pre-treatment.
To meet the new zero-liquid discharge (ZLD)
regulations governing wastewater treatment,
the Xiaojihan Coal Mine, a member of the China
Huadian Group, had to expand the capacity of
its wastewater management system.
The mine faced a number of issues with its
existing wastewater treatment process, a
submerged polymeric ultrafiltration (PUF)
membrane system. As is often the case
with PUF systems as they age, fouling had
become a frequent issue, and the need to
perform clean-in-place had increased to
multiple times a week. That, combined with
frequent fibre breakage in the PUF membrane
and subsequent failure of their downtime
reverse osmosis (RO) membrane, resulted in
a treatment capacity that was below the plant
requirements.
the CM-151 is able to tolerate higher incoming
water variability, which optimised the overall
process operation by eliminating the pre-filter
step. The absence of fibres in the ceramic
matrix meant that fibre breakage would no
longer be an issue. The CM-151 ceramic
system provided “more reliable and effective”
performance which, in turn, stabilised the
downstream RO system and allowed Xiaojihan
to meet and exceed its increased capacity
demand.
The 9.2 MGD ceramic UF system helped the
Xiaojihan Coal Mine meet the environmental
regulations and optimise the entire treatment
process. By investing in Nanostone’s CM-
151 ceramic UF system, the mine operators
have a “robust, reliable long-term solution for
consistent efficiency and quality”.
THE SOLUTION
The upgraded treatment process with a
Nanostone CM-151 UF membrane system
has enabled Xiaojihan to:
• Implement a trouble-free option,
alleviating pressure on operations
• Restore treatment capacity to
meet ZLD requirements and new
environmental regulations
• Improve efficiency, reduce
maintenance, and ensure reliable
performance, resulting in a lifetime 2-6
times longer than the PUF system
• Increase overall treatment capacity by
44% without additional pre-treatment
Nanostone’s CM-151 ceramic ultrafiltration
(UF) membrane system provided a solution to
address Xiaojihan’s difficult-to-treat wastewater.
The anti-fouling characteristic of the CM-151
ceramic membrane required fewer chemical
cleanings. In addition, the monolith design of
Right: Feed channels are designed to maximise
membrane surface area, while not comprising
on flowrate. The surface coating and overall
microstructure provide “consistent, reliable” removal of
solids down to 30nm in size.
THE CHALLENGE
Increase wastewater treatment capacity
to comply with environmental regulations
and ZLD requirements:
• Increase capacity to process difficultto-treat
wastewater to comply with
stringent regulatory requirements.
• Overcome performance and reliability
challenges of the installed PUF system
that comprised treatment capacity
and required significant maintenance
to prevent RO failures.
Above: Nanostone’s CM-151
technology is designed to deliver
incremental capacity without additional
cost and complexity of pre-treatment
33
IN THE FIELD
WORLD HERITAGE LORD
HOWE SETS EXAMPLE
with future-focused
wastewater, recycling
and sustainability
initiatives
Lord Howe Island – just 11km long,
averaging about 2km wide, with peaks
rising to Mt Gower’s 880m – has been
working towards the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) approvals,
flora and fauna protections, and
waste recycling initiatives to help
avoid pollution so future generations
of residents and visitors can enjoy its
creatures, plants, water, walks and
coral reefs.
The initiatives, by the Lord Howe
Island Board (LHIB), complement
the island’s broader environmental
initiatives, including an island-wide
residents’ clean-up campaign initiated
by Clean Up Australia champion, the
late Ian Kiernan and complementary
programmes to eradicate entire
species of foreign weeds and pests.
Ultimately, it aims to be totally free of
unwanted flora and fauna introduced
more than 100 years ago. Once this
is done, it can begin re-introducing
species currently extinct in the wild.
An Australian Island noted for its environmental foresight is
taking further steps to advance its clean, green protection
of its World Heritage listed natural assets.
Meanwhile, the board has been
enhancing its environmental
credentials by introducing solar
power to provide two-thirds of the
island’s annual energy needs, while
also seeking EPA approval to reuse
as compost the solids from treated
sewage effluent produced by its
environmentally sensitive, low-energy
wastewater treatment plant.
The wastewater treatment plant
incorporates advanced liquidsolid
waste separation, drying and
dewatering technologies engineered
by Australian environmental clean
34
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
water and recycling innovators CST
Wastewater Solutions. The pretreatment
and recovery technologies
– which is said to draw less power
than older separator technologies –
produce cleaner liquid waste and drier
much lighter reusable solid waste, and
that is easier to recycle and avoids the
costs and hazards of handling heavy,
sloppy and smelly solids from septic
tanks.
It also facilitates practical and costefficient
environmental progress by
reducing the amount of hazardous
waste that, in many situations in
Australasia and South Asia, would
need to be costly transported
to landfill. The technologies are
designed for small to medium
applications including urban,
municipal, agribusiness and industrial
applications as well as remote and
environmentally sensitive applications
of which Lord Howe is an example.
CST Wastewater Solutions’ separation
and dewatering technologies have
helped avoid sloppy, unhygienic output
and material that is difficult to manage
and dispose of on the virtually rubbishfree
island.
The conservation-minded island
is home to just 400 residents who
welcome an equal number of tourists
at any one time to clean, green laid
back resorts, warm white beaches,
vibrant recreational fishing and
Australia’s southernmost coral reef,
located around 600km off the New
South Wales east coast from Port
Macquarie.
David Waterhouse, manager,
infrastructure and engineering
services, Lord Howe Island Board,
commented: “These environmental
Lord Howe Island
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35
IN THE FIELD
and waste initiatives enjoy the support
of both the local resident and tourist
business communities. The people of
Lord Howe see it as great initiatives
that we are seeking to return flora,
fauna, emissions and water resources
closer to their natural state existing
when the island group was discovered.
“And, of course, land and marine
creatures and a pristine environment
are what people come here to enjoy,
with glorious trekking, diving, fishing
and family relaxation. It is a win-win
for residents and visitors, who love the
opportunity to relax in a clean, green
environment which is not overcrowded
or damaged by excessive tourism. As
a community, we want to retain the
original beauty of the environment
and combine it with relaxed, unspoilt
uncrowded tourism where visitors can
leave their doors unlocked and enjoy
relaxed privacy with quiet roads and
beaches with space and beauty to
spare.”
Bradley Josephs, waste management
facility supervisor at Lord Howe, added
the facility’s wastewater treatment
plant has produced cost-efficient and
practical environmental, operational
and occupational safety and health
(OHS) benefits since it was introduced
as part of a full package to separate
biosolids, liquids and residual waste
in a three-step process of which the
CST technology is an integral part. The
CST technology uses a combination
of coarse and fine screening and KDS
advanced dewatering technology to
produce the more hygienic and more
compact output that can be added to
recycled compost streams.
“Our benefits to date will be extended
further if EPA approval is received to
incorporate the compact solids from
the effluent into compost for use on
the island, incorporating previously
odourous waste into a valuable
resource and further reducing the need
for transport and landfill,” he said.
The WWTP plant compacts solid
sewage waste to a fraction of the
original volume of material that was
previously laid out on drying racks to
dewater – a process that smelt, involved
much more handling, and could
take extended periods to complete,
particularly if the weather changed.
The new facility’s screening, filtration
and KDS liquid-to-solid separator is
also more efficient in separating diverse
solids from liquids, without clogging
and producing a liquid component is
cleaner and more suitable for speedier
processing and reuse.
Septic waste from residential and
commercial systems treated at this
facility is drawn from about 220 septic
water systems on the island, 25 of
which are commercial operations.
Currently, pump-outs are delivered to
the facility via an 1,800-litre wastewater
tanker.
The waste management facility can
now manage greater volumes of effluent
for the island, the solid component
of which is mixed with diverse other
waste streams that are sorted, mixed
and prepared for reuse through a Hot
Rot composter. Waste treated in this
way includes food waste, paper and
cardboard, green waste and grease
trap wastes.
Josephs explained that the team has
witnessed “a strong range of benefits”
since installing the system. For
instance, the drier biosolids are now
stored in smaller 50-litre tubs that are
more manageable, he said, compared
to the old system which required the
solids to be dug out of the evaporating
bays and requires greater man hours
and far-from-optimum working
conditions.
“The polymer dosage used in the new
process is able to chemically remove
suspended solids from the solution
at a better rate than evaporation. This
means that the liquid waste that is
produced is much easier to treat via
aerobic digestion,” Bradley added.
The process also allows the supervisor
to know how much time the plant will
take to produce particular quantities of
processed solids.
He continued: “Due to the everchanging
nature of sewage, previously
you could never fully estimate the
nature of how much solids you
would receive in drying bays until
the process was complete. Using an
Excel calculation, we developed for
polymer dosing with the new system,
we can now make a good estimate of
how much biosolid we have per batch
CST Wastewater
Solutions’ screen
compactor, prescreens
effluent
prior to the septic
wastewaters being
pumped to the
polymer dosage tank
36
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
Measured doses of
polymer determined
from sampling at the
input stage enabled
Bradley Josephs,
waste management
facility supervisor at
Lord Howe, accuracy
and predictability of
compacted waste
output
and how much liquid waste we will
produce. This has allowed us to be
proactive with our management levels.
“Drying used to be something of a
guessing game, with the drying beds
and reed beds we used. It would
vary with weather, with humidity and
many factors, but now the liquidsolid
separation is beautiful, swift,
predicable and precise. This speeds
up the process and enables us to tailor
output for ongoing processing without
waste storage issues.
“Due to the area that drying bays took
up for efficient separation previously,
there was a powerful odour during
processing. As the new system is all
self-contained, there is minimal odour
during the process.”
Waste liquid separated out by the
CST system is processed via aerobic
digestion, while the solids component
is dewatering through the KDS
installation is incorporated into the
feed for the composting unit. This Hot
Rot composting unit produces the
finer, dried output for which the LHIB
is currently undertaking a Resource
Recovery Exemption to create
compost for use by residents and
businesses on the island.
“Due to the nature of the in-vessel
composting unit on island, dried
biosolids can be processed and used
to create useful compost that will
be available to the public,” Josephs
noted. “The temperatures inside the
composting unit are high enough to
destroy harmful pathogens that are
found in biosolids such as e-coli and
salmonella. The biosolids are currently
mixed with food waste, paper and
wood chip at a ratio of 0.05/1/2/1 per
day. Once we have more results in
regard to compost composition, we
aim to be able to create an optimum
ratio of biosolids used in the procedure
to produce compost and further
reduce our environmental footprint.”
Michael Bambridge, managing director
of CST Wastewater Solutions, said
the company was tasked to review a
“best fit” sludge dewatering system
for the septic waste, because the old
infrastructure was becoming outdated
and the existing drying beds were
to be decommissioned. The team
worked extensively with the LWIB to
find an optimal solution that combined
environmental performance with OHS
performance – and which has a smaller
footprint than the drying rack system
used previously.
“The CST screening, dewatering and
compacting component of the WWTP
system is more economically than
previously, more compact in terms
of site use, and uses less energy and
minimal water compared to alternative
systems,” he said. “It accords well
with Lord Howe’s environmental,
waste, water and energy conservation
objectives, which the board is pursuing
over a total range of environmental
initiatives.”
Lord Howe’s back-to-the-future
approach to environmental progress
and resource use has also resulted this
year in the introduction of solar power
to the island to turn off fossil-burning
diesel generators by satisfying twothirds
of the island’s annual energy
needs from the sun.
LHIB’s Waterhouse concluded:
“Our environmental programme on
the island benefits from multiple
streams of good technologies and
environmental good practices.
Because we are isolated from many
destructive outside influences,
we have an opportunity to
comprehensively plan, implement and
measure our environmental progress
comprehensively and over decades.
“Our programmes interact with each
other, to produce an overall result
that we aim to be outstanding – a
programme that will not only benefit
ourselves on the island, but which can
provide a lead internationally to show
what can be done by a community with
a common conservation focus.”
37
IN THE FIELD
PURON MP MEMBRANES
improve performance of
boiler water pre-treatment
The Eemshaven power station in the Netherlands
The installation of PURON MP technology from
Koch Separation Solutions (KSS) enables the RWE
Eemshaven power station to maintain a “high and
stable” permeability at design capacity for
an extended period of time.
The treatment of surface water,
groundwater and seawater for
industrial use is becoming a common
practice around the world. Reverse
osmosis (RO) technology removes
dissolved solids, both organic matter
and inorganic salts from the source
water, making the water suitable for
use in various industrial processes.
Ultrafiltration membrane technology
is an option for pre-treatment for RO
membranes, as it produces consistent
water quality, free of suspended
solids and of low fouling potential.
The Eemshaven power station,
operated by RWE, is a large coalfired
power station and from 2019
also a biomass-fired power plant.
The plant is located in the north of
the Netherlands and utilises seawater
taken directly from the North Sea
to feed their large water consuming
boilers.
This feed water is treated by a multistep
purification and desalination
process.
1. Multiflo System with Disc
Filtration
2. Ultrafiltration (UF)
3. RO Desalination
4. Ion Exchange Polishing
The UF system is a six-train
configuration with a total design
capacity of 1,080m 3 /h. To ensure
continuous production of water
at the required flow rate, the
system was designed to have
two redundant trains (N+2). The
system was commissioned in
2014 and originally equipped with
a 8-inch diameter UF cartridges
featuring non-reinforced PVDF
38
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
PERFORMANCE COMPARISON*
Train Membrane Type Installed Permeability
lmh/bar [gfd/psi]
*Data taken in February 2018, 12ºC
**Replaced by KSS PURON MP in Q3 2018
Capacity
m 3 /h [gpm]
1, 2, 3 Competitor (old type)** 2014 50 / 0.8 110 / 484 Per Train
4 Competitor (old type) February 2017 80 / 1.3 200 / 881
5 PURON MP October 2017 225 / 8.1 275 / 1211
6 Competitor (new generation) January 2018 150 / 4.1 275 / 1211
membranes with a dual-potted
fibre membranes, provides solids
cartridge configuration. Decreasing
management, allowing the system
performance of the installed
to demonstrate “high, sustained”
membranes, along with a desire
permeability values.
to increase capacity, led RWE to
explore options for replacement in
With an equivalent membrane area
two of the six UF trains.
as the previously installed membrane
product, the PURON MP cartridges
CHALLENGE
are able to provide an increase
RWE wanted to improve the
in productivity with improved
performance of their system
performance without impacting
with respect to productivity and
footprint.
reliability but were also conscious
of the potential cost impact
OPERATION EXPERIENCE
of changing to a different UF
After a year of operation, the PURON
membrane. The replacements
MP membranes are operating well
Gideon Ernst, process coordinator
would need to plug-and-play
with membrane permeability that was
water treatment plants for RWE
without significant changes to the
approximately twice as high as other
Eemshaven, said: “The UF was the
existing infrastructure or control
membranes. Being able to maintain a
weakest link in our water treatment
system and energy consumption.
high and stable permeability at design
process. The skid now retrofitted with
The new membranes needed to
capacity for an extended period of
the PURON MP technology is working
have enough membrane area, flux
potential and similar or improved
fouling resistance.
THE SOLUTION
time is a testimony to the benefits,
reliability and extended life potential of
the PURON MP product.
An illustration of
KMS PURON MP
technology
smoothly, improving significantly the
performance of the entire system.”
NEXT ORDER OF ADDITIONAL
PURON MP MEMBRANES
Koch Separation Solutions (KSS)
The positive results of the PURON
initially provided 96 PURON MP
MP membranes running alongside
UF cartridges to retrofit one of the
other membranes convinced RWE to
existing trains. In addition to the
further invest in the product to help
membranes, KSS also provided
the Eemshaven powerplant facility
operating guidelines, design
meet its water treatment objectives.
recommendations for cartridges
RWE Eemshaven has ordered
connection kits to facilitate a
additional PURON MP modules for
quick and easy replacement.
replacement of three more filtration
The design of the PURON MP
trains. With the replacement of those
product, featuring a single header
three trains, the capacity of the UF
configuration with integral air
system is expected to increase to
scouring and reinforced hollow
1,575m 3 /h.
39
FOCUS
YONSAN ENGINEERING AND
DANFOSS SUPPLY SWRO
to multi-island resort
complex in the Maldives
The seawater reverse osmosis plant, which is responsible to supply potable
water to all three CROSSROADS Maldives’ islands, is equipped with Danfoss
APP pumps and iSave energy recovery devices (ERDs).
CROSSROADS Maldives is a resort
complex located just 15 minutes by
speedboat from Malé. As an integrated
leisure and entertainment centre, the
development consists of two hotels situated
on two separate islands, and a third
island that houses the major plants, staff
accommodation, a new marina, and a marine
research facility.
Yonsan Engineering was the engineering,
procurement and construction (EPC)
contractor for the major plants, which include
four seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) trains
that supply potable water to all three islands.
Danfoss APP pumps and iSave energy
recovery devices (ERDs) were selected for
their reliability and energy efficiency.
COMPACT SWRO FOR A MULTI-ISLAND
COMPLEX
With no conventional energy source, a
location far from the world’s refineries,
and more than a thousand islands spread
over 300km, the cost of electricity in the
Maldives has always been an issue. Diesel for
generators must first be shipped to Malé then
to other islands, resulting in energy prices
that fluctuate with world oil prices but average
US$0.25-0.30/Kwh.
Yonsan Engineering in Singapore was
awarded the project, which covers
CROSSROADS’ SWRO, wastewater, and
power generation systems. A.K. Bagchi,
managing director at Yonsan Engineering in
40
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
Singapore, explained: “Energy prices
in the Maldives are the highest in
South East, and among the highest
in the world. Accordingly, the energy
efficiency of SWRO plants, which
provide almost all of the freshwater in
the Maldives, is critically important to
developers and the government.”
But energy efficiency was just one
criterion for the new plant. “Space is
at a premium on these small resort
islands,” Bagchi continued. “Keeping
the SWRO plant as small as possible
releases valuable land for other hotel
facilities, and the Danfoss equipment’s
compact size keeps the plant footprint
to the minimum.”
Finally, reliability and easy maintenance
were also critical, as he elaborated:
“The CROSSROADS project is located
just a quarter of an hour from the
capital and Maldives’ biggest airport.
But such proximity is the exception
in the Maldives, not the rule. The
distance to Malé from Asian and
European capitals, in the middle of
the Indian Ocean, and on from there
to many islands, is so great that flying
in maintenance personnel and spare
parts quickly becomes a significant
cost factor in addition to all other
maintenance costs.”
DANFOSS APP PUMPS AND ISAVE
ERD
Yonsan Engineering has installed
hundreds of SWRO plants throughout
the Maldives, and was familiar with
Danfoss’ solutions.
“Danfoss APP pumps and iSave ERDs
have become the de facto standard in
SWRO plants in the Maldives,” he said.
“Their combination of energy efficiency,
reliability, and small footprint are well
suited for the SWRO applications that
are typical for the islands.”
For the CROSSROADS project,
Yonsan’s engineers designed a fourtrain
plant. Each 500m 3 /day train was
built around an APP 22 and an iSave 40.
The SWRO plant is located on an island
that connects to two others – each with
its own resort – via a service bridge.
“Each of the three islands requires 100-
350m 3 /day,” he added. “With a total
capacity of 2,000m 3 /day spilt between
four trains, the system has plenty of
redundancy and flexibility, and will be
able to cover CROSSROADS’ needs for
many years to come.”
RELIABLE ENERGY EFFICIENCY
WITH ROOM TO GROW
Commissioned at the end of 2019, the
CROSSROADS SWRO plant has run
as expected. Bagchi concluded: “As
planned, maintenance is quite low.
The APP 22s need no maintenance for
the first 8,000 hours of operation, and
they have lived up to their promise.
All in all, we are very satisfied with the
outcomes from the SWRO plant, which
is ready to deliver more freshwater as
capacity needs grow, all at the same
low Opex.”
41
FOCUS
OPTIMISING OPERATIONAL
PERFORMANCE
through digitalisation
Innovation is at the heart of digital transformation, and is key in unleashing new
possibilities. Thomas Debruyne, head of digital transformation – Asia-Pacific,
Veolia Water Technologies, looks back at the company’s presentation at the
Singapore International Water Week 2021, and tells Water & Wastewater Asia
how it is helping to drive utilities’ digital transformation forward.
an optimum and compliant operation
despite variations in weather
conditions.
We highlighted how a Model
Predictive Control (MPC) can be used
to successfully improve algorithms
in real-time control systems, which
led to informed operational decisions
and improved performance. Through
adopting an Integrated System
thinking approach, we were able to
use the MPC to lower the company’s
operating cost by lowering energy
consumption and reducing the need
for chemicals in the denitrification
and phosphorus precipitation
processes. Sludge production was
also substantially reduced with
the adoption of such a strategy at
Hubgrade
Performance,
Veolia’s digital
solution
VEOLIA AT SIWW2021
Can you share with us some
of the highlights Veolia Water
the entire municipality of Kolding
in Jutland, Denmark. Since our
initial implementation of Hubgrade
the wastewater treatment plant,
resulting in both environmental and
cost benefits. With this approach,
operators can have a clearer
Technologies presented at
Performance in 2011, we have
overview, and receive analysed and
Singapore International Water Week
collaborated with BlueKolding to
actionable information to enhance
(SIWW) 2021, and what are the key
develop various software solutions
the understanding and improve on
takeaways you have picked up from
for capacity extension and operations
operations.
the event?
optimisation for the company’s entire
Thomas Debruyne: Our presentation
sewerage system under all weather
At SIWW2021, we observed that
was centred around our project
conditions. Our aim was to maximise
there was an overall emphasis on
with BlueKolding, an environment,
the use of the existing BlueKolding
building resilience against climate
energy and climate company covering
facilities, and devise parameters for
uncertainties and this underscored
42
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
the need for digital water solutions.
It was also interesting to see several
industry players exploring augmented
capabilities for smart water
technologies.
We also noticed that the industry
is moving towards greater water
sustainability through innovations that
extend the membrane lifecycle while
optimising energy efficiency. Last but
not least, there were some noteworthy
presentations on sustainable
groundwater management and
stormwater management, which
I thought were very relevant to
recent cases of flooding and land
subsidence in Jakarta and Bangkok.
What are the challenges water
utilities face when embracing
digital technologies in water, and
how is Veolia Water Technologies
helping to address them?
Debruyne: Many utilities in the region
are identifying the components of
digital transformation to address their
social and economic development
requirements. Some are designing
strategies to meet their water
resilience and sustainability goals.
Almost all utilities have vast amounts
of data, but struggle to turn this
into actionable information. Some
challenges include data silos and
collection, as well as the integration
With Hubgrade, Veolia addresses
the water optimisation needs of
both municipalities and industries
of different systems and datasets
in a bid to improve their operations.
Traditional procurement frameworks
can also present challenges because
of a lack of directly comparable
technologies, making it harder
to demonstrate competitiveness
and transparency in the tendering
process. To address this, utilities can
co-develop solutions with a vendor
through proof-of-concept schemes.
One such company that has
successfully done that with us is
BlueKolding. As mentioned earlier,
Veolia Water Technologies and
BlueKolding have collaborated since
2011 on the development of various
solutions for the intelligent use of
large amounts of data obtained from
the entire sewerage system.
Our latest innovation projects
with them in 2014 and 2017,
for SMARTGrid and BlueGrid
respectively, focus on energy
balance optimisation through the
utilisation of basin volume in the
catchment area as part of the active
control strategy at the wastewater
treatment plants. All these years,
BlueKolding has confidently
managed compliant operations
through the use of active online
controls, requiring far less manpower
than before when visits to satellite
plants were necessary.
URBANISATION AND WATER
TRENDS
In your opinion, how will urban
growth impact water sources? And
in the face of climate change and
an increasing focus on sustainable
development, what strategies would
you suggest for water utilities to
have in place to ensure access to
clean and safe drinking water for the
wider community?
Debruyne: Many countries and
cities in the region are experiencing
increasing levels of urban growth,
with both population and economies
growing rapidly in many places,
resulting in increasing demand for
water for municipal and industrial
applications. For some of these
territories, government agencies are
also in the early stages of developing
infrastructure, such as drainage systems
and wastewater treatment plants,
to improve and meet the increased
demand for sanitation and water supply
systems.
The shortage of freshwater resources
for drinking water is another factor,
affected by capacity limitations or
quality issues. Climate change has
undoubtedly impacted weather
patterns. Storms, floods, and droughts
can affect the quantity and quality
of raw water, and cause significant
variations even within a short timeframe.
This can pose a considerable challenge
for water utility agencies.
Much effort has been made to reduce
water stress in the Asia-Pacific region.
Besides extensive wastewater treatment
build-outs which are urgently required
across South East Asia, wastewater
reuse is yet another area that many
countries are actively promoting. This
offers opportunities for advanced water
management, especially in the area
of big data analysis software and leak
detection technologies.
43
FOCUS WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
In China, severe river pollution has
become a major issue, with algae
blooming in water bodies such as
the Chao Lake. In fact, the Ministry
of Water Resources in China recently
released an investigation report
claiming that over 80% of shallow
groundwater sources in the country are
polluted. The Water Pollution Action
Plan and the New Environmental
Protection Law issued in 2015,
prompted a wave of wastewater
treatment plant upgrades across the
municipal and industrial sectors. Plant
operators also had to work towards
minimising wastewater discharge
and increasing reuse efficiency to
support the country’s push for greater
sustainability.
How will you describe the role of
digitalisation in water, and what are
some of the digital water trends you
foresee taking place in the industry
over the next decade?
Debruyne: With digitalisation, the
water industry can move towards
pre-emptive asset management and
optimisation, and in the process drive
a significant shift from reactive to
real-time monitoring. This can reduce
the risk of unplanned disruptions and
improve operational resilience for both
municipals and businesses. Leveraging
on the potential of real-time data and
analytics capabilities that digitalisation
offers, companies in the water industry
can better serve their customers.
Decision makers can also utilise the
insights generated from digital water
technologies to deliver more desirable
outcomes.
In many cities across Asia,
urbanisation has brought about an
extensive growth of towns and cities,
and the local authorities have had
to expand existing water facilities in
order to meet demand. According
to the United Nations’ World
Urbanisation Prospects: The 2018
Revision report, an estimated 55% of
the world’s population lived in urban
areas, but this number is projected
to increase to 68% by 2050. Besides
bringing about greater investments in
physical network infrastructure and
treatment technologies, this growth
Recent and historical contamination
events are driving utilities to consider
real-time digital monitoring of the
quality of water in their pipelines.
Thomas Debruyne
Head of Digital Transformation – Asia-Pacific,
Veolia Water Technologies
Hubgrade offers
operators access to
all of Veolia’s water
cycle expertise for
the optimal and
continuous monitoring
of their installations
also provides utilities the opportunity
to establish smart technology in
their new water networks to allow
for network monitoring and control
in the longer term. This gives utilities
an advantage over their developed
counterparts, which may often wait
until the existing infrastructure needs
to be replaced or try to build smart
solutions that fit within the existing
infrastructure.
Recent and historical contamination
events, such as the November 2020
crisis in Selangor, Malaysia, are
driving utilities to consider real-time
digital monitoring of the quality of
water in their pipelines. The fear
of bio- and chemical attacks on
water distribution networks is also
a driver for real-time water quality
monitoring in these regions. Veolia
has joined forces with two partners,
namely IAGE and Phytocontrol, to
detect and quantify the Delta variant
of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater in
France.
44
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The smart choice for motorpowered
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The Elektra digital dosing pump controller from SEKO allows
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• Local and remote access to your
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VIEWPOINT
IDE WATER
TECHNOLOGIES
SEALS DEAL TO
develop project for
seawater desalination
plant in Mumbai
As a provider of seawater desalination plants,
IDE Water Technologies will be building a 200MLD
desalination plant to increase and diversify the drinking
water sources of the city. Water & Wastewater Asia
speaks with Nayan Shah, sales director, India,
IDE Water Technologies, to find out more.
With over 14 million citizens,
Mumbai is India’s most populated
city and is one of the largest
and most densely populated
urban areas in the world – an
epicentre for India’s entertainment,
fashion, commercial and financial
activities. The city’s water supply
requirement averages around 4.4
billion litres per day for domestic,
commercial and industrial use.
To better serve Mumbai’s
municipal needs and increase
and diversify the region’s source
of drinking water, IDE Water
Technologies has signed an
agreement with the Municipal
Corporation of Greater Municipal
Corporation of Greater Mumbai
(MCGM) to develop a project which
encompasses the building and
operation of a 200 MLD seawater
desalination plant, with the option
to expand to 400 MLD on a Swiss
Challenge mode.
The seawater desalination, to be
constructed at Manori, will diversify
the city’s sources of drinking
water and overcome challenging
conditions to supply water to the
community.
Elaborating on the project
with MCGM, Nayan Shah,
sales director, India, IDE Water
Technologies, told Water &
Wastewater Asia: “As climate
change and population growth
continue to put stress on the
Earth’s limited water resources,
IDE strives to make significant
steps in seawater desalination and
other water treatment technologies
in order to meet the world’s
growing demand for water.
“Because Mumbai is a harbour
city with an optimised footprint,
46
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
Capex and Opex will be essential
aspects of this project. We’re
excited to bring our advanced
desalination technology to
Mumbai, and help the city take
the necessary steps towards
water resilience.”
DESALINATION
Location, type of water,
environmental impact and local
regulations – these are critical
factors which Shah identified
when considering desalination.
Other aspects also include the
amount of energy required to
power the desalination plants.
He explained: “For many years,
the large amount of energy
required by desalination plants
has been a barrier to employing
this technology. However, great
progress has been made in
desalination technology, and
these days, the amount of energy
used to produce freshwater can
be greatly reduced.
“We see positive and
encouraging advancements like
these, and know the technology
will only continue to decrease
costs, increase sustainability, and
reduce brine discharge moving
forward.”
The proposed desalination plant
at Manori “is a testament” to
this advanced technology, he
described, as it will increase
Mumbai’s drinking water sources
and overcome challenging
conditions to provide a “reliable,
sustainable, and environmentally
friendly supply of high-quality
water at a reduced cost”. In
addition, the proposed plant will,
The signing of the agreement between IDE Water
Technologies and the Municipal Corporation of
Greater Mumbai (MCGM) for the development
of a seawater desalination plant
Water is fundamental to life, and
sustainable sources of freshwater
are becoming seriously limited
due to a number of factors such
as population growth and climate
change. In addition, surface
water pollution is an emerging
concern globally due to municipal,
industrial and agricultural
wastewater. Therefore, seawater
desalination has become the
most suitable solution for
providing freshwater to serve the
continuously growing population
and ensure water abundance for
years to come.
Nayan Shah
Sales Director, India,
IDE Water Technologies
47
VIEWPOINT WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
The partnership
between IDE Water
Technologies and
MCGM will see
the development
of a 200 MLD
desalination plant,
expandable to 400
MLD, to increase and
diversify the drinking
water sources of
the city
not only increase the city’s drinking
supply, but will reduce the ecological
and financial costs associated
with dam construction, which
typically involves large population
rehabilitation and the uprooting of
mature trees.
In India, many districts in the
country are threatened by
groundwater depletion and
pollution, in addition to more
extreme drought conditions – all
while battling the pandemic. To
combat this, Shah shared the
Indian government has set a goal
to deliver piped water to every rural
household.
“When addressing water supply
in water scarce regions, seawater
desalination can be considered an
important strategy,” he said. “In
addition, over 50% of sewage is
being discharge into rivers and the
ocean without any treatment. More
sewage treatment facilities are being
added rapidly as a result, and the
discharge norms and compliance
to the standards are improving
in current times. This water is an
excellent source for all non-human
requirements. Tertiary reverse
osmosis for recycling and reusage
of sewage water will be a great
opportunity. The policy framework
and compelling structure of the
Water Purchase Agreement can
provide a strong foundation in this
direction.”
India has also announced the
Production Linked Incentive scheme
for manufacturing industries in the
post-pandemic era. The Zero Liquid
Discharge mandate for industries
also provides an opportunity for IDE’s
solutions in brine minimisation to be
utilised.
Shah emphasised that the need for
sufficient and safe water is one of
the most significant development
challenges today, and concluded:
“Water is fundamental to life, and
sustainable sources of freshwater are
becoming seriously limited due to a
number of factors such as population
growth and climate change. In addition,
surface water pollution is an emerging
concern globally due to municipal,
industrial and agricultural wastewater.
“Therefore, seawater desalination has
become the most suitable solution
for providing freshwater to serve the
continuously growing population and
ensure water abundance for years to
come.”
48
HOTSEAT WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
CONNECTING PRESSURE
measurement to the future
Endress+Hauser has relaunched its
family of pressure instrumentation
with a focus on simplicity, Industrial
Internet of Things (IIoT) fitness, and
smart sensor technology.
The new Cerabar and Deltabar
pressure transmitters offer intuitive
operation via the SmartBlue app,
which includes guided operating
sequences for commissioning of
the pressure sensor. This is made
possible by an additional Bluetooth
interface, which bridges distances
of up to 25m. Thus, measuring
points that are difficult to reach can
be maintained, even if they are only
integrated into the process via a
4-20mA interface. In addition, the
wizards are also available with DTM
and EDD based tools.
Data from the pressure transmitter
is available at any time. The
Bluetooth connection has a
protocol that meets the increased
safety requirements in industrial
applications. Furthermore, users
can transfer the parameters of the
measuring point when replacing
the electronics via the mobile data
memory HistoROM.
UNLOCKING IIOT POTENTIAL
The NAMUR roadmap, Process-
Sensors 4.0, names three key
criteria for digital process sensors
– wireless communication, sensor
diagnosis, and the provision of
information about the sensor and
the process. The Cerabar and
Deltabar product lines are equipped
with Bluetooth interface and guided
wizards for commissioning, as well
as built-in Heartbeat Technology
function which creates the basis
for predictive maintenance and
allows the devices’ functionality
to be verified without process
interruption.
For instance, Heartbeat
Technology supports maintenance
staff in verifying their measuring
points. This can be done via a
Bluetooth connection and at
the touch of a button with the
SmartBlue app. A verification
protocol, which provides detailed
information about all tests, is
generated automatically. This
basis for this is the continuous
self-diagnostic function of the
pressure transmitters. It achieves
a diagnostic coverage rate of over
95%, Endress+Hauser claimed.
With this information, it is possible
for users to plan system revisions
and maintenance work for
measuring devices in advance and
reduce downtimes, thus simplifying
maintenance processes.
Cerabar and Deltabar
– Smart pressure transmitters
for measurement of
liquids and gases
49
HOTSEAT WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
FIRST LINE ADDS
Evoline to product portfolio
As part of its drive for continual innovation
and product development as well as
recognising the market needs for more
sustainable reverse osmosis (RO) pressure
vessels, First Line has stepped up its
innovation in RO pressure technology with
the launch of a series of RO pressure vessels
– Evoline.
Using optimised equipment and in-house
manufacturing techniques, Evoline RO
pressure vessels are engineered to be 15%
strong than conventional pressure vessels
of comparable design, First Line claimed.
Instead of relying on traditional polishing and
spray-painting methods, the company opted
to inject colour into the fibreglass resins, thus
eliminating paint peeling issues and reduces
fatigue damages and deformations of the
RO pressure vessels due to the course of
operations.
Moreover, the reduced reliance on chemicals
and paints ultimately leads to a more
environmentally-friendly and sustainable
product.
First Line has also introduced new upgrades
and alternations to its current series of FRP
cartridges filter housings with a focus to
enhance user experience. For instance, the
locking mechanism utilises a user-friendly
outer clamp instead of stainless-steel
locking kit segments, and the internal locking
segments for the filter elements have also
been replaced with plastic circlips. The
design of the main fibre reinforced plastic
(FRP) cartridge filter housing is streamlined
to a cylindrical shape, resulting in a lighter,
easier to handle and more cost-efficiency FRP
cartridge filter housing.
First Line has also designed its FRP cartridge
filter skids for cartridges filter housings.
These inlet/outlet flange-connected skids
are designed to be compact, robust, easy
to transport and install, and cost effective. It
allows for customisations and add-ons such
as instrument connections and additional
inlet/outlet ports.
Another products First Line offer are IPSgrooved
couplings and short tubes. These
accessories complement First Line’s FRP
products, and are intended for operators’
convenience. For instance, stainless steel
couplings for the RO housings’ feed or
concentrate ports as well as plastic couplings
for the cartridge filter housings’ inlet/outlet
ports may be provided together with the
main housing product, which simplifies and
expedites the procurement process for the
operator.
ABOUT FIRST LINE
First Line has over 50 years of combined
experience in FRP pressure vessel
engineering with its core engineering
background from the Harbin Institute of
Technology which specialises in the research
and development of polymeric materials,
pressure vessel structure and resin system
design.
EuroTec cartridge
filter skids
EuroTec stainless-steel coupling
specialising in ultrafiltration membranes and
cartridges filters with emphasis on quality,
user experience and cost efficiency.
In 2018, First Line set up a regional sales
office in Singapore as a business expansion
to develop the Asia-Pacific businesses and
support to its customers. Moving forward, the
company seek to look beyond opportunities
to share its technical knowledge, experience
and product innovations.
Evoline 8-inch
pressure vessels
Over the years, First Line has an installed
base of over 350,000 RO pressure vessels
delivered worldwide across six continents
and more than 50 countries covering a range
of industries such as oil and gas, power
generation, electronics, food and beverages,
aquaculture, pharmaceutical, residential,
commercial and municipal sectors for small to
large scale water treatment, desalination and
effluent poshing plants globally.
The company continues to innovate, improve
and expand on its range of products, which
includes RO pressure vessels, FRP cartridges
filter housings, and stainless-steel couplings
as well as their EuroTec filtration business unit
50
HOTSEAT WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
PIPE COUPLING:
A sustainable solution
for wastewater treatment
Pipe coupling plays a crucial role
in repairing water and wastewater
systems. Particularly, FGR coupling not
only connects pipes made of metals,
such as steel, stainless steel or copper,
but also those made of plastics. It can
be used in any pipe joining conditions.
However, how is this relevant to
sustainability? The way it is used in
wastewater treatment plants is one
example.
an “efficient and economical”
alternative to conventional
pipe joining solutions. This is
particularly important when
continuous interruptions are not
permissible.
The FGR coupling thus
contributes to wastewater
treatment while saving resources
through its reusability. It delivers
“reliable and sustainable” solution
for the transport of wastewater
to treatment plants, and ensure
wastewater is transported through the
pipe without any leakages. Up to 500
FGR pipe couplings can be used in a
single wastewater treatment plant, as it
requires less space than conventional
joining methods.
NORMA FGR pipe coupling from
NORMA Group features adaptability
and flexibility, thus ensuring
connections in water technology. Feed
and return lines are joined quickly,
easily and safely. Other applications
include municipal and private water
supply, cooling and process water in
the chemical industry, power plants and
seawater desalination plants.
NORMACONNECT
FGR FLEX pipe
couplings
The pipes employed in wastewater
treatment plants are exposed to
acidic liquids, and must therefore be
replaced regularly. FGR pipe coupling
is tightened with two screws, and can
thus be used repeatedly – in contrast to
other solutions, no tools and no welding
work is necessary. In addition, without
the necessity of prior pipe alignment
or treatment of pipe ends, it could save
up to 80% installation time, making it
Containerized Plants for
Industrial Effluent Treatment
Smart Water Reuse, balanced between
ecology and economy
High process water quality and
complete water recycling (ZLD)
Modular plant design: available as standalone
solution or upgrade of existing plant
A firm grip on the production factor water
ng@wehrle.asia • www.wehrle.asia
51
HOTSEAT
AUTOMATIC
BACTERIAL
CONTAMINATION
MONITORING
– Impacts and
possibilities
New technologies for monitoring of bacterial
contamination are opening up new possibilities that
previously required a great deal of human and financial
effort. The advantages of these new methods are fully
automated measurement, short measurement time,
low cost per measurement, and the resulting high
measurement frequency.
By Wolfgang Vogl
The demand for water of adequate
quality is constantly increasing;
especially in large processes, there
is a need to make them more efficient
and thus more sustainable. Reuse
of water and the development of a
well-functioning circular economy are
the most important building blocks
of a sustainable society of the future.
Many large, but equally small innovative
companies and start-ups are working
with their new technologies to achieve
these goals.
Water and wastewater processes
as well as distribution networks
are increasingly automated and
automatically monitored. Digitalisation
is also gaining ground in the water
industry. Large units are simulated using
digital twins to ensure efficiency and
safety even in exceptional situations.
Both processes and simulations require
reliable input, relevant measurement
data, to work efficiently or to map
all relevant parameters reliably and
correctly.
AT THE RIGHT TIME
The new technologies for automatic
measurement of bacterial contamination
have come at just the right time.
Currently, there are various suppliers
that use different approaches to provide
the microbiological dimension of water
quality in near real time. Each technology
has its advantages and disadvantages,
and should be used accordingly. This,
of course, also applies to the traditional
methods of microbiology, which
have their fixed place in compliance
monitoring, but are not suitable for
real-time applications – operational
monitoring, process control, and early
warning.
VWMS – COLIMINDER
Vienna Water Monitoring Solutions
(VWMS) started to develop devices
for automatic online measurement of
bacterial contamination of water in
2010, and in 2014, the first prototypes of
the ColiMinder devices were installed in
the field.
The measurement technology of the
ColiMinder is based on the direct
measurement of the current metabolic
activity of the target organims, the
so-called enzymatic measurement
approach. This measurement approach
therefore provides a result that directly
addresses the issue on bacterial
contamination, because the goal is to
obtain a measurement signal from living
organisms. Moreover, the enzymatic
method is the only such measurement
approach that is able to specifically
measure the contamination of water
with certain microorganisms.
Equipped with the appropriate
reagents – for example, to measure E.
coli specific enzymatic activity – the
instrument is capable of measuring
the level of faecal contamination. This
measurement approach is therefore
compatible with the concept of indicator
organisms, which traditionally forms
the basis of microbiological quality
assurance.
For many applications, the ability to
measure specific target organisms
is a basic requirement. Measuring
the degree of faecal contamination
52
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
production and, at the same time, to monitor
bathing water quality in these water bodies.
ColiMinder Arthur monitoring drinking water production in a municipal drinking water plant
of a sample is a pre-requisite for making water supply or those responsible for
statements about the quality of surface waters bathing water, as well as industry.
or for determining the necessary disinfection
intensity in wastewater treatment plants. In Hong Kong, for example, a device is
monitoring the effluent from Stonecutters
PARAMETERS AND ACCURACY
Island Sewage Treatment Works operated
The device is robust and has the ability to by the Drainage Service Department since
manage particles or suspended solids; the 2017. The Water Supply Department in
influence of turbidity on the measurement Hong Kong uses the ColiMinder to monitor
result is automatically eliminated. The oldest the quality of the produced drinking water.
instruments have been running 24/7 since
2014, and maintenance requirements are low. Both the City of Paris and Eau de Paris
Reagents for measuring E. coli, enterococci, are using several ColiMinder units for
coliform bacteria and for total microbiological monitoring bathing water quality in the
activity are currently available as target Seine River and other urban waters,
parameters.
especially in view of the 2024 Summer
Olympics; a ColiMinder will also monitor
In terms of accuracy, the enzymatic method parts of the drinking water production in
is not inferior to the other technologies; on the future.
the contrary, according to a comparative
study on the measurement of microbiological Drinking water utilities such as Unitywater
contamination of drinking water under real and Bathurst Council in Australia, as well
conditions, the ColiMinder was the only device as several Canadian cities in the province
capable of detecting 100% of all contaminants. of Québec, have installed ColiMinder
equipment to monitor raw water extracted
APPLICATIONS
from surface water for the drinking water
Currently, approximately 50 ColiMinder units
are running at customers from New Zealand
to South Africa to the US and Canada. The
application where ColiMinder units are already
installed range from wastewater treatment
plant effluents to mineral water production,
and even the pharmaceutical industry.
ColiMinder is of particular importance in the
beverage industry, where it is already used
by manufacturers such as Nestlé Waters
or Romaqua. In the production of bottled
water, the technology is used in several ways.
On the one hand, the short measurement
time eliminates the need to wait for days
for laboratory results before products can
be dispatched, and on the other hand, the
devices provide explicit measurement results
on the basis of which it can be decided
whether the bottling line is still clean and
production can continue or whether it must
be stopped to carry out a cleaning-in-place
(CIP) process. This can extend production
time and reduce CIP costs, making the
production process more efficient and
sustainable.
There are a multitude of other applications,
in all closed systems such as cooling
circuits, process water, or for sustainable fish
production in Recirculating Aqua Cultures,
where it is crucial to efficiently control the
microbiological quality of the water.
The applications for rapid automatic
measurement of microbiological quality are
therefore almost limitless. The first steps
have been taken and the direction is right.
Next steps into a sustainable future will
follow, the ColiMinder and its team try to
make their contribution.
Wolfgang Vogl is founder and CEO of Vienna Water
Monitoring Solutions (VWMS).
The customers include several research
institutes in New Zealand, Japan, Germany,
and Canada, but also governmental utilities in
the field of wastewater treatment and drinking
E. coli bacteria under the microscope
53
Singapore International Water Week 2021
Online and Singapore International
Water Week 2022
NEWSLETTER
OF THE
SINGAPORE
WATER
ASSOCIATION
BRINGING
A NEW VIBRANCY
TO SINGAPORE’S
GROWING
WATER INDUSTRY
SIWW2021 Online
Due to international travel restrictions, Singapore International Water
Week 2021 (SIWW2021) took place as a fully virtual event from 21 Jun-2
Jul 2021. This online event was attended by almost 5,000 water leaders
and experts from 91 countries and regions, featured 125 sessions covering
themes that span the entire urban water cycle, alongside a virtual expo
with 124 international exhibitors and six participating pavilions.
As a strategic partner, the Singapore Water Association (SWA) organised
the Singapore Pavilion at the virtual expo with 17 participating SWA
member companies. Chew Men Leong, president, and Tan Cheng Guan,
immediate past president of SWA, also participated as virtual panel
members during the two high-level plenaries at SIWW2021 Spotlight on
21 Jun 2021. SWA also co-organised a virtual two-day training programme
with SIWW on the topic Smart Water Management Using IoT and AI/
Machine Learning during the event.
SIWW2022 will be held next year from 17-21 Apr 2022 at the Sands Expo
and Convention Centre. As the organiser of the Singapore Pavilion at the
Water Expo, SWA invites our members to sign up for your choice booth at
the Pavilion early. The Pavilion is currently 80% booked. Lead IFM funding
is available for participating exhibitors.
To stay connected on the latest updates on SIWW, visit www.siww.com.
sg, or follow SIWW on LinkedIn.
[Webinar] Membrane Aerated Biofilm Reactor (MABR) Smart-Product-Solutions
Jointly organised with Fluence Corporation
3 Jun 2021, Complimentary, Webex
Gilad Yogev, senior product manager of
MABR products at Fluence Corporation,
shared with 75 attendees on Fluence’s
MABR technology to treat the wastewater
in a more efficient and cost-effective way
by innovative aeration process, including
nitrification and denitrification. Fluence
has not only owned wide-range of MABR
configurations, they would also like to
share the experience on many MABRbased
wastewater treatment projects in
China, US, Israel, Europe, South East Asia,
and more.
[Live] Sharing on PUB’s R&D Focus
Areas and Upcoming Initiatives
10 Jun 2021, Complimentary, Webex
The sharing session by Gu Yan, division head of tech scanning and
partnership, tech department, PUB, shed light with 116 attendees
on PUB’s Technology Roadmaps, the new R&D focus areas including
waste reduction and resource recovery, and decarbonisation; and
upcoming initiatives in sourcing innovation and partnerships, such
as upcoming grant calls, and global innovation challenges.
[Webinar] IWA & SWA – Sustainable Water Solutions: Efficiency in
Wastewater Treatment Technologies
Jointly organised with International Water Association
16 Jun 2021, Complimentary, Webex
Singapore Water Association (SWA) and International Water
Association (IWA) co-organised webinar Sustainable Water
Solutions: Efficiency in Wastewater Treatment Technologies
on 16 Jun 2021 was attended by more than 90 participants.
Vivien Seong, executive director for SWA, gave an overview
of SWA activities while Dr Li Hong, Asia and Oceania regional
director of IWA, presented IWA updates followed by technology
presentations by Mattenplant, Century Waters, Soutech
Technology, and Marche Polytechnic University.
Co-Organised by:
Sustainable Water Solutions:
Efficiency in Waste Water Treatment Technologies
enquiry@swa.org.sg
T: (65) 6515 0812
Scan/Click
to Register
Time (SGT)
Presenting Companies:
Agenda
3:00 pm Opening & Housekeeping by SWA
3:05pm
3:10pm
3:15pm
3.25pm
3.35pm
3.45pm
3.55pm
4.10pm
Welcome Address by SWA
Welcome Address by IWA
Sharing by Mattenplant Pte Ltd (Singapore)
Sharing by Century Water Systems &
Technologies Pte Ltd (Singapore)
Sharing by Soutech Technology
Development Group (China)
Sharing by Marche Polytechnic
University (Italy)
Q & A
Closing by SWA
SWA Industrial Water Series: NIKE Water Programme
Jointly organised with Nike Inc, Singapore
9 Jul 2021, Complimentary, Webex
To explore water opportunities in industrial projects, Singapore
Water Association (SWA) hosted a sharing session by Nike
Singapore on Friday, 9 Jul 2021, at 3pm. Paul Tan, water
deployment director at Nike Singapore, shared on Nike Water
Programme and partnering opportunities. Tan has more than 25
years of working experience in the area of water management
providing managerial, technical, strategic direction in water and
wastewater treatment globally across different industries.
SWA/SgWX Water Utilities Series: Severn Trent, UK:
Overcoming Climate Change and Net Zero Challenges
27 Jul 2021, Complimentary, Webex
The 8th edition of SgWX Water Utilities Series on 27 Jul 2021 was
moderated by Robin Wong, council member of SWA and regional
director of Royal Haskoning DHV. Providing water and wastewater
services to eight million people in the UK, Severn Trent is focused
on the challenges of climate change and the ambition to reach
Carbon Net Zero by 2030. This webinar introduces Severn Trent, its
regulatory context and how its innovation framework addresses
these goals. The speakers were Richard Smith, wastewater
innovation architect; and Keiron Maher, water innovation
architect. Both of them have more than 30 years’ experience in
the water industry.
SWA Industrial Water Series: Breakfast Talk with Kimberly-Clark:
The Water Loop – Towards Water
Stewardship and Security
Jointly organised with Kimberly-Clark
29 Jul 2021, Complimentary, Webex
Vetrivel Dhagumudi, global programme leader of Kimberly-
Clark, shared on the firm’s Water Loupe Programme and its
sustainability efforts towards water stewardship and security.
Kunal Shah, council member of SWA and managing director of
Anaergia, moderated a Q&A session with great insights on water
sustainability plans beyond Singapore.
SWA WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS
(joined in May and Jul 2021)
ORDINARY MEMBERS
1. Environmental and Public Health International (Chicago)
2. Hitachi Aqua-Tech Engrg Pte Ltd
3. Ifm Electronic Pte Ltd
4. Rockwell Automation S.E.A. Pte Ltd
5. Wilo (Singapore) Pte Ltd
ASSOCIATE & INSTITUTE
1. Biokube Asia Pacific Pte Ltd
2. IMERYS Aluminates Asia Pacific P/L
3. Nanostone Water Inc. Singapore
4. Republic Polytechnic
5. Shell Chemicals Seraya Pte Ltd
6. SGLab Pte Ltd
7. Tridon Enterprise Pte Ltd
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS
1. Mr Daniel Martens
2. Ms Yeo Keng Suan
2021 EVENTS CALENDAR
This year will be bustling filled with water shows,
networking events, knowledge sharing sessions and
webinars. We have an exciting and interesting lined
up of water series with PUB, Singapore’s national
water agency. Download from https://www.swa.org.
sg/2021-events-calendar/.
INTERESTED TO JOIN SWA?
We welcome all organisations who are actively
involved and interested in the water and
wastewater industry to join Singapore Water
Association as either Ordinary, Associate or
Institutional member.
Sign up at https://www.swa.org.sg/membership/
sign-up-online
ON OUR RADAR WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
TSURUMI INTEGRATES
IE3 MOTOR to submersible
Tsurumi Avant is the latest product brand
developed by Tsurumi with an eye on
the future of the pump and wastewater
treatment equipment markets. Paired
with an IE3 motor, the Tsurumi Avant
MQ-series is designed to improve overall
efficiency, which, for users, translates into
energy savings.
sewage pumps
Submersible sewage
pumps MQ-series
A look into the closed
jacket cooling system
of the Tsurumi Avant
MQ-series
The MQ-series comes in a diverse lineup
with discharge bores of 50-600mm,
motor outputs of 1.8-355kW and five
types of impellers – Open Channel,
Chopper, Vortex, Grinder or High Head.
The pump can be customised accordingly
to the user’s needs, from material parts,
cable type and length, to protective and
monitoring sensors, paint and withstand
high temperature liquids.
Pumps can also be selected according
to the place of installation, between a
wet version engineered for submersing in
water and a dry version built with
a closed jacket cooling system
with internal recirculation that
enables dry-running operation
indoors or outside of tanks.
Particularly for the dry version of
the MQ-series, the system is able
to cool the motor by circulating a waterglycol
mix in a closed circuit. This coolant
is circulated within the circuit where it
remains separated from sewerage via a
compact axial flow impeller mounted on
the shaft, thus addressing the issue on
wastewater infiltrating the oil chamber if
the mechanical seals become worn.
Tsurumi has also simplified the process of
selection a pump with the Tsurumi Avant
Selection System (TASS), where operators
can search and view pumps online. The user
can start by selecting their duty point, then
click their way through the latest product
specification, performance curves, and data
sheets like dimensions and motor data.
The Tsurumi Avant brand embodies
Tsurumi’s philosophy of “being water- and
people-friendly”. With energy savings of
the MQ-series and the paperless ordering
of the TASS app, Tsurumi is taking steps
to conserve resources and help realise
sustainable lifestyles and business
practices. Understanding how water is
an inseparable part of human life and
endeavour, Tsurumi remains committed to
supplying products and technologies that
enable users to protect and control this
valuable resource.
58
ON OUR RADAR WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
ZWEEC REVOLUTIONISES
identification and counting
of planktonic algae
Algapro 21L, the online version for onsite
phytoplankton monitoring
ZWEEC Analytics, a Singapore-based water
technology company, has been developing
technological solutions to address challenges
in the water and environmental sectors. The
company has launched Algapro 20S, an
artificial intelligence (AI) identification and
counting system of phytoplankton, to monitor
water resources and prevent harmful algal
blooms (HABs).
authorities and utility organisations to ensure
the water is safe for the communities.
ZWEEC’s Algapro 20S is integrated with deep
learning algorithms and advanced automatic
systems, enabling automatic phytoplankton
monitoring on a large scale and high
frequency. Compared with the traditional
manual methods of phytoplankton monitoring
using the microscope, Algapro 20S shortens
the time to process 15 units of samples to six
hours. This, according to ZWEEC, represents
four times increase in efficiency gains
compared to traditional approaches.
Furthermore, Algapro achieves more than
80% accuracy on phytoplankton identification
and counting, the company claimed. With
Algapro 20S, ZWEEC is confident that
large scale phytoplankton monitoring can
take place “accurately, consistently, and
efficiently” to protect water resources from
phytoplankton contamination.
Algapro 20S has been adopted by the
Yangtze River Authority to monitor China’s
waterways. Its deep learning algorithm
has been programmed to identify about
30,000-labelled microscopic images of
phytoplankton belonging to 40 common
genera from the Yangtze River basin.
During the training, the algorithm reached a
detection accuracy of 97% for the test set.
The comparing tests with human expert
microscopic counting results using field
samples showed the differences below 30%
for both the total amount and percentage of
recognised major genera.
The algorithm of Algapro is continuously
developed to further enhancing its accuracy
and efficiency. For instance, ZWEEC
has collaborated with PUB, Singapore’s
national water agency, to expand the data
size and genera numbers. ZWEEC has
also developed an online version of the
system, Algapro 21L, which enables onsite
continuous monitoring of phytoplankton.
Moving forward, ZWEEC will also expand
the application of Algapro to monitor
phytoplankton in other areas such as
seawater.
Phytoplankton, or planktonic algae, are the
primary producer in water bodies, and their
quantity, species, and distribution have an
impact on the aquatic ecosystems. Regular
phytoplankton monitoring is an important
means to diagnose and maintain the aquatic
ecosystem’s health. It is critical for water
Algapro 20S, the lab version for automatic phytoplankton identification and counting
59
SNEAK PEEK WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
INDONESIA
INFRASTRUCTURE
WEEK returns this November
Three events, one platform.
Three events – Indonesia Infrastructure
Week, Konstruksi Indonesia, and
Beton Indonesia – will be returning this
2021. The event will be held virtually
from 1-10 Nov 2021 through the
Infrastructure Connect! digital platform
that can be accessed from web and
mobile.
Infrastructure Connect! will retain all
the main features of live exhibitions
and conferences, providing a safe
and efficient platform for companies
and industry professionals to
reconnect with buyers and specifiers,
exchange knowledge, and discuss in a
networking forum.
the infrastructure development
programme, and to be a business
platform for trade professionals
to strengthen their networks and
contacts. It is also dubbed the
“largest” gathering of infrastructure
stakeholders and decision makers
in Indonesia, and offers a complete
ecosystem for the national
infrastructure growth.
Co-located with Konstruksi
Indonesia, an official annual agenda
of Indonesia Ministry of Public
Works and Housing, and Beton
Indonesia – in collaboration with
The Indonesian Association of
Precast and Prestressed Concrete
Companies – AP3I, Indonesia
Infrastructure Week continues to
serve as the event for infrastructure
construction professionals, project
owners and developers, investors
and all relevant stakeholders in
building the future of infrastructure
in Indonesia.
Konstruksi Indonesia is the official
annual agenda of the Ministry of
Public Works and the Housing
Republic of Indonesia, and aims
to be the driver of Indonesia’s
construction industry towards
excellence and distinction.
Indonesia Infrastructure Week is an
annual event housed by the Indonesian
Chamber of Commerce and Industry
– Kadin Indonesia to support
60
SHOW REVIEW WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
SIWW2021
took place from
21 Jun-2 Jul 2021
How will you summarise Singapore
International Water Week (SIWW)
2021 – can you share with us the key
takeaway and feedback PUB has
received from the participants?
Ryan Yuen: SIWW2021 took place
amid very challenging conditions.
With the global pandemic affecting
international travel, we had to pivot the
event to a fully virtual format within a
short duration. While this was our first
time organising the event virtually, we
are very pleased by the strong turnout
of the international water community,
with close to 5,000 attendees from
91 countries and regions.
SIWW2021:
Co-creating water
solutions for the future
The recently-concluded Singapore International Water Week
(SIWW) 2021 explored how innovation can be harnessed to
overcome water challenges in the face of climate change and
in a post-pandemic era. Speaking with Water & Wastewater
Asia, Ryan Yuen, managing director of SIWW and deputy
director, industry and technology collaboration department,
PUB, Singapore’s national water agency, sheds insights into
the making of the event a success.
For this year’s event, we showcased
innovation, technologies and best
practices in different aspects of urban
water management across our various
programme elements, with a particular
focus on emerging trends and themes
such as digital water, resource recovery,
and climate resilience. The richness and
diversity of the content has gone down
well with our participants, with many
enjoying the opportunity to listen and
learn from the many case studies that
were presented during the 140 hours
of live broadcast. For example, one
of our participants felt that the whole
SIWW programme was meticulously
well-organised, hinging around a portal
which allowed delegates to easily
click between different sessions, view
posters and abstracts, visit the virtual
expo, and set up online meetings.
To ensure that our participants do not
miss out on all the content, SIWW2021
also introduced an on-demand section
on the SIWW website, which allows our
attendees to catch up on the session
recordings at their own time until end of
August.
A few key takeaways came out from the
event. Firstly, despite disruptions from
the COVID-19 pandemic, water utilities
61
SHOW REVIEW WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
SIWW2021 Spotlight showcased approaches by different stakeholders, and
how embracing an innovative mindset and working collaboratively uncovers
opportunities to achieve water sustainability
A session with the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize Laureates
remain steadfast in their mission to provide
uninterrupted essential services to the
communities they serve.
Secondly, it is clear that business cannot
continue as usual, and innovation and
new approaches will be required. In this
regard, collaboration and partnership will
be key to shortening the learning curve
and avoiding past mistakes. Adapting to an
uncertain future and to better prepare for
future climate risks will require utilities to
innovate and build stronger collaboration
and partnerships with multi-stakeholders,
tapping on the know-hows of the industry,
learning from the lessons of other utilities,
and building trust with local communities.
Thirdly, sustainability is no longer just a
concept but a key principle that guides how
the water industry and utilities are operating
today. At SIWW2021, we witness a number
of case studies of utilities putting circularity
and sustainable practices in-place. These
include utilities striving to become net zero,
embarking on decarbonisation initiatives,
tapping on renewable energy sources like
solar, and leveraging synergies in the waterenergy-food
nexus.
Also, digital transformation of utilities
is gaining momentum with increased
recognition that digital tools are enablers for
utilities to improve operational efficiencies
and make better informed decisions. There
is a growing plethora of utility case studies
that demonstrate the tangible benefits
of digital transformation, and how they
overcome challenges and barriers to digital
adoption.
Lastly, climate change and rising sea
levels are major threats as they place
constraints on utilities to provide safe
drinking water and sanitation in variable
environmental conditions. We are seeing
an increasing number of utilities that
are climate-proofing their water supply
sources with the adoption of water reuse
technologies that are more efficient
and less energy intensive. We also see
governments and utilities developing
long-term adaptation strategies to
strengthen resilience against extreme
weather events and sea level rise,
similar to what PUB is doing, as the
national coastal protection agency.
For this virtual edition of SIWW, what
are some of the challenges PUB
faced and successfully overcame?
Particularly for the Virtual Expo, how
has this platform enabled exhibitors
to better demonstrate and showcase
their products and solutions?
Yuen: Prior to SIWW2021, we piloted a
two-day online event in November 2020.
That pilot provided many useful insights,
which helped us finetune our offerings
for SIWW2021.
For example, we had to organise the
programme to cater to different time
zones of our international speakers
and delegates, and manage viewer
fatigue. As with any virtual event, the
biggest challenge is replicating the
human-to-human interaction that exists
in physical events. For the SIWW2021
Water Expo, we tried to overcome this
by allowing our exhibitors to display
their solutions via multimedia, write-ups
and downloadable brochures in their
virtual booth. Using data analytics, we
provided information on the visitors
to these booths to allow exhibitors to
conduct post-event follow-ups.
Exhibitors also had the opportunity
to demonstrate their solutions via
some 30 Product and Technology
Showcases which formed part of the
SIWW2021 Online programme. These
sessions were well-received with good
attendance.
In your opinion, how will the MICE
industry evolve in a post-pandemic
era, and what strategies have PUB
developed to adapt to this new
normal?
Yuen: With the onset of the pandemic
in early 2020, it affirmed our approach
to leverage digital tools to organise and
better present SIWW in order to create
greater values to our stakeholders and
extend SIWW’s reach.
The pilot in November 2020 and the fully
virtual SIWW in June 2021 validated
our desired outcome and enabled us
to reach out to a new segment of the
international water community who
had never attended SIWW previously.
Post-pandemic, it is likely that we will
see many MICE events retaining a
digital online presence even with the
resumption of physical shows. The
same is likely to apply for the next
SIWW, which will take place next year
from 17-22 Apr 2022.
62
WHAT’S NEXT WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
EVENT CALENDAR
2021 AND 2022
SEPTEMBER 2021
20 - 24 Sep
Malaysia International Water Convention
2021 (Virtual Edition)
OCTOBER 2021
14 – 16 Oct
Pumps & Valves Asia 2021 (Virtual Edition)
16 – 20 Oct
Water Environmental Federation’s
Technical Exhibition and Conference
(WEFTEC) 2021
Chicago, USA
NOVEMBER 2021
3 – 5 Nov
Indonesia Infrastructure Week 2021
Jakarta, Indonesia
10 – 11 Nov
Asia Smart Water Utilities 2021
Singapore
10 – 12 Nov
Vietwater (Ho Chi Minh) 2021
Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
DECEMBER 2021
8 – 10 Dec
Water Philippines 2021
Manila, Philippines
JANUARY 2022
17 – 19 Jan
Water Future Energy Summit (WFES)
Water 2022
Abu Dhabi, UAE
FEBRUARY 2022
22 – 23 Feb
World Water – Tech Innovation Summit
2022
London, UK
MARCH 2022
29 – 31 Mar
Asia Water 2022
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
APRIL 2022
4 – 8 Apr
ACHEMA 2022
Frankfurt, Germany
17 – 21 Apr
Singapore International Water Week 2022
Singapore
MAY 2022
16 – 18 May
Global Water Summit 2022
Madrid, Spain
30 May – 3 Jun
IFAT Munich 2022
Munich, Germany
AUGUST 2022
4 – 6 Aug
LANKAWATER’22
Colombo, Sri Lanka
SEPTEMBER 2022
6 – 8 Sep
CAMWATER 2022
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
8 – 10 Sep
DANANG WATER
Da Nang, Vietnam
11 – 15 Sep
IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition
2022
Copenhagen, Denmark
14 – 16 Sep
Thai Water2022
Bangkok, Thailand
14 – 16 Sep
Pumps & Valves Asia 2022
Bangkok, Thailand
OCTOBER 2022
9 - 13 Oct
IDA World Congress
Sydney, Australia
20 – 22 Oct
LAOWATER’22
Vientiane, Laos
NOVEMBER 2022
3 – 5 Nov
MyanWater 2022
Yangon, Myanmar
26 – 28 Jan
InterAqua 2022
Tokyo, Japan
*Due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has resulted in closed
borders and travel restrictions, please check the events’
websites for the latest updates and changes.
63
ADVERTISERS’ INDEX WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
INDEX OF
ADVERTISERS
ADVERTISER
PAGE
ADVERTISER
PAGE
DANFOSS MALAYSIA SDN. BHD. 64
OVARRO CONNECTING TECHNOLOGIES
IFC
FINETEK 13
SEKO UK LTD 45
GUANGDONG LESSO TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD
OBC
TIP BIOSYSTEMS 21
HARBIN FIRSTLINE ENVIRONMENT TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD 41
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA
1, 5, IBC
LACROIX SOFREL 9
NANOSTONE WATER, INC. 35
WEHRLE UMWELT GMBH 51
XYLEM JAPAN 27
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64
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