Water & Wastewater Asia November/December 2021

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021
www.waterwastewaterasia.com
ABB’s technology addresses
water scarcity in Singapore
Key trends to focus for 2022:
The digital opportunity of
the water industry
Filter press with AODD pumps

TECHNOLOGY THAT’S TRUSTED THE WORLD OVER
Water authorities across the globe rely on our data-driven solutions to advance
productivity, safety, operations, sustainability and financial performance.
MONITORING
& CONTROL
ANALYTICS
TELEMETRY
CONSULTANCY

CONTENTS
16
42
CONTENTS
04 Editor’s Note
06 News
56 SWA Newsletter
63 What’s Next?
64 Advertisers’ Index
SINGAPORE FOCUS
16 Safeguarding water systems
5 MINUTES WITH
18 In-Situ brings innovations to
new fluorometers
20 The future of water
conservation: Promoting
sanitation and product
innovation help meet future
water needs
ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT
22 Strategic solutions for riskmitigation
24 Growth for unconventional
water resources as climate
change cities
25 New filtering method
promises safe drinking water
production
2 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

CONTENTS
44
50
62
IN THE FIELD
26 Sludge as a resource: A look at
thermal hydrolysis in Asia
29 ABB’s technology addresses
water scarcity in Singapore
31 Royal HaskoningDHV’s
Aquasuite automates water
production and distribution for
Vitens
34 PC-based control platform
optimises water treatment
product dosing
FOCUS
37 Key trends to focus for 2022:
The digital opportunity of the
water industry
40 Size matters: To achieve
circularity, we need scale
42 Process automation in
seawater desalination
44 Keeping a good overview:
VEGAPULS 11 delivers level
readings from remote areas
VIEWPOINT
47 Industrial wastewater challenge
HOTSEAT
50 Filter press with AODD pumps
52 StormHarvester joins Wessex Water
in AI wastewater network rollout
54 Energy management: Using variable
frequency drive to improve process
mixing efficiency
ON OUR RADAR
60 Tsurumi equips MMR-series of
submersible mixers with IE3 motor
61 A leak heard: Wavin launches its
first pipe fitting with leak alert
feature
62 Andritz launches AI-supported
polymer dosage system
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 3

FROM THE EDITOR
Heading into the final months of 2021, the year will soon fly by as here marks the last issue
of Water & Wastewater Asia for the year. Looking back, the COVID-19 pandemic and its
repercussions have continued into 2021 – more new variants of the virus have emerged,
and the path to the largest vaccination programme in the history of mankind has been a
challenging journey. Other news stories that have made the year include major cyberattacks
that impact livelihoods and disrupt supply chains, and the pressing need to accelerate
efforts against climate change.
Dubbed a “turning point for humanity” to reverse the climate crisis, the COP26 global
climate summit in Glasgow, which is on-going at the point of writing, is seen crucial if
climate change is to be brought under control. UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson even
described the event as a “moment of truth”, and said: “I hope world leaders will hear them
and come to Glasgow ready to answer them with decisive action. Together, we can mark
the beginning of the end of climate change – and end the uncertainty once and for all.”
In this issue, Markus Brandstetter, CTO at Grundfos, cited an Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change (IPCC) report, which pointed out climate change is intensifying the
water cycle, bringing with it more intense rainfall and associated flooding, as well as more
intense droughts in many regions. However, he also highlighted countries have been taking
“actionable steps” towards decarbonisation, and said: “Governments and industries are
now focused on renewable and clean energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with the
ambition of reaching net zero. However, with limited resources in the face of a brutalising
pandemic, the water industry needs to move strategically to meet sustainability goals.” To
find out more, flip to page 37.
On use cases, VEGA’s radar level measuring instruments have provided readings for
ecologically-friendly water management in Belgium. The instrument contains a radar
microchip that was optimised for the requirements of level measurement, allowing the
Flanders Environment Agency to gain “better insight into its water supply and distribution
reality, and to calibrate hydrological models”. Find out more about the project on page 44.
As we close off the chapter for 2021, we are also looking forward to new possibilities and
opportunities over the horizon the coming new year might bring forth. Do continue staying
safe, and happy holidays in advance from all of us at Water & Wastewater Asia.
Cheers,
Pang Yanrong
2021: A BUMPY
YEAR FILLED
WITH BIG
CHANGES
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Water & Wastewater Asia
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4 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

Elektra
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dosing pumps, wherever you are
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A world of data at your fingertips
The Elektra digital dosing pump controller from SEKO allows
you to monitor and manage your dosing equipment 24/7 via
smartphone for a new standard in operational efficiency and
accessibility in water-treatment applications.
www.seko.com
Scan me to find out more

NEWS
PUB AWARDS CONTRACT
TO INSTALL “WORLD’S
LARGEST” CERAMIC
MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR
FACILITY AT TUAS WATER
RECLAMATION PLANT
The Tuas WRP will treat industrial used water at a treatment capacity of 75,000m 3 /day
(Photo credit: Yamin Ohmar/Unsplash)
PUB, Singapore’s national water agency,
has appointed Koh Brothers Building &
Civil Engineering to install the mechanical,
electrical, instrumentation, controls and
automation (MEICA) equipment for the first of
Tuas Water Reclamation Plant’s (WRP) two
Industrial Liquids Modules (ILMs), which will
treat industrial used water.
The contract, valued at S$200.7 million
(US$148.7m), includes the installation of
process equipment and a ceramic membrane
bioreactor (MBR) system. According to PUB,
the Tuas WRP will house the world’s largest
ceramic MBR facility when completed, with a
treatment capacity of 75,000m 3 daily. Works
are scheduled to commence this November,
and ILM1 will be commissioned by 2025.
To assess the feasibility of deploying
ceramic MBR technology, PUB operated a
demonstration plant with a daily treatment
capacity of 4,550m 3 at Jurong WRP since
2014. The system was found to be resilient
against chemical damage, and was able
to treat high-strength industrial used water
effectively to produce high-quality treated
effluent. In addition, ceramic membranes
are projected to have a longer lifespan as
compared to polymeric membranes.
Yong Wei Hin, director, Deep Tunnel
Sewerage System Phase 2 (DTSS2), PUB,
commented: “The deployment of ceramic
MBR technology is significant in finally
closing our water loop as we are now able to
reclaim the industrial used water stream for
reuse. This will ensure a more resilient and
sustainable water supply for Singapore.”
Tuas WRP is a key component of PUB’s
DTSS2 project, and will be equipped to
receive both industrial and domestic used
water streams from two separate deep
tunnels for treatment. The plant, with an initial
treatment capacity of 800,000m 3 per day, will
be co-located with the National Environment
Agency’s Integrated Waste Management
Facility to collectively form Tuas Nexus,
which integrates solid waste and used water
treatment processes to harness various
synergies that will improve overall plant
performance and optimise land use.
The DTSS2 is a $6.5 billion infrastructure
project that will enhance Singapore’s water
sustainability by enhancing PUB’s capability
to reclaim and recycle water in an endless
cycle. Upon completion in 2025, it will
convey used water via deep tunnels from the
western part of Singapore to Tuas WRP for
treatment.
DTSS Phase 1, which covers eastern
Singapore and channels used water to
Changi WRP, was completed in 2008.
THAMES WATER SELECTS SAMOTICS AS
PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE PARTNER
Samotics has been selected by Thames
Water Utilities as its sole supplier for electrical
signature analysis (ESA) technology through
at least 2025. Under the agreement, the
former is tasked to provide ESA monitoring
technology and services for Thames Water’s
equipment fleet, with an option to renew for
another five years at the end of the initial term.
The award is part of Thames Water’s strategy
to achieve cost-effective reliability through
the condition-based maintenance (CBM)
of its critical equipment. To that end, three
tenders were issued, for three different CBM
technologies – vibration, thermography and
ESA. ESA is the company’s technology of
choice for its fleet of submerged assets,
whose location makes it hard to acquire
high-frequency data. Because the electrical
data used in ESA can be captured remotely
in the motor control centre, it eliminates the
need to install sensors on or even near the
equipment.
The use of electrical data is said to have two
other advantages for Thames Water’s overall
monitoring strategy. All CBM technologies
detect a broad range of mechanical faults,
and ESA is “the only one” that can detect
electrical faults, which cause up to 30% of
equipment failures. CBM technology can also
report on energy efficiency, which Thames
Water will use to help achieve its goal of net
zero carbon by 2030.
Tim van Leeuwen, head of sales at Samotics,
said: “Thames Water did an incredible amount
of groundwork for this initiative, so they could
install working technology at scale from the
start. We are honoured and delighted to be
their long-term partner for electrical signature
analysis.”
6 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

NEWS
OXYMEM NAMED AMONG
WINNERS OF £36M
WATER BREAKTHROUGH
CHALLENGE
OxyMem membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR)
technology will be used in the Anglian Water Triple Carbon
Reduction project, named as one of the nine winners of
Ofwat’s Water Breakthrough Challenge, sharing in £36
million (US$49.4m) to deliver wide scale, transformational
change to benefit customers, society, and the environment.
Run by Ofwat and Nesta Challenges, in partnership with
Arup, the Water Breakthrough Challenge is the second
competition deliver under Ofwat’s £200m (US$274.5m)
Innovation Fund.
SOFREL
ChlorIN
A COMPLETE SOLUTION
FOR REAL-TIME CHLORINE
TREND MONITORING
OxyMem MABR technology will be employed in the
project to support for water and wastewater customers.
For instance, it will be used to eliminate N2O process
emissions from secondary wastewater treatment and
the associated climate impact on customers through
integration of new to market technologies, improve
energy efficiency of secondary wastewater treatment
and quantify the potential savings that can be passed
on to customers, and validate how the approach can be
scaled up and implemented across the waters sector for
all customers.
John McConomy, commercial director for OxyMem,
commented: “Through the Water Breakthrough
Challenge Triple Carbon Reduction project, water
treatment professionals will gain valuable insight into
how wastewater can be effectively and safely treated
and returned to the environment using significantly
less energy and lower greenhouse gas emissions than
traditional treatment systems. As N2O emissions are
about 300 times more harmful than CO2, reducing this
emission using MABR technology could have a profound
impact on the environment and help tackle climate
change.
Trend monitoring and
alert station
Stand-alone and communicative
solution
Waterproof & battery powered data
logger
Optimisation of network performance
Installation ease
“Knowledge gained from this initiative will provide
designers with confidence to tailor more sustainable
new-build treatment solutions and could help reduce
energy and emissions on the thousands of existing
treatment plants across England and Wales over the next
decade as the industry strives to achieve 2030 Net Zero
Emission goals.”
www.lacroix-environment.com
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 7

NEWS
GRUNDFOS INTRODUCES NEW GROUNDWATER
PUMP CONTROLLER TO ADVANCE APAC’S SMART
AGRICULTURE FUTURE
Grundfos has launched the LC232 Controller
to four markets in the Asia-Pacific region,
namely Indonesia, Thailand, Australia
and New Zealand. The LC232 Controller
utilises smart technology to bring ease of
use, monitoring capabilities, and greater
connectivity.
Increasingly, smart agricultural solutions aim
to optimise productivity and meet the key
challenges farmers face, including regular
equipment maintenance, being labour
intensive to keep track of operations, and
ensuring resources are used precisely and
efficiency. A key area where smart technology
needs to play a bigger role in is groundwater
intake, which is becoming increasingly
important in agricultural production.
The LC232 Controller allows for remote
monitoring and access of submersible
borehold pumps, enabling intelligent control
right at operator’s fingertips. The Bluetoothenabled
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. Users
can manage tasks anytime when in range,
reducing the need for manpower and lowing
operational costs.
The Grundfos Go Remote app also alerts the
user via a series of alarms that indicate issues
such as pump overheating, dry-run, or highwater
levels. Users can easily access pump
diagnostics, create, and email reports on-site
from the app. This ensures users can quickly
address any operational issues, reducing
unnecessary downtime and maintenance
costs, and ultimately extend the lifespan of
their submersible borehole pumps.
Commenting on the launch of the new
solution, Rick Holland, senior regional sales
director, water utility – Asia-Pacific and
country director Australia, said: “Agriculture is
an important industry across Asia-Pacific, but
it is also rightfully considered to be one of the
most resource and labour-intensive industries.
The LC232 Controller from Grundfos
“With the LC232 Controller, we have created
an industry-first that empowers them with
greater control and functionality on their
groundwater systems, so that they can focus
their time and energy on other agricultural
processes and help drive agricultural
productivity to greater heights.”
Designed for applications with one or two
pumps, the LC232 Controller is also ideal
for water intake applications in private
installations or smaller waterworks, as well
as water lowering on construction sites.
Other applications include tank emptying
or filling applications with float switch or
analogue travel transmitters. Supporting up
to five control levels for both analogue level
transmitter or float switch operations, the
LC232 Controller allows users to avoid over
pumping their borehole in water intake or
irrigation applications.
KEMIRA OPENS NEW R&D CENTRE IN SHANGHAI
Kemira has opened its new Asia-Pacific R&D biodegradable and recyclable products in the
centre in Pujiang Town, Shanghai, China, Asian region.
to meet the growing market demand and
accelerate efforts to develop renewable, The 24,000sqm R&D centre will offer
bleaching, sizing, polymers, coagulants and
biomaterial expertise as well as application
solutions to China and Asia-Pacific markets. It
will serve Kemira’s paper and board customer
base as well as water treatment growth
initiatives in the region.
cost-conscious and environmentally focused
markets.”
The new centre will also work with Kemira’s
Nanjing ang Yanzhou sites in China, and its
Ulsan site in South Korea to develop consistent
production processes, and source new raw
materials and end products. It is an integral part
of Kemira’s global R&D network, in collaboration
with other Kemira research centres based in
Espoo in Finland, and Atlanta in the US, to
deliver innovation into global markets.
Michelle Xiao, director of technology, R&D,
Asia-Pacific, Kemira, commented: “With
the increasing market need for sustainable
materials in China, we have expanded our
polymer and biomaterial research capabilities
to better serve our customers, and help
them stay competitive in the fast-paced,
Matthew Pixton, CTO for Kemira, concluded:
“This new R&D centre will help us develop
innovative products and focus on meeting
the needs for both our local customers by
providing a short turnaround time and our
global customers working on long-term
projects.”
8 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

NEWS
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 9

NEWS
ARMSTRONG FLUID TECHNOLOGY WINS PROJECT
OF THE YEAR ACCOLADE AT THE PUMP INDUSTRY AWARDS
Armstrong Fluid Technology has
been awarded the Project of the Year
category at the Pump Industry Awards
2020/2021.
The winning project was an energy
upgrade carried out by Armstrong
Fluid Technology for the National
Grid. The priorities for National Grid’s
three-story commercial office block
in Solihull, England included the need
to reduce energy costs and improve
environmental performance. The pumps
to be replaced were Holden and Brooke
models manufactured in 2022, ranging
in size from 7.5-37kW. The Armstrong
Design Envelope replacements
delivered a 70% reduction in annual
energy usage, saving £22,400
(US$30.788) per annum in energy costs,
and representing an annual reduction in
carbon emissions of 57,432kg of CO2.
Other aspects of the project
included fast installation, 24/7
remote monitoring for optimisation
of performance throughout the life of
the equipment, and the recycling of
3.5 tons of material from the legacy
pumps removed during the upgrade.
Stephen Hart, sales director – UK,
who accepted the award on behalf
of Armstrong Fluid Technology,
said: “We are extremely proud
to receive the Project of the Year
award. Enormous improvements
in the environmental performance
of buildings are possible with
the latest generation of fluid flow
solutions. We are committed to
help our customers meet their
sustainability targets as well as save
energy. The BPMA awards are so
important, because they celebrate the
highest achievements in design and
implementation of pump technology
and highlight the important role our
industry plays in a sustainable future.”
Armstrong Fluid Technology clinched the Project of the Year award at
the Pump Industry Awards 2020/2021
DIEHL METERING ADDRESSES NON-REVENUE WATER IN KENYA
Eldoret Water and Sanitation (ELDOWAS) has
been supplying water to Eldoret town in the
Rift Valley of Kenya. The water company was
looking to set new standards in customer
satisfaction, but it first had to overcome a
number of network problems. These include
leaks, unreliable billing, and a non-revenue
water rate of 42%, mainly due to fraud and
theft.
To address these issues, ELDOWAS worked
with Diehl Metering and its local partner
Eastern Africa DANCO to implement a pilot
automatic meter reading (AMR) solution.
This marks one of the first projects of its
kind in Kenya, with the scope soon extended
to include some 700 smart water meters.
Through this solution, ELDOWAS can monitor
its network more closely with data collected
by the smart meters and automatically
transferred for access via the IZAR Plus
Portal software.
The impact of the AMR solution has been
“striking”, Diehl Metering described.
In the areas where AMR has been
implemented, non-revenue water is
around 6%, compared to 42% in other
areas. ELDOWAS is also more reactive to
maintenance needs with alarms for leaks
and device anomalies, with most issues
resolved within a week rather than months,
as was the case previously.
A Kenyan water service provider adopts Diehl Metering’s AMR solution to reduce non-revenue water,
improve billing accuracy, and accelerate its reactivity to maintenance issues
Furthermore, billing has been more
accurate, thus increasing customer
satisfaction. The company also benefitted
from greater network efficiency while also
saving water and therefore contributing to a
more sustainable local economy.
10 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

NEWS
SMART SEPARATION SOLUTIONS
FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT
TECHNOLOGY – AUTOMATION – SERVICE
What works today may not work
tomorrow. Communities and utilities
are facing many challenges: rising
energy costs, aging infrastructure and
equipment, cyber-security concerns,
increasingly stringent regulations,
and the need to perform despite the
pandemic. Being prepared for future
challenges requires a partner like
ANDRITZ – with proven capabilities
in wastewater treatment. Our smart
solutions cover the key process steps,
from screening and thickening to
dewatering and drying – all backed by
customer-oriented service. What’s more,
Metris addIQ – ANDRITZ’s innovative
automation solution, tailor-made for the
industry – brings many tangible benefits
of digitalization: risk minimization, cybersecurity
support, increased efficiency,
and remote operations – all from a
single source!
ANDRITZ AG ⁄ Stattegger Strasse 18 ⁄ 8045 Graz ⁄ Austria ⁄ andritz.com/separation
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 11

NEWS
CITY OF ALICE AND
SEVEN SEAS WATER
ANNOUNCE CONTRACT
TO BUILD FIRST P3
BRACKISH WATER
DESALINATION PLANT
IN TEXAS
The Anderson Road grey water treatment plant project clinches the ICE 2021 Chris Binnie Award for Sustainable
Water Management for excellence in civil engineering from the Institution of Civil Engineers
BINNIES CELEBRATES ICE AWARDS WIN FOR
HONG KONG GREY WATER TREATMENT PLANT
The Anderson Road grey water treatment
plant, a project of the Water Supplies
Department of the Government of the Hong
Kong Special Administrative Region, has been
awarded the ICE 2021 Chris Binnie Award for
Sustainable Water Management. The project
was recognised for its sustainability, innovation
and applicability to new dense, high-rise
developments in the face of decreasing land
and water resources, with emphasis on the
added benefits to society.
As the engineering consultant for this grey
water treatment project, Binnies was involved
in supplying civil engineering services ranging
from planning, design, tendering through to
construction supervision.
The Anderson Road grey water treatment plant
is a district-wide grey water recycling plant;
and has a design capacity of 3,300m 3 /day for
treating the water collected from showers,
wash basins, sinks and laundry machines for
use in toilet flushing and other non-potable
purposes. As a key initiative to build water
supply resilience, this centralised water
recycling system will supply treated grey water
to a 40-hector former quarry site that is being
redeveloped into a new town for a population
of 30,000.
The project is a smart and sustainable
recycling system that will help save
freshwater for other portable purposes,
reduce sewage discharge, and promote
localised water reuse and thus minimise
water conveyance energy and cost.
Various innovations and technologies
were adopted for the project, including
membrane bioreactor technology, which
provides substantially clarified and effluent
for multiple reclaimed water uses. The
raw grey water from the Anderson Road
quarry site will be collected through a dual
sewage collection network, which Binnies
claimed as the first of its kind on a district
scale in Hong Kong.
Sustainability was at the heart of many of
the design decisions for the grey water
recycling system. The low-lying location
of the plant was selected to utilise gravity
in grey water collection and reduce the
long-term energy demand. The project
pioneers the use of a digital-twin solution
for smart monitoring to optimise existing
control systems and maximise asset
and energy performance, thereby leading
to reductions in the plant’s carbon
footprint.
The City of Alice, Texas and Seven Seas
Water Group, a provider of water-as-aservice
(WaaS) solutions, have executed
a contract for the construction of a
Public-Private Partnership brackish water
desalination plant to provide fresh drinking
water to the residents of the City of Alice,
Texas. This marks the first Public-Private
Partnership to construct a brackish water
treatment plant in the state of Texas. Seven
Seas Water will finance, design, build,
operate, and maintain a brackish water
reverse osmosis (BWRO) plant on land
owned by the city.
Henry Charrabé, CEO of Seven Seas Water,
said: “We are proud to provide a new source
of fresh, drinking water for the citizens that
is effective and cost efficient. This model of
a public-private partnership is the blueprint
to help resolve the water and wastewater
infrastructure challenges and backlog in the
US.”
Less than one year ago, Seven Seas
Water also announced its acquisition of a
20MGD conventional water treatment plant
system in Panama, serving a population of
approximately 420,000 residents.
“We are thrilled that the City of Alice has
chosen us to be their long-term partner
for this critical public water infrastructure,”
Richard Whiting, vice-president of business
development for Seven Seas Water,
concluded. “We sincerely hope that other
municipalities will be able to look at this
project delivery model as the template for
how to marry public and private sector
financing to deliver critical infrastructure in a
timely and affordable manner.”
12 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

NEWS
SULZER SUPPLIES PUMPS AND AGITATORS
TO WATER TREATMENT PLANT IN EGYPT
Representing an investment of
approximately US$100 million,
the water treatment facility for the
El Temsah Lake treats up to 1 million
cubic meters of agricultural wastewater
per day. The plant provides clean
water to irrigate 70,000 acres of nearby
agricultural land.
Sulzer was selected to supply a
range of pumps and agitators that are
designed to meet the requirements of
the agricultural wastewater treatment
process. The company delivered an
efficient process, allowing the plant
to achieve low operating costs with
a minimal environmental footprint.
Sulzer’s pumps and agitators are fitted
with high-efficiency motors to achieve
energy savings, reliability, and a long
service life, helping the plant to meet its
efficiency and sustainability goals.
The plant aims to ease pressure on
the River Nile’s strained resources, in a
country that sees almost no rainfall for
large parts of the year. It also contributes
to the ecological restoration of the
lake, which had suffered from growing
urbanisation in the region and decades
of run-off from surrounding farms.
Frederic Lalanne, president of
Sulzer’s pumps equipment division,
commented: “Securing, treating,
and delivering clean water are global
challenges that need to be overcome,
and we are positioned to help achieve
these goals with our customised
solutions. This project will sustainably
transform El Temsak Lake, saving this
essential water source for generations
to come and securing much-needed
clean water for agriculture.”
Sulzer’s pumps
and agitators are
supporting a water
treatment plant for
the El Temseh Lake
to irrigate 70,000
acres of agricultural
land in region as well
as reverse the lake’s
declining ecology
TORAY RECEIVES ORDER FOR
RABIGH 3 DESALINATION PLANT
Toray Industries has received reverse osmosis (RO)
membrane supply order for Rabigh 3 Desalination
Plant in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Not only will the
600,000m 3 /day desalination plant be the largest seawater
reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant in the country, according to
Toray, it will also be one of the largest SWRO plants in the
world.
Toray Membrane Middle East (TMME), Toray’s local
subsidiary located in Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
will supply the RO membranes and provide technical
services. TMME will supply locally-manufactured product,
provide commissioning support and autopsy service to help
address water shortages in the Middle East, which will also
ultimately contribute to stable energy supplies in the world.
In a statement, Toray pointed out the award of RO
membrane supply for Rabigh 3 Desalination Plant was
realised from its desalination reference over a decade,
operation record, and efficient proposal based on past
experience in the region.
Gulf countries have been investing extensively in
infrastructure to cater to rising populations and pushing
ahead with plans to build desalination plant to secure
sufficient drinking water.
Industrial
Industrial
Effluent
Effluent
Treatment
Treatment
and
and
Utilization
Utilization
BIOMEMBRAT ®
High
High
Performance
Performance
MBR
MBR
for
for
Industrial
Industrial
Applications
Applications
Dynamic
Dynamic
Operation:
Operation:
adapts
adapts
automatically
automatically
to
to
flow
flow
rate
rate
and
and
inlet
inlet
COD
COD
level
level
(saves power when low needs, takes care of peaks)
(saves power when low needs, takes care of peaks)
Easy
Easy
to
to
Operate:
Operate:
high
high
automation
automation
level
level
and
and
remote
remote
diagnostics
diagnostics &
control
control
(keeps your staff requirements low)
(keeps your staff requirements low)
Modular
Modular
Design:
Design:
grows
grows
with
with
your
your
expansions
expansions
and
and
performance
performance
plans
plans
(easy to extend to higher flow rate or to upgrade to water re-use)
(easy to extend to higher flow rate or to upgrade to water re-use)
A
firm
firm
grip
grip
on
on
the
the
production
production
factor
factor
water
water
ng@wehrle.asia
ng@wehrle.asia • www.wehrle.asia
www.wehrle.asia
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 13

NEWS
VEOLIA EXPANDS PILOT TESTING WITH
NX FILTRATION’S HOLLOW FIBRE
NANOFILTRATION TECHNOLOGY
avoiding the traditional multistage process
– consisting of coagulation, clarification and
filtration – and avoiding the use of chemicals.
Veolia has expanded its pilot testing
programme based on NX Filtration’s hollow
fibre nanofiltration membranes. In a series
of two new pilot programmes, NX Filtration’s
nanofiltration membranes will be tested
for the reuse of effluent from a municipal
wastewater treatment plant as well as for the
treatment of surface water.
Over the last year, Veolia has been conducting
lab-scale tests with NX Filtration’s hollow
fibre nanofiltration technology for various
applications in its scientific and technology
expertise department (STED). Here, Veolia
works with technologies to meet the
global environmental challenges and help
its customers move towards sustainable
solutions. In addition, Veolia-STED has been
piloting with NX Filtration’s Mexperience
pilot system, which allowed for long-term
testing on a specific wastewater treatment
application. Based on the results of these
tests, Veolia has decided to roll-out two larger
full-scale Mexpert pilot projects.
The first pilot project seeks to test the use of
hollow fibre nanofiltration membranes for the
reuse of wastewater treatment plant effluent.
Hollow fibre nanofiltration can serve as an
alternative for the traditional combination of
biological treatment, ultrafiltration and reverse
osmosis to produce high quality water. The
nanofiltration technology could be deployed
to address water scarcity issues in regions
of France challenged by summer droughts
in combination with high water consumption
during the holiday season.
The second pilot programme will focus on
the production of drinking water from surface
water. Here, Veolia is looking for an alternative
technology to produce drinking water,
Erik Roesink, CTO and founder of NX
Filtration, concluded: “We are proud to deploy
our hollow fibre nanofiltration membranes
for Veolia at two key applications for our
technology – wastewater reuse and drinking
water production from surface water. As
we control membrane properties on a
nanometre level, we have deployed a highly
effectively way of removing contaminants,
while containing minerals that are desirable in
drinking water.
“Contrary to other filtration technologies,
our nanofiltration membranes are capable
of treating polluted waters in a simple
one-step process, with lower energy usage
and avoiding the use of chemicals in pretreatment.”
The pilot projects are expected to have a
duration of approximately one year.
SUEZ WINS CONTRACT WITH BRITISH STEEL TO
IMPROVE ASSET PROTECTION
SUEZ Water Technologies and Solutions has
been awarded a chemical and monitoring
service contract by British Steel, an
integrated steel manufacturer owned by
Jingye Group, to improve the company’s
environmental footprint and compliance
at its integrated steel plant in Scunthorpe,
North Lincolnshire, UK.
The former will provide chemicals,
services, and digital solutions for cooling
water, boiler water, and wastewater
treatment that will improve automation and
offer better transparency into chemical
usage, water quality for reuse potential,
and wastewater clarification. Combined,
these services and solutions will help to
reduce the facility’s water consumption,
reduce energy spend, and improve water
quality for reuse.
SUEZ’s cooling water treatment offers cooling
water scale and corrosion inhibitors, some
biocides, full legionella treatment, and a
TrueSense unit, which works with SUEZ’s
InSight software to help optimise operations
and use less makeup water. Boiler water
treatment serves all conditioning chemicals
needed for boilers, providing reliability for
steam-generating systems. For wastewater
treatment, this includes all required
coagulants, polymers, and membrane pretreatment
chemicals for the steelmaker’s
reverse osmosis system.
Edward Arnott, operations director, energy,
British Steel, commented: “We’re focused
on improving our asset protection and
environmental performance, and with
water playing such an important role in the
steelmaking process, it’s important we have
British Steel selects SUEZ as its partner to help
improve asset protection, reduce water consumption,
and energy spend at its integrated steel plant in
Europe (Photo credit: the blowup/Unsplash)
first-class systems in place to manage our
water quality and develop new and improved
ways of working.”
14 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

NEWS
Global partnership scales Imagine H2O’s
work with entrepreneurial water solutions
(Photo credit: Samara Doole/Unsplash)
XYLEM EXPANDS
PARTNERSHIP WITH
IMAGINE H2O TO
SUPPORT WATER
ENTREPRENEURS
Xylem has announced an expanded
commitment to Imagine H2O, the water
innovation accelerator and ecosystem
for water entrepreneurs. As a global
partner, Xylem brings expanded support
to Imagine H2O’s start-up Accelerator,
and joins as the newest partner to Imagine
H2O Asia, the organisation’s Singaporebased
initiative supporting water solutions
across South East Asia.
Xylem’s recently-launched Xylem
Innovation Labs will work across
Imagine H2O’s programmes to support
entrepreneurs pioneering sustainable
solutions to the water challenges facing
communities and businesses, such as
water access and infrastructure resilience
and affordability. Xylem Innovation Labs
creates partnerships with technology
companies and start-ups to drive growth
through innovation. The Xylem team will
play an active role in the accelerator’s
evaluation process and mentorship
activities.
Sivan Zamir, senior director of Xylem
Innovation Labs, said: “Ongoing droughts and
intensified weather events underscore the
need to mobilise innovation on a broader scale,
faster, in the race to solve the world’s water
challenges. Xylem is proud to support Imagine
H2O in its role as the leading water innovation
accelerator encouraging the most promising
entrepreneurs and changemakers in water.”
Imagine H2O’s record of supporting digital
water solutions, combined with Xylem’s
technology expertise, will be central to this new
partnership. Additionally, Xylem’s support will
help expand Imagine H2O’s efforts to validate,
scale, and finance water solutions in highimpact
markets.
Scott Bryan, president for Imagine H2O,
concluded: “Together, we can make
meaningful progress towards unleashing new
technologies and ensuring that communities
can access the solutions required to provide
safe, affordable, and reliable water to
people.”
DIGITAL WATER START-UP
QATIUM ONBOARDS 150
UTILITIES AHEAD OF LAUNCH
Digital water company Qatium has
onboarded over 150 water utilities
in the last three months, and is
launching its water management
platform at Aquatech Amsterdam
this November.
Qatium gives utilities of all sizes
the visibility to improve network
performance, identify efficiencies
and ensure continuity of service.
By combining hydraulic models
with SCADA, AMI and GIS data,
Qatium can stimulate demand
spikes and water shutdowns,
predict bottlenecks, identify
leaks, run flushing scenarios to
reduce solids and monitor water
quality.
Qatium unveils its
water management
platform at Aquatech
Amsterdam this
November
Qatium provides municipalities
and water utilities with deep
analytics for managing their
networks regardless of their size,
expertise or resources. Outlining
the company’s long-term goals,
Roberto Tórtola, founder and CEO
of Qatium, said: “Qatium aims to
be the single-source of truth for
water professionals and a global
marketplace for water utilities, opensource
software developers, service
providers and technology vendors.”
Since the launch of its early adopter
programme less than three months
ago, over 150 utilities from around
the world have started using Qatium
to improve management and delivery
of their water systems.
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 15

SINGAPORE FOCUS
SAFEGUARDING
water systems
Heavy metal toxicity detection is crucial. And
leveraging on technologies, the discharge of effluent
containing pollutants can be monitored continuously
and on a 24/7 basis, as Dr Shailesh Kharkwal, CEO of
EnvironSens, elaborates more.
sensor enables better protection from
hazardous waste, and also helps operators
to identify those responsible for illegal or
accidental discharge.
EnvironSens, with its water team from
National University of Singapore and working
in partnership with PUB, has developed an
Integrated Intelligent Biosensor (I2BioS) for
monitoring of water quality and detecting
water toxicity in trade effluent; hence
safeguarding water treatment processes as
well as water bodies. The I2BioS provides
a solution by detecting toxic contaminant
present in trade effluents using embedded
algorithm, instant toxic sample collection by
in-house autosampler, online surveillance with
transmitting alerts and online data.
I2BioS has been scaled up, commercialised
and installed in over 100 industrial sites as
part of continuous water toxicity monitoring
regime in PUB, which is well integrated with
PUB’s operations and standard operating
procedures. More I2BioS units are installed
at more sites, and are integrated with a
dashboard for accessing information of
toxicity sensors installed at different industrial
sites, thus enhancing the overall operational
and maintenance efficiency.
Pollutants such as heavy metals – including
copper, nickel, cadmium, zinc, and lead – and
cyanide are tightly regulated in sewer water
discharge in Singapore or elsewhere. Before
discharge of used water into the sewers,
industries are to ensure that the water does
not exceed stringent limits on a range of
regulated parameters, one of which is heavy
metals and cyanide. These, if released, can
affect the downstream biological treatment
processes in the nation’s water reclamation
plants, and impact the production of
reclaimed water, named as NEWater in
Singapore.
In Singapore, companies are required
to send their used water for analysis by
accredited laboratories monthly. The results
of these tests are not available immediately
and due to the interval nature of checking,
not all discharge can be monitored. Adhoc
inspections are carried out by PUB,
Singapore’s national water agency, to ensure
that discharge complies with regulations. As a
result, the development of a reliable upstream
toxicity sensor that detects the illegal or
accidental discharge of heavy metals and
cyanide all the time into used water network is
of paramount interest.
Early detection of high concentrations of toxic
compounds and receiving early warnings
about illegal pollution of the used water
network by using a water quality monitoring
ABOUT I2BIOS
The I2BioS was developed using microbial
fuel cell technology. It works on the principle
of bioelectrochemistry. Electrochemically
active bacteria at the anode surface of the
I2BioS sensor metabolise organics and
produce electrons. The flow of the electrons
between the anode and cathode surfaces
through an external circuit of the I2BioS
generates an electric current, which is
measured as the voltage output.
When the bacteria is subjected to high
concentrations of heavy metals and cyanide
in used water, the normal electron transport
metabolism and anodic biofilm would be
inhibited, causing electrical voltage signals
to drop quickly. This triggers an alert to PUB
as an early warning for upstream detection of
16 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

SINGAPORE FOCUS
accidental or illegal discharge of heavy
metals and cyanides.
Subsequently, PUB will collect the
toxic sample for further testing and
validation. Appropriate actions would
be made timely and promptly to
minimise downstream pollution that
affect biological treatment in the water
reclamation plants.
Orange County Sanitation District
in Los Angeles, National Mission
on Clean Ganges in India, and
Ministry of Ecology and Environment
China are few of the government
organisations which have shown
interest in the implementation of
I2BioS.
Correction Notice:
The article “PUB deploys UAV for monitoring underground
tunnels” (Water & Wastewater Asia, September/October
2021, p.14) has been updated for accuracy. PUB has
deployed drones for a number of applications, and is
currently exploring the feasibility of using Aerolion’s
unmanned aerial vehicle to inspect the Deep Tunnel
Sewerage System.
OUTCOMES AND CONTRIBUTION
ACHIEVED
To date, I2BioS has detected 15 local
cases of heavy metal discharge. This
deter breaches of the effluent discharge
limits for such toxic compounds and
ensure that the used water received by
the water reclamation plants is suitable
for biological treatment.
EnvironSens has been awarded with
the contract of installing 75 new I2BioS
units across Singapore, and operation
and maintenance of I2BioS for the next
five years. The company has planned
to expand its footprint into China, India,
and other South East Asia markets.
With the support of PUB, EnvironSens
was introduced to provide access
to industry and utilities networks in
showcasing I2BioS. It attracted the
attention of various water utilities
globally. UK-based United Utilities,
Energy Recovery
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WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 17

5 MINS WITH
IN-SITU BRINGS
innovations to
new fluorometers
In-Situ adds three new additions to its family of smart
sensors. Steve Sewell, product manager at In-Situ,
elaborates more on the new fluorescent dissolved
organic matter (FDOM), crude oil and fluorescein WT
fluorometers. By Helen Taylor
Why was it important to add these sensors
to the Aqua TROLL portfolio?
Steve Sewell: With these sensors, we
continue to expand our water monitoring
portfolio to provide our customers with a
wider selection of parameters and ensure
that the Aqua TROLL multiparameter sonde
portfolio meets their monitoring needs. These
specific sensors also use our optical sensor
designs, which solve some pervasive issues
for customers in the field.
What does that technology include?
Sewell: LEDs will change brightness over
time and changes in temperature, which
can show up as drift in the measurements.
We’ve addressed this issue with a patented
design featuring an integrated reference
detector that measures light intensity and
compensates for changes at every reading.
With this technology, we can definitely say
that our sensors will not drift because of LED
brightness.
Our design also eliminates the risk of
interference caused by environmental factors
or other sensors. Our sensors excite a smaller
range of the light spectrum to hyper-target
the reading and minimise interference from
other fluorescence sources. They also run at
unique frequencies, creating a digital signature
that differentiates them from other sensors in
proximity.
Where do you foresee customers using
these sensors?
Sewell: Fluorescent dissolved organic
matter (FDOM) is the subset of
chromophoric dissolved organic matter
(CDOM) that fluoresces when exposed to
near UV light. This sensor is a great way
to track and understand dissolved organic
matter (DOM) in natural waters for studies
such as understanding water mixing or
transportation.
We expect interest in crude oil monitoring to
grow with increased oil and gas production
in coastal areas and associated risks to the
environment. And the Fluorescein WT sensor
is highly effective for monitoring for presence
or concentration of Fluorescein WT dye used
in a variety of types of tracer studies. Each
of these sensors has a part to play in a more
complete sensor portfolio.
What has been the reaction from beta
customers?
Sewell: The feedback has been really
positive. We have had good success with
a customer in Europe who’s done testing
on other tracer technologies and has
been pleased the Fluorescein sensor’s
performance in both lab and field tests.
And with the FDOM sensor, we have a
beta tester doing side-by-side testing with
comparable sensors and reports that they are
performing well.
For the crude oil sector, the beta’s tough to do,
because unless you have oil in your water the
sensor is going to read zero. Of course, we’ve
done extensive testing in our lab, and we have
received good feedback on that one related
to usability. So, we feel confident we have
brought three high-performing sensors to the
market.
Why was In-Situ the right company to
produce these sensors?
Sewell: It really comes down to our optical
sensor technology – the ability to compensate
for LED drift on every reading and mitigate
interferences from the environment and other
sensors.
And, with our Aqua TROLL 500 and 600
multiparameter platforms, we are also leaders
in smart sensor technology. Gone are the days
when operators had to match a sensor to a
particular spot. They can plug any of ours into
any Aqua TROLL port, with or without other
sensors, and they are ready to go.
Unmatched remote monitoring capability is
another big reason why it makes sense for us
to continue to grow our sensor portfolio and
make sure we are able to meet customers’
needs. Whether it’s a new sensor, a new
telemetry device or new software, it’s always
exciting to be able to develop something that
is going to help our customers and make their
jobs easier.
Helen Taylor is content manager at In-Situ.
18 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

5 MINS WITH
THE FUTURE OF
WATER CONSERVATION:
Promoting sanitation and
product innovation help
meet future water needs
Energy is required to
pump, treat and heat
water, and therefore the
practice of using water
efficiently and conserving
water can help reduce
greenhouse gas emission.
Water & Wastewater
Asia speaks with Satoshi
Konagai, leader, LIXIL
Water Technology, Asia-
Pacific, to find out more.
LIXIL factories have reused recycled aluminium materials as raw materials and reduce
use of plastic packaging as part of the company’s sustainability efforts
Having access to safe and hygienic sanitation
would not just reduce the issues vulnerable
communities face but empower them to take
proactive steps to economically empower
themselves while remaining healthy, declared
Satoshi Konagai, leader, LIXIL Water
Technology, Asia-Pacific.
To highlight the impact sanitation and
hygiene has on the global community, the
United Nations (UN) created the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 and
particularly named SDG 6 for Clean Water and
Sanitation. However, it was found that about
two billion people do not have access to safe
20 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

5 MINS WITH
and sanitary toilets, according to the UN, with
approximately 673 million people still regularly
defecating in the open.
Konagai told Water & Wastewater Asia:
“The lack of proper collection, treatment
and disposal of faecal matter has, in many
instances, led to environmental contamination
of water sources.
“The result of this is a devasting human
cost, especially in the developing world and
for vulnerable groups such as women and
children. Child susceptibility to diarrheal
diseases caused by unsanitary living
conditions, sexual assault cases of women
or children while trying to find somewhere
private to relieve themselves, and a worsening
of the gender gap in education due to the lack
of sanitary school toilets for girls are tangible
community impacts.”
And with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,
Konagai described the situation has become
“exacerbated” despite growing awareness
on personal hygiene and cleanliness. He
elaborated: “About 2.3 billion people, or one
in three of the world’s population, lack basic
handwashing facilities at home. This lack of
handwashing facilities increases the risk of a
more rampant spread of infectious diseases,
such as COVID-19.”
In collaboration with Oxford Economics
and support of WaterAid, LIXIL published
a research report in 2016 which revealed
the hidden costs of poor sanitation. The
report pointed out that in 2015, global
economic losses from poor sanitation were
estimated at US$223 billion. According
to Konagai, sanitation problems vary by
region, depending on the availability of water
resources, the level of urbanisation, and
access to toilet facilities. This, he added, is
where organisations like LIXIL can step up to
collaborate and address sanitation issues.
Promoting sanitation has been an integral
part for LIXIL. As such, the company set up
SATO in 2016. Konagai explained: “When it
comes to global sanitation and hygiene, LIXIL
is looking at improving the livelihood of 100
million people through sanitation and hygiene
solutions by 2025. We developed the SATO
toilet as a line-up of innovative and affordable
toilets that have enabled basic sanitation for
over 18 million people.
“LIXIL also developed the SATO tap in 2020
in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The
SATO tap is a new handwashing solution for
an estimated three billion people in the world
who do not have access to handwashing
services at home.”
SUSTAINABILITY AND WATER
CONSERVATION
When it comes to water conservation, no
discussion is complete without highlighting
climate change, Konagai said. “The growing
drumbeat about climate change with constant
media coverage as well as increased
government focus, and collaboration has
rubbed off on consumers. The conversation
is encompassing and covers everything from
cradle to cradle.”
He pointed out that consumers have
growingly indicated a preference for
sustainable products and offerings; and
have also increasingly altered their daily
habits in terms of water consumption by
reducing, reusing, and recycling water for
various household activities. “LIXIL plays an
important role of being able to meet these
evolving consumer demands. Key areas
we look into include water use efficiency,
wastewater management, and water
circulation systems,” he added.
Materials research can lead to products
such as LIXIL’s Aqua Ceramic which
provides cleaning capabilities thereby
using less water per flush. LIXIL has also
developed the Double and Triple Vortex
Flushing Technologies, which offers optimal
flushing performance with minimal water
usage to save water. Products with Triple
Core technology not only comes with
protective benefits for the user but are also
produced in a sustainable manner and
leverages on the latest advancements in
material science and selection. For instance,
the faucet’s surface is seamlessly closed
to stop impurities and has dedicated inner
waterways that prevent the contact between
water and lead and nickel. Also, these inner
waterways have minimal contact with the
body material, resulting in a barrier between
hot water and external surface to avoid
scalding on hot surfaces.
Konagai continued: “Technology also has a
role to play in helping consumers embrace
sustainable water practices. The use of smart
water sensors and controllers such as the
GROHE Sense Smart Water Sensor can help
detect water leaks and contain damage. By
extension, faucets and showers that can
adjust the temperature and flow of water
to the required level help reduce water and
electricity wastage.”
As for sustainability, it has to be taken into
consideration at every stage of product
development and the supply chain. This,
Konagai added, includes finding ways to use
limited resources in a more sustainable way
by considering the entire product lifecycle
from raw material procurement through
manufacturing, product use and disposal.
He cited some examples, including the
reuse of recycled aluminium materials as
raw materials, reduce landfill industrial waste
– which has already been done in LIXIL’s
factories in Thailand, and reducing plastic
packaging used for its products.
He concluded: “Specifically for products,
securing circular economy certifications
for LIXIL’s products and abiding by its high
standards is another way of being part of
the solution. GROHE’s products under the
Eurosmart, Tempesta, and BauEdge lines
are Cradle to Cradle Certified, being the first
in the industry to receive the certification.
Even simple product efficiency changes,
such as making the products retrofittable like
GROHE’s range of retrofittable products, can
help reduce construction wastage.”
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 21

ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT
STRATEGIC
SOLUTIONS
for risk-mitigation
Syrinix works with Minerva to analyse the riskmitigation
benefits of its high-resolution pipeline
monitoring and leak detection solutions. The analysis
reveals the practical applications and advantages
of using high-resolution acoustic correlation and
pressure monitoring, including the potentially
economic benefits. By James Dunning and Ross Fisher
THE RISK OF FAILURE
Minerva’s analysis focused on how Syrinix’s
solutions mitigate risk to trunk mains, the
critical water lines that carry water through
the network.
All pipe materials can suffer damage,
especially older assets with less sophisticated
manufacturing, raw material variations, and
quality control deficiencies. Even newer
pipe materials, while more reliable, can be
damaged during storage, transportation, or
installation.
Of course, all materials, old or new, suffer
corrosion and “pressure fatigue”, which
reduces the pipe material’s plasticity,
diminishing its flexibility and durability.
Corrosion and pressure surges can result in
thinned pipe cracking, with each subsequent
surge spreading the crack.
These defects are intermittent and impossible
to predict. Deterioration models estimate
service life and the likelihood of failure, but
they do not predict a failure’s location.
THE COSTS OF FAILURE
Trunk main failure can create far-reaching
consequences for any water company and its
customers and communities. The impact of a
damaged water main is seen most apparently
in the water supply’s interruptions – to
potentially thousands of customers. Repair
costs, which must be quick and efficient, can
be high.
However, a damaged main can also
create a range of economic and societal
consequences.
A catastrophic main failure can quickly
release large volumes of water into the
surrounding environment – up to 1,500
litres per second, inundating the site and
surrounding area. Water jets can reach a
velocity of 90mph, scouring the bedding
and adjacent infrastructures below ground
while inciting considerable damage above
ground. Flooding can damage roads, rails,
and electricity while potentially flooding
basements.
Depending upon the pipe material, the
explosive force of a main failure can equal
200 pounds of dynamite, a force capable of
throwing debris 200 feet.
While the localised damage can be
significant, the economic and societal
impact of supply interruption or the damage
of roads, railways, airports, gas, electricity,
and communications can be dramatic. Local
issues such as travel disruption and closure of
schools and businesses can have a broader
impact on national and international trade and
logistics.
THE SOLUTION: STRATEGIC
MONITORING AND PROACTIVE LEAK
MANAGEMENT
When implemented as part of risk-based
asset management, strategic monitoring and
proactive management of leakage provide a
low-cost, high-value opportunity to manage
the likelihood and consequence of asset
failure.
Organisations often use strategic monitoring
and leak management as part of a structured
and logical framework that provides a clear
line-of-sight from asset interventions to
outcomes, including clear documentation.
Minerva’s analysis of high-resolution pressure
monitoring and precision acoustic leak
correlation, using Syrinix’s solutions, is based
on data provided by four different Syrinix client
scenarios.
Scenario A: Immediate burst notification
and locating reduces incident duration
Quickly locating and responding to asset
failure reduces service impact, damage
impact, and costs. The burst detection
capability of the Pipeminder-One highresolution
pressure monitor, with its precision
timing, empowers asset owners to recognise
and locate asset failures quickly and
accurately.
Scenario A is based on a trunk main
system serving a population of 120,000 in a
remote rural location with dense vegetation
and mountainous topography. Installing
Pipeminder-One units at strategic locations,
the client reduced incident duration by 18
hours. Presuming a cost of installation over
10 years of £50,000 (US$69,140), and a
transmission main burst rate/1,000 yards/year,
the net benefit is £1.15 million (US$1.58m).
22 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT
Scenario B: Reducing inventory-wide
consequences
Scenario B demonstrates the advantages of
monitoring across a broader area supplying
approximately 135,000 connections.
In this scenario, high resolution always-on
pressure monitoring units are deployed at
locations identified as catastrophic risks and
all of which could be located in 30 minutes
of alarm and validation. And with the highresolution
monitoring providing immediate
burst alerting and locating, a 52% reduction
in the cost of failure over 10 years is seen
for an estimated capital spend of £250,000
(US$345,700).
Scenario C: Proactive transient
monitoring and management
Created by a sudden change in flow rate,
pressure transients can be caused by various
activities and operations, including pumping
valve actuation, and breaks. Over the past
six to seven years, several water companies
have demonstrated that proactively managed
pressure transients can result in a substantial
in burst rates – up to 80%.
Map shows example
units situated along
a trunk main, working
together using
precision network
time stamping for
data accuracy
Map shows pressure
event caught by
five deployed units
with the red flag
depicting the location
of the event
In this scenario, 30% of the client’s network
is prone to recurrent pressure transients due
to pumps, float valves, or top users. All of
these areas demonstrate a risk of increased
burst frequency.
An example of a
transient event
The client’s proactive transient management
includes network analysis and investigation
with high-resolution pressure monitoring with
the Pipeminder-One, installing variable speed
drivers (VSDs) on pumps, optimising pumps,
managing top users, and controlling valve
operations.
At the cost of £1.7m (US$2.4m) for transient
management over 10 years, the total
reduction in the cost of bursts is calculated at
£21.3m (US$29.5m).
Scenario D: Proactive leak management
Leakage is usually the first manifestation of a
defect. A leaking pipe represents an incipient
failure. Left unchecked, the factors that led
to the leak will lead to catastrophic failure.
Proactively monitoring and repairing leaks,
water companies can avoid the potentially
devastating consequences of catastrophic
failure of a trunk main.
In Scenario D, the client installed Syrinix
high-resolution automated leak correlators
in 48 transmission main locations
identified as comprising catastrophic
risks were they to fail. In this case, the
analysis showed that, for a total cost of
£2.2m (US$3.04m) for proactive leakage
management over 10 years, a reduction in
the cost of bursts of £10.7m (US$14.8m)
would be achieved.
SOLUTIONS FOR TODAY’S WATER
COMPANIES
The Minerva analysis concluded that
when implemented as part of a riskbased
asset management system,
strategic monitoring and proactive
management of leakage and pressure
provides a low-cost, high-value
opportunity to manage both the likelihood
and consequence of asset failure.
James Dunning is CEO for Syrinix, and Ross
Fisher is CEO at Minerva IAM.
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 23

ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT
GROWTH FOR
unconventional
water resources
as climate
change cities
(Source: International Desalination Association/GWI DesalData)
(Source: International Desalination Association/GWI DesalData)
Demand for water reuse and
desalination technologies is growing
at an accelerating rate as cities around
the world come to terms with the
vulnerability of their water supply.
According to figures announced at the
International Desalination Association’s
(IDA) International Water Reuse and
Recycling Conference, total contracted
capacity for unconventional water
production facilities will reach 321 million
cubic meters per day by the end of 2021.
That is more than twice the volume of
water discharged to the sea by the River
Nile every day.
Of the two technologies, water reuse
is growing the fastest. Orders for new
water reuse plants are expected to top
20.9 million cubic meters per day of
capacity in 2021, compared with 15.6
million cubic meters per day of capacity
in 2020 and 11.8 million cubic meters per
day in 2019. Orders for new seawater
and brackish water desalination plants
are expected to reach 5.1 million cubic
meters per day – an 8% increase on
the previous year. According to data
provided by GWI DesalData, this year
will be the fourth year in a row in which
the rate of growth of the unconventional
water resources market has increased.
Commenting on the figures, Carlos
Cosin, president of IDA and CEO of
Almar Water Solutions, said: “Promoting
non-conventional resources through
desalination and water reuse is the
IDA’s mission. Although slow to arrive,
we are clearly at the inflection point to
ramp up this way to generate new water
resources as a critical pillar to fight
against climate change.”
“Population growth, climate change,
and resource scarcity make water reuse
an increasingly in-demand technology.
Thanks to investment in technologies,
its low cost and reliability show it is an
affordable non-conventional resource
for society. The next step is to raise
awareness and educate the public, as
Singapore has already done, and make
its use much more extensive for direct
and indirect potable use.”
The key markets for water reuse
have been Asia and the Middle East,
where urban populations have been
growing fast in areas with limited
water resources. Droughts in the
southwestern US and Latin America’s
Parana River basin during 2021 are
likely to lead to accelerated investment
in water recycling in those regions next
year and beyond. Although agriculture
remains the largest sector of the market
for water reuse, high grade water use
using triple barrier protection for potable
applications has been growing fast.
In the past, the desalination market
has been held back by concerns about
its energy consumption, but in recent
years the emergence of solar power
has reduce the cost of desalinated
water. Records for the lowest cost of
desalinated water started to fall in 2018
when the
US$0.50/m 3 barrier was broken by
a project in Saudi Arabia. Another
project in Dubai is expected to close
financing with a tariff of $0.27/m 3 – due
to the availability of solar power in the
emirate.
Christopher Gasson, publisher of GWI
DesalData, concluded: “Water reuse
has been incredible growth over the
past five years, but this may be just the
beginning of something even bigger.
Once politicians understand that
indirect potable reuse is the safest,
lowest cost and most environmentally
friendly source of additional water, it
could become the norm all over the
world as it is in Singapore today.
“Looking at the pipeline for the
desalination projects, 2022 could well
be the best year ever. Beyond that,
the challenge for the industry will be
to replicate the low costs and small
carbon footprints achieved in the GCC
[Gulf Cooperation Council] region in
the rest of the world.”
24 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT
NEW FILTERING
METHOD PROMISES
safe drinking
water production
Could curb a drinking water-related disease
that affects tens of millions of people.
The US National Science Foundation
(NSF)-funded scientists at Tufts University
have developed a new filtering technology
inspired by biology that could help curb a
drinking water-related disease that affects
tens of millions of people worldwide. It could
also potentially improve environmental
remediation and industrial and chemical
production, among other processes.
Reporting in Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, the researchers
demonstrated that their novel polymer
membranes can separate fluoride from
chloride and other ions – electrically
charged atoms – with twice the
selectivity reported by other methods.
The scientists claimed application of the
technology could prevent fluoride toxicity
in water supplies where the element
occurs naturally at levels too high for
human consumption.
Anna Brady-Esteves, a programme
director in NSF’s Directorate for
Engineering, commented: “Fluoride
poisoning causes severe health issues
globally, and technologies such as these
offer the opportunity to reduce fluoride in
water to health levels.”
Adding fluoride causes fluorosis, a
condition that can weaken the teeth, and
calcify tendons and ligaments. The World
Health Organization (WHO) estimates
that excessive fluoride concentrations in
drinking water have caused tens of millions
of dental and skeletal fluorosis cases
worldwide.
The ability to remove fluoride with a filtering
membrane could protect communities
from fluorosis without requiring the use
of high-pressure filtration or having to
completely remove all components and then
remineralise the drinking water.
Ayse Asatekin, a scientist at Tufts,
concluded: “The potential for ion-selective
membranes to reduce excessive fluoride in
drinking water supplies is very encouraging.
But the technology’s potential usefulness
extends beyond drinking water to other
challenges.
“The method we used to manufacture the
membranes is easy to scale up for industrial
applications.”
This article was first published by the National
Science Foundation.
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 25

IN THE FIELD
SLUDGE AS
A RESOURCE:
A look at thermal
hydrolysis in Asia
The experience of several modern plants in Asia
can spell a change in the horizon for sewage sludge
management in the continent. Find out how thermal
hydrolysis plants in South Korea, Singapore, China
and Australia are helping to change the sentiment
towards sewage sludge from bane to boon.
Sewage sludge in Asia has historically
been regarded the way the rest of the world
has seen the material – a nuisance to be
managed and disposed of. Approaches
to its management are as diverse as
the legislative, environmental, and
technological contexts that characterise
the continent. On one end of the spectrum,
there are developing countries where
certain cities still discharge untreated
wastewater into rivers and streams. Sludge
– the mostly organic solids present in
wastewater – is therefore not separated
from water that can be reused, and the
practice signals hazards for public health
and the natural environment. On the other
end, the continent has some exemplary
plants utilising technologies and strategies
that are making sewage sludge treatment
an endeavour not just for sanitation but
also for renewable energy production and
better agriculture.
This might not be new. Many medium and
large wastewater treatment plants have
been producing biogas and biosolids
products for some time. The gas
produced by these facilities, however,
is often too little, while the biosolids or
treated sludge is often a smelly, vectorattracting
material that often incites
public complaints and lowers the value of
nearby neighbourhoods. Such outputs are
typical results of using the conventional
anaerobic digestion process, which offers
limited performance and possibilities for
biosolids handling.
To recover resources from sludge
more cost-effectively and sustainably,
utilities cannot depend on traditional
anaerobic digestion alone. This is
where Advanced Anaerobic Digestion
(AAD) takes precedence in the
discussion. AAD refers to either the use
of a complementary technology with
conventional digestion or a modification
of the digestion process to increase
biogas output and destroy pathogens
in sludge. The processes often make a
biosolid product that is higher-quality
and with more applications.
The thermal hydrolysis process unit at the Xiahongmen
Water Reclamation Plant is one of several in China and
one of the largest in the world. Biosolids from the facility
are applied on forestland in areas surrounding Beijing
(Photo credit: Cambi)
There are several technologies
and processes that can be used in
tandem with digestion to achieve such
results, including, but not limited to,
pasteurisation, ultrasonic pre-treatment,
chemical pre-treatment, enzymatic
pre-treatment, and several hydrolysis
processes. The pre-treatment technology
considered to be most mature at present,
however, is the Thermal Hydrolysis
Process (THP) using steam.
A way of understanding THP is likening
it to a pressure cooker for sludge prior to
digestion. It uses high temperature and
pressure to disintegrate the cell structure
of organic materials, making them more
biodegradable for the digestion process
that follows.
Advantages of Thermal Hydrolysis
with Anaerobic Digestion
1. Biosolids that are
• Drier, up to 45% DS/dry solids
• Reduced in volume by 50-70%
• Free from pathogens and
pathogen regrowth
• Easy to handle, with little to no
odour
• For those using it for land
application – rich in phosphorus,
nitrogen, and other nutrients
2. Optimised digestion
• Biogas production up to 60%
• Lower retention time in digesters
• Increased loading capacity
3. Compact design maximises space
4. Low life cycle cost and carbon
footprint compared to alternatives
26 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

IN THE FIELD
The THP unit at the
Bakdal wastewater
treatment plant sits
under a recreational
space in Anyang, South
Korea (Photo credit:
Korean Ministry for the
Environmental/Cambi)
Thermal hydrolysis was invented
carbon footprint. The biosolids
and trucked-in sludge from other
in the 1990s and took off in the
produced are used as feedstock
plants, and therefore optimising
UK shortly after, largely due to it
for a power plant. The International
biogas production. In 2017, this
being a cost-effective option that
Water Association acknowledged
energy was used to power around
complies with local legislation. Its
the innovative nature of this project
70% of the plant’s needs. The
presence has increased in China,
in 2017 as the municipality and the
plant was successfully upgraded
and is now also growing in the US,
project’s main contractor POSCO
by Cambi in 2019 to take in more
which has a biosolids regulation
were awarded the Best Practices
sludge, increasing biogas output and
that allows the use of “Class A”
on Resource Recovery from Water
reducing costs.
biosolids on residential lawns and
Award.
gardens. These biosolids comply
with strict pathogen limits – a level
AUSTRALIA
After advanced digestion, Oxley
Creek’s biosolids are dewatered
of treatment achieved by THP.
The first thermal hydrolysis system
into high-quality biosolids which
in Australia, installed in 2007, is at
are transported to farms for land
The plants that have paved the
way for the technology’s entry
into the rest of Asia are examples
of the diverse needs that THP
can address. A few are described
below, made by Cambi.
the Oxley Creek Sewage Treatment
Plant in Brisbane. Queensland Urban
Utilities, formerly known as Brisbane
Water, decided on the technology
to centralise sludge treatment,
processing Oxley’s indigenous sludge
application.
Cambi is currently commissioning
another THP plant in Australia, this
time for St Marys WRP in Sydney for
the utility Sydney Water.
The THP unit at the
Oxley Creek Sewage
Treatment Plant in
Brisbane, Australia,
during its handover
in 2007 (Photo credit:
Cambi)
SOUTH KOREA
The Bakdal wastewater treatment
plant is the largest underground
sewage facility in South Korea
located under Saemul Park, a
recreational space in Anyang.
The thermal hydrolysis process
is used here not only to treat
municipal sewage sludge but food
waste as well. THP was selected in
part to reduce the size of digester
tanks needed for the project as the
facility was moved below ground.
It also helps the site to produce
significant loads of biogas that is
used to power the plant.
Besides co-digestion, the site uses
solar power, a rainwater collection
system, and a vegetation strategy
that helps the plant lower its overall
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 27

IN THE FIELD
The THP system
(left) at the Jurong
Water Reclamation
Plant funnels
hydrolysed sludge
to egg-shaped
digesters (right)
(Photo credit: Cambi)
SINGAPORE
One of four wastewater treatment
plants in Singapore, the Jurong Water
Reclamation Plant uses thermal
hydrolysis to treat industrial and sewage
sludge, as well as fats, oil and grease.
The owner of the plant and Singapore’s
national water agency, PUB, places
importance on energy efficiency and
minimising the land footprint of utilities.
Thermal hydrolysis was, therefore, a good
fit as it maximised the sludge processing
capability of the plant while using little
space.
The plant has a dedicated receiving facility
for fatty waste collected from grease traps in
food establishments around the country. The
biosolids product is also used as feedstock for
incineration.
There are around 130 thermal hydrolysis
installations around the globe, with
penetration of the technology in Asia
considered to be in its early days as most of
the plants are concentrated in China. Several
industry professionals forecast growth for
technological advancement in the sector
in the next few decades, especially with
a growing global biosolids market that is
likely to prioritise land application. Certain
cities in India, for example, have included
requirements for Class A biosolids production
in recent tenders.
Anaerobic digestion has come a long way in
the industry, and with the use of pre-treatment
technologies such as thermal hydrolysis, it
can help a new host of Asian municipalities
cope with increasing populations, inch closer
towards their sustainability goals, and make
a good business case for innovation in the
sector.
Thermal hydrolysis for
Co-digestion Incineration Land Application
Co-digestion is the digestion of two or more
types of organic material in the same digester
tank. In the sewage sludge industry, this is
often done with sewage sludge and food
waste in the form of either food scraps or fats,
oil and grease.
Thermal hydrolysis is used in co-digestion
plants for a few reasons. It can increase
loading capacity in either an existing digester
to allow for the additional food waste or
optimise digestion in a greenfield project
where a contractor is dealing with limited
space. THP can be applied to sludge prior
to combining it with food waste – such as in
the Luoqi THP plant in Chongqing, China – or
used on both feedstocks together before
digestion, like in the Bakdal treatment plant
in Anyang, South Korea. The increased
biodegradability is observed to benefit biogas
production in both cases.
As THP increases dewaterability of sludge
and decreases sludge volume after
digestion, utilities get a drier biosolids
product with a higher calorific value that
therefore burns better and in reduced
quantities. This consequently lowers fuel
costs for incinerators, and can free up
incineration capacity for brownfield projects.
If incinerators are also off-site, then plants
benefit from the reduced biosolids volume to
be transported.
Though THP has been noted to help phase
out incineration in some municipalities, the
practice remains useful in areas with very
limited space for land application or countries
where the practice is required by law.
Land application is the most common
biosolids management option to date due
to its low cost, use of the phosphorus and
nitrogen inherent in sludge, and contribution
to waste reduction.
Thermal hydrolysis reduces biosolids
volumes by up to half, drastically reducing
transport costs for utilities that use this
method.
Producing high-quality “pathogen-free”
biosolids with little to no odour also allows
utilities to sell the product as a soil improver
or organic fertiliser. Depending on local
regulations, the product can also be used on
lawns and gardens, in landscape projects,
and in the rehabilitation of mines and forests.
28 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

IN THE FIELD
ABB’S TECHNOLOGY
ADDRESSES
water scarcity in
Singapore
The dual-mode desalination plant goes live to address
Singapore’s growing demand – 430 million gallons per
day – of clean drinking water.
Singapore has been using
desalination as part of the solution
to its water supply issue to provide
sufficient clean drinking water for
its ever-growing population of
5.5 million. Though surrounded by
water, having enough drinking water
has always been a challenge for this
island state. The current demand for
drinking water is up to 430 million
gallons a day. The Keppel Marina
East Desalination Plant (KMEDP)
is the latest step of Singapore
using advanced technology to help
address their water challenge.
In operation since June 2021,
KMEDP is dubbed one of the most
advanced desalination plants in
the world and marks one of the
first in the world with a dual-mode
facility. The plant will produce 30
million gallons of clean water every
day, enough to fill 45 Olympicsized
swimming pools and 7% of
Singapore’s daily water demand. It
has also been designed sustainably
in that the treatment facility is
underground, freeing up 20,000m 2
of green rooftop and community
recreation space.
Nearly six billion people will suffer
from clean water scarcity by 2050,
according to the World Water
Development Report by the United
Nations. And as the world celebrates
World Water Week, it is time to turn
the attention to the global water
crisis facing cities around the world
struggling with increasing demand for
water, reduction of water resources
and increasing water pollution, all
driven by world population growth
which is expected to reach 9.7 billion
by 2050.
Singapore’s water comes from four
sources – reservoir water, imported
water from Malaysia, ultra-clean
reclaimed water also known as
NEWater, and desalination water.
Desalination therefore plays a
strategic role in the republic’s vision
for a diversified and sustainable
supply of water and is expected to
meet up to 30% of water demand by
2060. Yet desalination is an energyintensive
process, so a modern
method is needed to improve
efficiency and sustainability.
Located at the Marina East area of
Singapore, the KMEDP, about twice
the size of a football field, can either
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 29

IN THE FIELD
draw water from surrounding sea
during periods of dry weather or treat
water from the Marina Reservoir during
periods with heavy rain. With the
plant’s dual intakes, when the water
level in the reservoir is low, seawater
can be pumped into the plant to be
desalinated. When the reservoir water
levels are high, the plant can treat
water from the reservoir. The option
to switch to treating reservoir water
results in more effective water use,
operational flexibility and optimised
operational costs, as reservoir water
treatment consumes only one-third
the energy required for seawater
desalination.
The plant is operating with a host
of technology from ABB, including
automation and control systems as
well as instrumentation and water
analysers. With ABB’s supply of
energy-efficient motors, variable speed
drives and switchgears, together
with process optimisation aimed at
increasing efficiency, the gains to be
realised could potentially help reduce
electricity consumption by up to 40%.
A range of smart sensors and watermonitoring
equipment is also being
used in the plant.
KMEDP’s plantwide control systems
are unified under an ABB Ability
System 800xA distributed control
system, a user-friendly digital platform
that gives engineers wide visibility
and control from a central command
centre. The integrated solution
allows uniformity of procedures, and
helps improve quality of operational
processes. Data is transferred from
field instruments to the control system
for analysis and diagnostics. With its
fully digital-ready control system, the
Aerial view of The
Keppel Marina East
Desalination Plant
(KMEDP)
ABB’s WaterMaster
electromagnetic
flowmeters monitor
water flow rates and
help to lower Opex
plant’s operations can be extended
from device to edge to cloud.
Jian Yuan Ling, energy industries
division manager in Singapore for
ABB, concluded: “ABB has decades
of experience in creating integrated
solutions for desalination plants
worldwide, and ABB’s products and
systems are found in all of Singapore’s
water plants in one way or another. We
are proud to be part of Singapore’s
water story as we continue to develop
our long-standing relationship with
PUB.”
KMEDP is operated by Keppel Seghers,
a subsidiary of Keppel Infrastructure
Holdings. The design-build-ownoperate
(DBOO) project was initiated
by PUB, Singapore’s national water
agency, which manages the country’s
water supply. It became the first
industrial plant in Singapore to be
awarded the highest tier of PUB’s ABC
Waters Certification Gold in 2019, which
recognises the public area’s creative
ecological design and active, beautiful
and clean features. It has also been
named Desalination Plant of the Year at
the Global Water Awards 2021.
30 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

IN THE FIELD
ROYAL HASKONINGDHV’S
AQUASUITE AUTOMATES
water production and
distribution for Vitens
Water use varies greatly depending on the time of
day, location, weather and many other factors. The
challenge for water companies is how to predict and
meet the demand as well as to keep the system
resilient from the effects of climate change and
maturing workforce. Aquasuite OPIR from Royal
HaskoningDHV is a tool that predicts water needs,
driving more accurate production and distribution.
The result? Keeping control of water supply assets,
lower energy consumption, and better water quality.
Aquasuite OPIR provides visibility across the water and wastewater network and treatment,
and controls day-to-day operations
Aquasuite is a smart water
technology that monitors,
analyses, visualises and controls
the performance of water and
wastewater infrastructure
through predictive analytics and
machine learning. It serves as
a virtual operator with artificial
intelligence (AI)-powered
analytics and autopilot that
provides visibility across the
complete water and wastewater
network and treatment, and
controls day-to-day operations.
Aquasuite consists of five
products, each addressing a
different challenge in the drinking
water and wastewater process.
The products work separately
yet integrate to create a tool
to control drinking water and
wastewater proficiently. Royal
HaskoningDHV worked with
Vitens, a drinking water provider
based in the Netherlands, to
implement Aquasuite OPIR,
a tool used to centralise,
automate, and optimise drinking
water production.
HOW AQUASUITE OPIR
WORKS
Aquasuite OPIR collects both
historical and real-time water
consumption data in all areas.
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 31

IN THE FIELD
Meanwhile, it considers factors
that influence water use. Examples
include the time of day, events such
as holidays and festivals, and a
feature that recognises and predicts
deviating water consumption due to
weather conditions.
Dutch drinking water
provider Vitens
utilises Aquasuite
OPIR to monitor
the performance
of its drinking
water production
infrastructure
The application interfaces with
existing control systems and
processes via SCADA and PLCs,
and provides set points for
controllable assets. The setpoints
ensure minimum energy usage and
the lowest achievable pressure.
Meanwhile, they also ensure
minimum pump switching to reduce
pressure transients, and a constant
production flow to improve water
quality. As a holistic, integrated
optimiser, Aquasuite OPIR enables
water supply companies to meet
customer requirements and demand.
At the same time, it reduces
expenditure and leakage. With
Aquasuite OPIR, the company added,
approximately 60% of drinking water
is supplied in the Netherlands with
leakage rates of around 5-6%.
ABOUT VITENS
As a drinking water provider in the
Netherlands, Vitens supplies more
than 5.6 million people with clean
drinking water. Established in 2006
from a merger of five provincial water
companies, Vitens supplies around
350 billion litres of water per year.
Vitens has faced challenges ranging
from prolonged drought and the
global pandemic to an ageing
workforce which will result in onethird
of their employees retiring or
leaving within the next 10 years.
Vitens was seeking to optimise
drinking water production and
distribution in its 96 production
facilities across five provinces.
Streamlining this complex process
requires centralised management
and automation, with an operating
system that pulls information from
all locations. Vitens was also keen
to harness the knowledge of its
employees.
Doeke Schippers, director of water
production and distribution at Vitens,
said: “Our operators have a great
deal of insight and expertise, so how
do we retain this valuable information
should they leave Vitens? It’s
important to take this into account,
especially as the labour market
matures. It’s much less common
today for people to stay with the
same employer throughout their
career.”
AQUASUITE OPIR PREDICTS
WATER REQUIREMENTS
Royal HaskoningDHV worked with
Vitens to implement Aquasuite OPIR.
Based on local system information
and big data, the control software
calculates the optimal settings for the
waterworks intake and production
pumps and control valves, and
controls them centrally.
Vitens chose Aquasuite OPIR for
two reasons. First, because the
software was developed for Dutch
drinking water companies. For the
last 25 years, Aquasuite OPIR has fit
Vitens’ infrastructure – it is designed
for flat terrain, adjustable pumps
and large supply areas. Secondly,
the application was able to identify
energy savings through the creation
of a more uniform and efficient
water production process.
Robin Wong, regional director, Asia-
Pacific, Aquasuite, explained: “In
Asia, many utilities have increasingly
complex, interconnected water
supply networks that need to
cater for rapid urbanisation and
expansions as well as to cope with
the challenges of climate change
and maturing workforce. The use of
an AI-powered predictive autopilot
can help utilities improve the level of
automation, precision and efficiency
for the water supply system. We are
seeing more utilities in Asia adopt
our Aquasuite digital tools in their
centralised operations centres
for smart control and decision
support.”
32 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

IN THE FIELD
STABLE, EFFICIENT WATER
PRODUCTION
With Aquasuite OPIR, Vitens can
make improvements to its complete
water production process to match
demand. Based on all available
information, the application
automatically sets optimum
values for pressures and flows at
purification and pumping stations,
as well as the levels in reservoirs
and clean water cellars. As a result,
the entire system performs with
greater stability and efficiency.
In addition, Aquasuite OPIR retains
insight into system control and
optimisation, relieving the pressure
on operators. For example, the
application advises on the most
appropriate settings to meet higher
and lower consumption. In an
unexpected situation such as a pipe
rupture, the application identifies
and reports the issue so that Vitens
can address the issue immediately.
This centralised, more stable
water production is predicted
to reduce Vitens’ energy
consumption by 5-10%. Schipper
elaborated: “It’s a bit like driving
a car – if you drive steadily at
100km/h over a certain distance,
you use less fuel than when
switching between faster and
slower speeds.”
Furthermore, Aquasuite OPIR
enables Vitens to use lower, nighttime
energy tariffs. Fluctuations in
processing are reduced by 80%
and the water pressure in the
pipeline network is more stable.
This results in less wear and tear,
fewer faults and less wastage
of non-returnable water. Stable
production also ensures that
water is not held for a long time in
buffers, which improves its quality –
drinking water is generally 12-20%
less turbid as a result.
Aquasuite OPIR delivers further
benefits in people management,
driving standardisation, efficiency
and flexibility and better predicting
the need for technicians in certain
locations.
MORE DATA, THE MORE
OPTIMISATION
The savings achieved through
Aquasuite OPIR mean that the
application will pay for itself within
three years. Aquasuite OPIR
enables Vitens to ride the big
data wave – both now and in the
future: as more data from sensors,
systems and the Internet becomes
available, the better the system will
function.
Schippers concluded: “With OPIR,
we can convert all our local data
into information and collect it
centrally.” And due to the system’s
intelligent self-learning abilities,
water quality and energy savings
are likely to continue to improve in
the future.
Vitens supplies around
350 billion litres
Photo credit: mrjn photography/unsplash
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 33

IN THE FIELD
PC-BASED CONTROL
PLATFORM optimises water
treatment product dosing
Wastewater treatment plants, such as the Upper Blackstone Water Pollution
Abatement District, remove harmful contaminants from wastewater before it is
discharged into the environment (Photo credit: Beckhoff Automation)
Environmental Operating Solutions
(EOSi), a Massachusetts-based
environmental consultant, has been
providing sustainable solutions and
technical services for biological
contaminant removal in water and
wastewater treatment systems in
the US and Canada since 2003.
Samuel Ledwell, president of EOSi,
revealed that the company currently
provides over 550 wastewater
treatment plants with safe, effective
and environmentally-sustainable
solutions.
Clean water is vital in both consumer and commercial
areas, including numerous industrial applications,
such as mining, petroleum refining and groundwater
remediation, in addition to residential applications.
Environmental Operating Solutions (EOSi), a provider
of products and services used in water treatment,
evolved its business model to include the Nitrack
control system, which creates value to plant operators
by optimising the dosage of carbon supplements. The
PC-based control system used in this area is designed
to support functions such as remote access to the
processes in conventional plants.
By Shane Novacek
The MicroC line of supplemental
carbon sources forms the
basis of the EOSi portfolio, and
represents a non-hazardous and
environmentally sustainable option
to remove contaminants such as
nitrogen, phosphorus, selenium and
perchlorate, among others, from
wastewater. The MicroC products
contain various carbohydrate, alcohol
and glycerin-based supplemental
carbon sources, which serve as
nutrients for the microorganisms
in the sewage sludge used for
biological wastewater treatment.
These products are subjected to
the most rigorous quality control
processes.
ALTERNATIVE TO TRADITIONAL
SALES MODELS
“Maintaining regulatory compliance
at the lowest cost is a common
goal for our customers,” Ledwell
claimed. About five years ago, EOSi
34 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

IN THE FIELD
began a new initiative to help its
customers further optimise their use
of MicroC products. This evolved into
providing and later developing their
own product dispensing monitoring
and control equipment. In addition,
EOSi process engineers develop
customised control strategies for
the specific process configurations
of clients and offer services to help
monitor plant performance.
Nitrack is a PC-based control
system used to monitor and control
biological nutrient removal in
wastewater treatment. It collects
sensor data from a multitude of
inputs and uses this data to control
and optimise treatment processes.
The Nitrack system will dose the
appropriate amount of MicroC based
on, for example, the amount of
nutrients present in the wastewater
system compared to the end-of-pipe
target concentration. The Nitrack
systems feature a wide variety of PCbased
control solutions from Beckhoff,
facilitating integration into customer
facilities along with improvements
in both processing power and
remote connectivity options. Remote
connectivity functionality enables
location-independent plant monitoring
by the EOSi team, or by the operators
themselves. However, it also entails
connectivity requirements that
conventional process control systems
might not be able to meet.
PC-BASED CONTROL FINDS
PRICE-TO-PERFORMANCE RATIO
When designing the Nitrack system,
EOSi wanted the ability to minimise
the amount of hardware required to
remotely control certain aspects of
the treatment process. The PC-based
systems provided by Beckhoff offered
the ratio of price to performance
for their needs, and were equipped
with the required communication
interfaces.
Randy Pulsifer, automation and
instrumentation manager, explained:
“The main driver here was to develop
the Nitrack technology on a costeffective
platform that would allow
our team of engineers to openly
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WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 35

IN THE FIELD
The CP2216 multi-touch Panel PC from Beckhoff runs the HMI software from EOSi and the
TwinCAT PLC software. (Photo credit: Beckhoff Automation)
communicate with customer control
systems, while at the same time
having the added benefit of standard
PC software rather than being
restricted to software that can only
run-on industrial PLC systems.”
The core of the Beckhoff control
system is a CP2216 multi-touch Panel
PC, offering a 2.2GHz Intel Celeron
dual-core processor in a compact
form factor and custom branding for
EOSi. “We gain much greater HMI
visibility than before with the 15.6-inch
widescreen format, and the device
seamlessly integrates with our HMI
software,” Pulsifer added.
The Panel PC also runs TwinCAT
automation software to manage
controller outputs used for important
process functions, such as pump
speeds. EtherCAT Terminals transmit
process variables and other plant
information to the C6920 control
cabinet IPC, which then passes it
along to the plant SCADA, enabling the
necessary processing for continuous
optimisation of the treatment
processes.
“Flexibility is key to the success of
the Nitrack initiative. Considering
the long lifecycle of water treatment
systems, the ability to simply integrate
EOSi systems into plants of all types
is vital to enhance product value for
customers,” he explained. “With the
EtherCAT system, we have the ability
to essentially keep our control platform
static and change the distributed
I/O equipment as the needs of the
customer facility dictate.”
Further enhancing connectivity and
data availability, the TwinCAT TCP/
IP server plays an important role in
the implementation process, given
the varied nature of equipment
used throughout the plants of EOSi
customers. Another important factor
in the area of public utilities is security
– the system integrates directly into
existing plant SCADA systems while
remaining on an independent and
secure network.
Nitrack from EOSi integrates the PC-based controller that is used for
monitoring biological nutrient removal in wastewater treatment (Photo
credit: Beckhoff Automation)
CONTROLLER FLEXIBILITY
FLOWS FROM RETROFITS TO
FUTURE PLANT DESIGNS
EOSi has been pleased with the
Nitrack system, as EOSi’s Ledwell
concluded: “The design used in our old
system could only control one element
of the treatment process. In our first
Nitrack installation at a municipal
water treatment plant, we control four
elements, as well as the HMI, without
taxing the CPU of the industrial PC. We
can easily add more control elements
if necessary. This robust performance
of PC-based control is a huge enabler
for our plans to expand the scope of
Nitrack installations.”
Shane Novacek is marketing
communications manager North America
at Beckhoff Automation.
36 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

FOCUS
KEY TRENDS TO
FOCUS FOR 2022:
The digital opportunity
of the water industry
By Markus Brandstetter
Grundfos partners
with Baseform to
bring digital services
to all water utilities
across the globe
The water industry will continue
evolving over the next decade to
keep up with the new and existing
challenges brought about by
urbanisation, industrialisation, everchanging
customer needs, and not
forgetting the ongoing COVID-19
pandemic.
Most importantly, climate change
continues to have significant
implications. The 2030 deadline
of the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) is
imminent, and we still have a long
way to go. The recently released
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) report notes that
climate change is intensifying the water
cycle, bringing with it more intense
rainfall and associated flooding, as
well as more intense drought in many
regions. When it comes to ensuring
the water industry supports SDG 6 for
Clean Water and Sanitation and 13 for
Climate Action, it is not a matter of if,
but when.
As we close off this year, it is
necessary for the water industry to
look back at the learnings gained
in 2021, and how these shape the
trends to come in 2022. How can the
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 37

FOCUS
Grundfos’ carbon
footprint
water industry create solutions that not
only benefit businesses, customers, and
the environment, but also achieve optimum
management and bolster resilience for
water systems in the region?
SOLUTIONS CENTRED AROUND
DECARBONISATION
Firstly, we will continue to see sustainability
driving more energy-efficient solutions that
tap into new and innovative technology.
While sustainability has been a longstanding
trend for any industry, for this part
of the world, efforts have only really picked
up speed over the last decade or so.
What is encouraging is that countries
are taking actionable steps towards
decarbonisation in the region. Governments
and industries are now focused on
renewable and clean energy to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, with the
ambition of reaching net zero. However,
with limited resources in the face of a
brutalising pandemic, the water industry
needs to move strategically to meet
sustainability goals. We found that the key
to significantly reduce carbon emissions
lies in innovating and delivering smart
pumps and new solutions that enable our
end-users to save energy.
At Grundfos, we identified that 98% of our
CO2 emissions can be attributed to scope
three downstream activities, particularly the
use 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.
Digital technologies hold a huge potential to
further improve our offerings in that aspect.
Through digitalisation, water solutions can
adapt their performance intuitively to user
demand, through the use of Internet of
Things, sensors, and intelligent technology.
This way, our customers use less water and
power, and emissions are reduced.
But digitalisation does not stop at the
product level. An efficient water system
goes beyond individual components
working in silos, but instead is about
how an entire system can work together
cohesively to ensure the optimisation of
resources. To achieve this, we developed
the iSOLUTIONS range, a range of
products with a focus on connectivity,
intelligent monitoring, and adjustment
features to optimise water efficiency across
the entire system. iSOLUTIONS is a key
part of Grundfos’ continuous pursuit of
digitalisation, by incorporating intelligence
into our products.
To advance our solutions, it is crucial
to find strong partners, where we are
able to combine our expertise and
industry knowledge to tackle some of
decarbonisation’s key challenges. For
example, our strategic 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.
Earlier this year, we formalised a strategic
partnership with Baseform, a technology
provider of online software for water utilities,
to bring digital services to all water utilities
across the globe.
CREATING CONNECTED ECOSYSTEMS
WITH CUSTOMERS
Connectivity and the Internet of Things
continue to be buzzwords across industries,
but it’s not a fad. Customers now recognise
the importance of prompt, efficient service, as
it will minimise downtime and keep any impact
to business continuity to a minimum. Moving
forward into 2022, we will see this play out in
solution providers finding new ways to connect
with their customers effectively and efficiently.
One approach that has been very successful
in the last few years are mobile applications,
which have redefined customer experience.
From paying bills, monitoring usage, and
deriving information on water quality,
customers can use these apps as an end-toend
service, moving away from the mindset of
pumps as a product.
Grundfos’ iSOLUTIONS Cloud for wastewater networks
38 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

FOCUS
connect their pumping solutions to Grundfos
cloud, can help attain 10-25% energy
optimisation in the water and wastewater
network. By leveraging advanced analytics
and algorithms to predict leaks, the
application helps fix problems in the water
network before they happen, preventing
wastage of resources and energy.
Grundfos’ SCALA1 booster pump
For example, through the Grundfos Smart
Serv app, customers can locate the nearest
service provider and raise a request through
filling an online form and including a picture of
the pump or system. The service provider will
then deploy one of their service engineers to
the site to assess and resolve the issue. One
of Grundfos’ key focus areas as a business
is incorporating digitalisation in our service
given its potential to drive efficiency at the
large scale and rate we need. The app is one
of our many efforts to ensure a fast response
rate and minimise any downtime on our
solutions as much as possible.
We also launch SCALA1, a domestic booster
pump, which 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.
Moving forward, technologies like augmented
reality and virtual reality can play a bigger
role in empowering customers to take charge
of their ecosystem, especially when service
experts are not immediately available.
Imagine being able to repair something, while
receiving real-time instructions on precisely
which bolt needs tightening and how to do
it. The technology is developing at a rapid
rate, so applications will undoubtedly expand
dramatically in the future.
To continue building solutions that are
focused on connectivity and compatibility
with our customers’ ecosystems, we
are constantly looking at ways to align
with international standards in this area.
Grundfos is named as a member poised
to be early adopted of Matter. Matter – the
interoperable, secure connectivity standard
for the future of the smart home – is driven by
the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA),
and aims to make it easier for manufacturers
to build devices, and to ensure they are
compatible with other smart home and
voice services. We are also open to support
every ecosystem that is building up and
enabling smart pump applications, and
are currently working with many customer
implementations and pilots with the cloud
providers.
TRANSFORMING DATA INTO FUTURE
INSIGHTS
Lastly, we see greater demand for preemptive
and predictive maintenance in water
infrastructure, saving precious time, energy,
and costs. Through the Internet of Things,
advanced data collection and sensors, water
networks can access information that allows
them to operate in a more predictive manner,
reducing downtime and avoiding serious
business and environmental consequences.
For example, Grundfos’ Wastewater Network
Connect application, a cloud-based platform
that allows water and wastewater utilities to
Another way predictive insights can make
an impact is through improving a city’s
climate resilience. Most notably, China’s
‘sponge cities’ have been exploring
different solutions and water management
techniques to tackle urban flooding,
one being introducing intelligence to
its stormwater control system. Through
digitalisation, the drainage systems in some
of these ‘sponge cities’ are able to monitor,
analyse, and predict its operating status,
as well as other considerations including
urban flooding risks, ecological effects, and
methods to reuse rainwater. Data collected
can also be generated into reports that
tracks the system’s performance against a
set of key indicators.
MOVING FORWARD
While COVID-19 continues to shape how
the water industry moves forward into the
new year, digital transformation has and
will continue to be a key enabler for us to
reimagine our relationship with water, the
environment, and our customers.
Markus Brandstetter is CTO for Grundfos.
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 39

FOCUS
SIZE MATTERS:
To achieve circularity,
we need scale
Dutch and French circular projects share lessons
from nationwide operations.
value chains, for wastewater, it’s still
developing. If you look at the recovery
of valuable resources, like struvite,
phosphorus, cellulose, sand or methane
from the process itself, wastewater has
enormous possibilities.”
The spark for AquaMinerals started over
25 years ago when Dutch drinking water
utilities came together to address how
to treat their solid wastes and founded
the company. Produced sludges and
other solids were collected to be
transformed into valuable materials,
economically and environmentally, for
industries, the agricultural sector and
sometimes even 100% circular in the
water sector itself.
Recovered resources
Two European projects have
expanded, offering lessons on the
importance of scale in delivering a
circular economy. Utility resource
broker AquaMinerals in the
Netherlands and Seitiss by French
start-up studio Strane Innovation in
France have witness growth in turning
wastes into valuable resources.
By connecting multiple cross-industry
stakeholders, both developments have
enabled resources from drinking water
treatment or industrial processes to
be organised, connecting supply and
demand over a nationwide scale.
It comes at a time of increasing focus
on the circular economy across
Europe. The European Commission’s
adoption of the circular economy
action plan (CEAP) means achieving
circular economies have become an
aspirational central building block
of the European Green Deal and
the continent’s drive for sustainable
growth.
RIDING THE CASCADE IN
CIRCULARITY
After success with the drinking water
companies, AquaMinerals expanded its
efforts onto wastewater.
Olaf van der Kolk, CEO of
AquaMinerals, explained: “While the
drinking water companies already
have developed numerous mature
BALANCING SUPPLY AND DEMAND
Today, AquaMinerals reclaims and
resells circular products for over 10
different sectors, including calcite,
removed during the drinking water
softening process. The organisation
operates nationally, connecting the
water companies’ residuals to the end
markets as the circular broker.
“If you have the volumes of resources
to deliver to multiple locations, this
can drive a tremendous impact on
the market,” van der Kolk added. “On
the other hand, if you have a pilot
plant producing one truckload every
two months, that’s interesting from a
research or demonstration point of view
but lacks scale.”
40 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

FOCUS
Security of supply is important when
it comes to the circular economy. For
instance, AquaMinerals provides iron
from the drinking water companies
to the digestion industry, converting
biomass into methane. Depending on
the contract, iron must be supplied
within 24 or 72 hours after being
ordered by the digester.
“They are dependent on this iron,” he
said. “If this iron is not there, it could
cause huge damage to the installation
due to sulphur-corrosion. We have
over 80 production sites across the
Netherlands and Belgium where we
collect the iron, as well as keep the
resources to store the iron externally
so that we can meet this order.”
CREATING SUSTAINABLE
INDUSTRIAL SYNERGIES IN
FRANCE
AquaMinerals has also targeted
markets beyond the Netherlands
and Belgium. As part of the H2020
NextGen collaboration, it is in dialogue
with Strane Innovation in France, which
aims to create start-ups based on the
European Union (EU) project outputs.
If you look at the
recovery of valuable
resources like struvite,
phosphorus, cellulose,
sand or methane
from the process
itself, wastewater has
enormous possibilities.
Olaf van der Kolk
CEO of AquaMinerals
Charles-Xavier Sockeel, a
sustainable business engineer
from the organisation, believes that
the industry needs to ensure the
environment and ecosystem are
ready for circularity to thrive. He
elaborated: “We facilitate researchers
to find a market and then identify
which key exploitation results are
important. From this, we see if it’s
feasible to generate a spin-off startup,
and whether the market is mature
enough to handle it.”
One notable circular development
from Strane is Seitiss, designed
to create “industrial synergies” by
linking French industries. To date,
160 processes have been studied
over 18 industries, resulting in over
3,000 characterised resources. The
result is a total of 500 “documented
synergies and 20,000 resource
matches”, over 33,000 geolocated sites.
“We help to connect sectors – what
is considered waste from one sector
is a resource to another,” Sockeel
concluded. “Using GIS tools, we look for
other actors to join the first step of this
ecosystem so that we strengthen the
value chains nationally.”
Like AquaMinerals in the Netherlands,
Seitiss acts as a circular broker in
France, connecting to ensure resource
buyers have a sustainable supply in the
right quantities.
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 41

FOCUS
PROCESS AUTOMATION
in seawater desalination
Singapore’s approaches to environmental protection is considered
a leading market with great innovative power. The Tuas Desalination
Plant produces more than 130,000m 3 of drinking water per day in a very
limited space. Maximum efficiency applies not only to the use of space,
but also to operation – all processes are monitored and
controlled by a modern process control system.
Singapore has no natural water
sources of its own and in the
smallest state of South East Asia, the
possibilities for collecting rainwater are
also very limited. Nevertheless, over
5.5 million inhabitants must be just as
reliably supplied with water as a good
10 million tourists annually and the still
expanding industry.
At the moment, a good half of the
water demand is still covered by
imports, mainly from neighbouring
Malaysia. But as Malaysia also has to
By Verena Lehmann
struggle with increasingly low water
levels and because supply contracts
expire in 2061 at the latest, Singapore
has been looking for alternatives
for years. Long-term investments in
research and infrastructure of the water
supply system as well as Singapore’s
openly demonstrated interest in
innovations in the water sector have
ensured that a number of renowned
research institutions and companies
from the water industry have settled
here. Singapore is therefore considered
the ‘Silicon Valley of water research’.
A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
STRATEGY
PUB, Singapore’s national water
agency is the Singaporean statutory
board of the Ministry of the
Environment and Water Resources.
It is intended to ensure Singapore’s
sustainable water supply via the
so-called “Four Taps Project”.
Accordingly, Singapore’s future
strategy is based on four pillars –
water imports, which are gradually
being reduced; the collection of
rainwater, as it can only be expanded
to a limited extent; water recycling;
and seawater desalination. The
city-state has made great leaps in
innovations in these two areas in
particular, and it is here that the
government continues to see the
greatest potential for development.
Modern membrane technology and
high-grade disinfection by means
of UV radiation are the basis for
the high-quality recycling of used
water. Today, approximately 40% of
Singapore’s water demand is covered
by recycling. The NEWater strategy
module aims to increase this share to
60% by 2060. Since the nation’s first
seawater desalination plant was put
into operation in 2005, major steps
have also been taken here.
42 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

FOCUS
Another plant has been feeding drinking
water into the network since 2013, and
the combined capacity covered 25% of
Singapore’s water requirements by 2018.
With the realisation of the Tuas Desalination
Plant (TD3) project, this figure was increased
to 30%.
LOW SPACE REQUIREMENT
With a capacity of 130,000m 3 per day, the
TD3 produces as much drinking water as
Singapore’s first seawater desalination
plant, but requires only half the plant area.
For this capacity, TD3 is one of the world’s
most compact plants for drinking water
production from seawater. On an area the
size of only five soccer fields, ultra-modern
and efficient process areas from mechanical
pre-filtering to post-treatment are combined.
The two-stage pre-treatment process
combines Dissolved Air Flotation, in which
impurities are removed by coagulation using
chemicals, with ultrafiltration. In over 120
filter modules, semi-permeable membranes
ensure that microorganisms and germs are
removed from the water.
During the subsequent reverse osmosis
(RO), the pre-purified water is desalinated
into two passes. With the modern pretreatment
and flushing processes, the
service life of the RO membranes has been
doubled compared to other systems.
EFFICIENT CONTROL TECHNOLOGY
Excel Marco is responsible for the
automation of this plant. The company,
founded in 2000 and part of the Joulon
Group since 2017, is a solution provider for
process automation and safety solutions for
critical systems in various industries. The
Simatic PCS 7 process control system from
Siemens is used for all processes, from the
intake of seawater to the feeding of drinking
water into the public grid.
Edward Aung, project and engineering
manager of Excel Marco, explained why
this choice contributed to the success of
the project: “When we programmed the
first automation examples, we realised that
the control strategies for ultrafiltration and
RO really had it all. However, the Advanced
Process Library from Siemens provided
suitable function blocks for all challenges, so
that we were able to achieve a high degree
of standardisation despite the individually
developed solution. The entire engineering
process – measured against the challenge –
ran absolutely smoothly.”
Phua Koon Teck, project manager for Excel
Marco, summarised the most important
challenges as follows: “TD3 is a plant
with a very small footprint and very high
performance. Many processes have to
be taken into account in the desalination
process, and there must be no quality
fluctuations in the end product, high-quality
drinking water for Singapore. We have also
implemented a very high standard of IT
security.”
The Siemens control system also
proved its worth in this respect, as Phua
emphasised: “The basic architecture of
Simatic PCS 7 supported our approach
of an advanced security solution. The
combination of hardened architecture,
the IEC 62443 certified security concept
and the appropriate Siemens hardware,
together with our wealth of experience, has
resulted in a first-class security concept.”
Given the importance of water in Singapore
in particular, all the infrastructure facilities
involved are subject to particularly high
cyber security requirements.
ADVANCE COMPONENTS
In addition to the control system, which
contributes to the overall efficiency of the
desalination plant through uniform operation
of the entire plant and the appropriate
function modules for the control strategies,
other components play an important role in
operation.
“The use of an OTS, an operator training
system based on process simulation, was
already stipulated as a prerequisite in the
project tender,” Aung explained. “With the
help of Simit, the simulation system from
Siemens, we have set up a simulation model
of the entire plant during engineering. This
model is now the basis for the training of
the operating crew who use Simit as an
operator training system.”
The operators of the TD3 are each
responsible for certain sub-processes,
such as ultrafiltration or RO. Simit can
be used both to train the challenges of
specific process operation using particular
scenarios and to improve understanding of
the overall functionality of the plant.
Phua continued: “When a system is
running, there is no better way to train
operating steps in a safe environment
than to use an OTS. Because this is also
increasingly appreciated and used by
other customers, we at Excel Marco are
currently working very intensively on this
topic and are achieving excellent results
with Simit.”
Not only Excel Marco, but the operator
is also satisfied with the result. The
project also enjoys high international
recognition. For example, its technical and
environmentally sustainable performance
earned it the “Desalination Plant of the
Year” award at the Global Water Awards in
London in 2019.
Phua is certain that Singapore’s leading
role in future water technologies could be
proven with this plant, and commented:
“The water supply of other ASEAN countries
is largely based on groundwater and
rainwater. This means there is an extreme
dependence on climatic environmental
conditions. With our gathered knowhow
and the control technology solution
implemented in Singapore, we can also help
other countries to meet future challenges
through seawater desalination.”
Verena Lehmann is marketing manager, digital
industries process automation, at Siemens.
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 43

FOCUS
KEEPING
A GOOD OVERVIEW:
VEGAPULS 11 delivers level
readings from remote areas
Dry summers, sudden downpours or violent thunderstorms – the
temperature climate in Europe has not always behaved its best in
recent years. Not only does this have an impact on nature, but it also
calls for innovative actions to be taken by the affected municipalities.
In Belgium, VEGA’s compact radar level measuring instruments now
provide readings for ecologically friendly water management.
So far, 50
VEGAPULS C 11
level measurement
modules have been
installed in five
Belgian provinces,
unobtrusively
monitoring water
levels
When rivers suddenly overflow their
banks, or drinking water becomes
scarce, or a nature reserve struggle
with a drought, water distribution
strategies have to be rethought. This
task is carried out in Belgium by
the Flanders Environment Agency,
Vlaamse Milieumaatschappij (VMM).
Although the authority can do little to
change the volatility of the weather, it
nevertheless plays a decisive role in a
holistic water policy.
The environmental agency measures
and monitors water quantity and
quality, manages water systems,
and levies fees on water pollution
and groundwater extraction. It also
advises on environmental permits and
supervises infrastructure planning, as
well as the monitoring and supply of
drinking water.
When it comes to rivers or any
other forms of flowing water, VMM
relies on the Internet of Things
(IoT) solutions and adopts an
integrated approach that focuses
on limiting the risk of flood
damage and achieving a high
ecological status. In short, VMM
looks to ensure that no user or
consumer in the complex system
of water distribution is neglected.
However, the agency can only
monitor something that has been
accurately measured.
44 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

FOCUS
USER-FRIENDLY AND LOW-
MAINTENANCE
In the early days, ultrasonic sensing
was used to measure the water level
in non-navigable streams, canals
and rivers. However, this measuring
method had a major drawback,
especially outdoors – the sound
propagation time depends on the
temperature, which can result in
considerable measurement errors
due to temperature changes or
solar radiation. Thick fog, wind and
rain, as well as build-up of dirt will
influence ultrasonic measurement.
Even cobwebs can cause inaccurate
readings, as they gather debris,
they interfere with the measuring
signal, resulting in an increase of the
blocking distance, or dead band,
typical of ultrasonic sensors. Added
to this were ongoing maintenance
problems.
Radar sensors, by contrast, are
not impacted by dirt, sunlight,
fog, wind or rain. They also do not
require mechanical protection from
high floodwaters. For that reason,
the decision was made over 15
years ago to change the sensor
type and since then the agency has
relied on radar technology from
VEGA.
LEVEL MEASUREMENTS
ENSURE SAFETY
Due to climate change, a new challenge
arose – to obtain a comprehensive
overview of water levels at a wide variety
of locations at any time of the day. VMM’s
idea was to build a fine-meshed network
of real-time level measuring points.
VEGAPULS C 11 is
housed in a small
stainless-steel
housing, so it is also
protected against
vandalism or theft
RADAR
IS THE BETTER
ULTRASONIC
Compact level sensors with 80 GHz radar technology
They first worked with the radar
level sensor VEGAPULS 61 with
PVDF antenna for many years, then
later with VEGAPULS WL 61. In the
course of the collaboration, they
acknowledged the solution-oriented
attitude of the Schiltach-based
company, as Johan Eylenbosch,
hydrographer and electrical
mechanic at VMM, said: “Whenever
a problem arose, the service and
additional information provided by
VEGA was very good and helpful.”
This was reaffirmed by the next
project the agency undertook.
VEGA Instruments (SEA) Pte Ltd
25 IBP, #04-52 German Centre,
Singapore
Phone +65 6564 0531
E-mail sales.sg@vega.com
www.vega.com
Key Advantanges:
▪ Maximum reliability and accuracy
▪ Unaffected by temperature fluctuations
▪ Resistant to dirt and buildup
▪ Measurement under vacuum and high pressure
▪ Wear and maintenance free
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 45

FOCUS
available, many of those issues were
“Most of the measuring points are
resolved. The instrument contains a
located in open watercourses and are
newly-developed radar microchip that
actually not problematic. We could
was optimised for the requirements
also have used ultrasonic or pressure
of level measurement and, due to
sensors,” said Eylenbosch, clarifying
its high level of integration, makes it
the reasons for the decision. “But the
possible to build compact sensors.
simple installation of radar sensors
The VEGAPULS C 11 measures with
via Bluetooth and the high measuring
a frequency of 80GHz, which enables
accuracy of ±5mm, not to mention
good signal focusing. This allows
the very reasonable price, tipped the
better separation of measurement
scales in favour of radar measurement
signals from interference signals –
technology. The instruments are also
measurement is thus “easier and more
completely solar powered which
All instruments are
completely solar
powered, so no
further maintenance
is required
Important measuring points are, for
example, smaller, non-navigable
watercourses, where information
is gathered to help mitigate water
accurate” than with other measuring
methods, such as ultrasonic, VEGA
claimed.
And the small beam angle of only
makes them even easier to operate and
maintain. So, the significantly lower
energy consumption of the new radar
sensors was helpful to us in many
respects.”
shortages or predict floods. Such
8-inch is ideal for the application, as
measured values form the basis for
Eylenbosch noted: “Some channels
Another advantage Eylenbosch pointed
taking more far-reaching decisions, for
are very small. Thanks to the narrow
out was that VEGAPULS C 11 is able to
example to introduce local or regional
measuring beam, we can mount the
fit into a small stainless-steel housing,
water withdrawal prohibitions. The
sensor very close to the wall.” The radar
as he explained: “This makes the entre
agency was particularly focused on
sensor is equipped with encapsulated
measurement setup so inconspicuous
periods of prolonged drought, which
cable and protection class IP66/68,
that it is also protected against
has been the order of the day in recent
hence allowing it to be immersed in
vandalism and theft.”
years.
SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE OF
NOWHERE
water in the event of a flood.
CURRENT MEASUREMENT DATA
AROUND THE CLOCK
CONCLUSION AND OUTLOOK
“We now have reliable, energyefficient
measurement 24 hours a
In an effort to improve water
Every 15 minutes, the radar
day,” continued Eylenbosch, who is
management, VMM wanted to have
measurement is activated and the
convinced that the need for additional
smart IoT level sensors for continuous
measured value sent to the VMM
measuring points will increase in the
level measurement of rivers. Up until
database via a remote telemetry data
future. Expanding the sensor network
then, setting up such measuring
logger. “This makes it possible to gain
is not an issue – a new level measuring
points had only been possible with
a better insight into our water supply
point can be put into operation at
considerable effort and expense.
and distribution reality, and to calibrate
any time and integrated into the
our hydrological models,” he added.
existing network. As soon as the level
“To install a river level measuring point,
Incidentally, any citizen can also
measurement module is installed, the
the sensor, together with an adequate
access the data – the current readings
instrument goes online automatically.
housing, sometimes had to be set
can be viewed by the public via a web
up in the middle of nowhere and the
service.
The administrator only has to fill out
necessary cables laid underground,”
a few fields in a digital activation
he explained. “We also needed special
Once the decision was made, VMM
form beforehand – all subsequent
software to configure the system. And
procured 50 compact VEGAPULS C
measurement data are then
we had to collect, amalgamate and
11 radar level sensors and installed
automatically transferred to the
process the measurement data.”
them with microcontrollers at numerous
database in a continuous stream.
locations in five provinces. The exact
This ensures that the level data
When the compact radar level
location of each one is determined via a
becomes quickly available on the
transmitter VEGAPULS C 11 became
GPS module built into the data logger.
data platform.
46 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

VIEWPOINT
INDUSTRIAL
wastewater
challenge
Industries such as chemical, petrochemical and mining use large quantities of fresh
water and generate wastewater as a by-product. David Kim-Hak, senior director
of product at Energy Recovery, elaborates more on the emergence of ultra-high
pressure reverse osmosis for zero liquid discharge (ZLD) applications.
Industrial wastewater effluent contains
different types and levels of contaminants that
vary among the processes, applications, and
locations. Some contaminants can easily be
treated and removed while others, such as
salts and metals, are dissolved in water and
are difficult to treat; this water is referred to as
saline water. In addition to being challenging
to treat, they can also be quite toxic to
humans and the surrounding environment.
Therefore, those effluents usually require
extensive water treatment techniques prior to
being discharged or else they are transported
a great distance for disposal.
To control the harmful environmental effects
of industrial wastewater disposal and to
improve the sustainability of surface and
groundwater, governments have tightened
regulations and environmental permitting,
and are beginning to mandate zero or minimal
liquid discharge (ZLD or MLD) requirements
for industrial wastewater. Through MLD and
ZLD, liquid waste volume is greatly reduced or
eliminated while contaminants are disposed
as solid waste, which is typically easier and
safer to manage and will not contaminant the
surrounding environment. The treated water
remaining can then be reused in the original
industrial process, or safely returned to the
local environment.
THE EMERGENCE OF UHPRO FOR ZLD
APPLICATIONS
Achieving ZLD requires a combination of
desalination treatment steps that extract
fresh water while concentrating dissolved
salts and other contaminants in a waste
saline stream. Liquid waste may be reduced
by a combination of water treatment
technologies such as brackish water
reverse osmosis (BWRO), seawater reverse
osmosis (SWRO), ultra-high pressure
reverse osmosis (UHPRO), electrodialysis
reversal (EDR), and thermal concentration
methods.
As a century-old incumbent technology,
thermal processes have been the primary
process to desalinate water and wastewater
despite being high energy and capital
intensive, making high-salinity desalination
costly to implement. This process involves
using heat energy to evaporate the water
from the saline solution, leaving behind
salt and other contaminants. The water
vapour is then condensed back into a
contaminant-free liquid. Even though
thermal technologies have improved and
optimised the use of heat energy, they
can be inefficient processes to separate
dissolved solids as compared to modern
membrane separation processes.
In comparison, reverse osmosis (RO)
technology consumes less energy, requires
a smaller plant footprint, and is less capital
intensive. Unlike the thermal processes,
RO uses hydraulic energy in the form of
pressure as the sole driving force to push
feed water through the semi-permeable RO
membrane. This produces a clean stream
called “permeate”, which leaves salts and
other contaminants as by-products in the
concentration stream. The required RO
feed pressure must be greater than the
osmotic pressure of the feed stream that
is proportional to the salinity of the water.
Therefore, the higher the feed salinity, the
higher the required feed pressure. And in the
case of UHPRO, because the feed salinity is
typically above 60,000ppm, the required feed
pressure is greater than 1,200 psi (83 bar).
The ongoing transition in the last 10 years
from thermal to SWRO in the seawater
desalination market illustrates the
attractiveness of RO technology. SWRO has
completely displaced thermal desalination
as the dominant technology for new
municipal desalination plants, and is now
the technology of choice in desalination.
Recent advances in RO membranes
and associated equipment have made it
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 47

VIEWPOINT
Furthermore, the adoption of energy recovery
devices (ERDs) in RO systems have made
the economics of RO even more compelling
against its thermal counterpart. ERDs, in the
form of isobaric pressure exchangers, have
played a critical role in the shift from thermal
desalination processes to SWRO by reducing
the SWRO energy requirement by up to 60%.
Similar energy savings are also available
with the isobaric pressure exchanger in the
UHPRO process.
Figure 1
DEPLOYING ERDS TO AUGMENT THE
ECONOMIC BENEFIT OF RO
Basic RO systems employ a high-pressure
feed pump to pressurise the feed stream
to the required RO membrane pressure for
dissolved solid separation to occur.
The concentrate stream being discharged
from the system retains most of the pressure
from the feed stream as the pressure drop
across the RO membrane is only about
15-30 psi (1-2 bar). The hydraulic energy
in the concentrate stream needs to be
dissipated through a pressure regulating
valve to safely dispose the concentrate.
(Figure 1).
Figure 2
ERDs such as isobaric pressure exchangers
are designed to harness this wasted hydraulic
energy from the concentrate stream, thus
reducing the RO energy consumption.
possible to treat high-salinity wastewater
by operating RO systems at an ultra-high
pressure of more than 1,200 psi (83 bar)
– nearly 50% higher pressure than SWRO.
UHPRO can be deployed prior to the
thermal stage to further concentrate
and reduce the waste stream volume.
As a result, the required size and energy
consumption of the final thermal stage is
significantly reduced.
Figure 2 shows how the isobaric pressure
exchanger is integrated into a RO system
and how energy from the concentrate is
transferred to the partial RO feed stream,
which has a flow rate equivalent to that
48 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

VIEWPOINT
of the concentrate. As a result, the
implementation of an isobaric pressure
exchanger also decreases the required
size of the high-pressure pump, thus
reducing both Capex and Opex.
An isobaric pressure exchanger such
as the Energy Recovery PX is an
established technology for SWRO
desalination plants for its consistent
and high efficiency of 98% of the
recovered energy that would otherwise
be wasted. In SWRO, a pressure
exchanger like the Energy Recovery
PX can reduce the SWRO system
energy use by up to 60%, bringing the
specific energy consumption (SEC)
of the system down from 6kWh/m 3 to
2.5kWh/m 3 .
The required UHPRO feed pressure is
1,537 psi (104.5 bar), and the system
consumes an estimated total power
of 94kW, which represents a SEC of
10.2kWh/m 3 of fresh water produced.
By adding the Ultra PX into the
process, the power consumption
is expected to drop down to 39kW
and the SEC to 4.1kWh/m 3 . This
represents a power reduction of 59%,
and an annual energy cost saving of
approximately US$51,098.
With such economics, the Ultra PX is
poised to provide return on investment
with significant energy cost savings
year over year. Thus, the decision to
design the UHPRO unit with an isobaric
pressure exchanger ERD was justified
for the lithium-ion material facility.
A white paper will be published
by Energy Recovery as soon as
longer-term operating data are
available.
Energy Recovery’s
Ultra PX reduces the
energy waste of the
UHPRO process
The isobaric pressure exchanger ERD
technology is now available for UHPRO
applications to enable further reduction
and concentration of the waste stream.
Those devices are designed to manage
the high saline water and higher
pressures of up to 1,750 psi (120 bar).
UHPRO CASE STUDY: NEW
ENERGY LITHIUM-ION BATTERY
MATERIAL FACTORY
Energy Recovery will be deploying its
Ultra PX technology in a lithium-ion
battery manufacturing facility in Hubei
province, China. Once completed, this
facility will be the country’s largest
lithium-ion battery production facility.
To create a sustainable model for the
production facility and achieve ZLD,
the facility uses an advanced highconcentration
wastewater recycling
process that includes the UHPRO
technology as a critical treatment step.
The UHPRO desalination system
treats 119gpm (27m 3 /hr) of wastewater
feed with a total dissolved solids
of 109Kppm and recovers 35% of
fresh water while concentrating the
wastewater to 167Kppm.
The ongoing transition in the last
10 years from thermal to SWRO in
the seawater desalination market
illustrates the attractiveness of RO
technology. SWRO has completely
displaced thermal desalination as
the dominant technology for new
municipal desalination plants,
and is now the technology of
choice in desalination.
David Kim-Hak
Senior Director of Product at Energy Recovery
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 49

HOTSEAT
FILTER PRESS
with AODD pumps
Faced with concerns over equipment efficiency and
product process, a filter press manufacturer turns to
Seko for a multi-purpose solution.
Filter presses are commonly used for
solid-liquid separation in wastewater
treatment processes across industries
and applications such as municipal
wastewater treatment, pharmaceutical,
electroplating, pulp and paper-making,
leather production, printing and dyeing,
metallurgy, chemical processing,
abattoirs, food production, brewing and
distilling, and environmental protection.
With ultra-high-drying dewatering
performance and adaptability to
harsh working conditions, the belt
sludge filter press supports solidliquid
separation in industrial and
mining processes. These production
processes include electrolytic
manganese dioxide, coal washing,
cement, starch, calcium carbide, quartz
glass, ceramics, titanium dioxide, and
steel.
IMPROVED SLUDGE TREATMENT
IN CHINA TO REDUCE
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND
MAXIMISE EFFICIENCY
The development of sludge-treatment
technology in China has been slower
than expected, which, according to
Seko, results in processes creating
excessive volumes of sludge and water;
while disposal is difficult, dewatering
is not complete, and processes are
inefficient. Along with poor resource
utilisation, the generation of large
amount of polluted sludge has an
environmental impact if not strictly
controlled.
A filter press
manufacturer
employs Seko’s
solutions to improve
equipment efficiency
and production process
One sludge filter press manufacturer,
keen to improve its practices and
enhance public perception of its
products and business, decided to carry
out comprehensive system upgrades to
increase processing efficiency, eliminate
waste and reduce environmental
pollution. For this, the company turned
to Seko to deliver one of its innovative
chemical-dosing solutions.
50 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

HOTSEAT
PROBLEM: SYSTEM GENERATES
EXCESSIVE POLLUTED SLUDGE AND
INCREASED MAINTENANCE COSTS
Seko’s technical team carried out an
assessment of the client’s production
system and discovered that the existing
process dosed flocculant into the sludge
filter press via a screw pump, which
increased efficiency but at the same time
reduce accuracy.
This inevitably caused excessive chemical
dosing, as well as costly wastage, and
accelerated the emission of sludge waste.
In addition, the existing equipment had
high power, large flow, and a considerable
maintenance requirement.
AN ECONOMICAL SOLUTIONS TO
REPLACE SCREW PUMP
Taking into account the client’s specific
process requirements along with the
nature of the flocculant to be dosed, Seko
recommended that the client replace the
existing screw pumps with its Duotek
series air-operated double-diaphragm
(AODD) pump or Kosmo series of dosing
pumps for improved accuracy, reliability
and cost-effective performance.
can be disassembled for cleaning without
the need for regular downtime – a feature
operators might look for to reduce
operating costs.
Kosmo pumps may also be equipped
with variable-frequency motors or pulse
dampers to further improve the stability
of dosing, while a back pressure valve
ensures consistency even when water
pressure fluctuates.
Solution II: Duotek AODD pump
Seko’s Duotek pumps are known for their
flexibility in pumping difficult liquids at low
pressure and flow.
The pumps come in many sizes and
choices of materials of construction.
Almost every liquid from highly corrosive
acids through high viscosity paints and
adhesives, to food and drink products, can
be pumped. Other features of the Duotek
pumps include variable flow and head
pressures that can be adjusted, portable
and compact for multi-location use, and
the ability to manage liquids with solids
particles.
CONCLUSION
With the improvement of the dosing level
of the sludge filter press, Seko reported
the manufacturer saw treatment efficiency
increase while sludge discharge “dropped
significantly”. As well as ensuring that
sludge treatment requirements in the
on-site process were met, by making
its products more environmentallyresponsible,
the manufacturer improved its
brand image among its new and existing
customers.
Solution I: Kosmo mechanical
diaphragm pumps
Kosmo mechanical diaphragm pumps
measure the volume ratio of flocculant
to slurry through precision-controlled
analogue dosing to achieve consistent
mixing while minimising chemical waste.
The Kosmo series of dosing pump is
equipped with a PTFE diaphragm and
PVC/PVDF pump heads, thus providing
chemical compatibility that is applicable
for flocculant dosing and ensuring
reliability and long life.
Above: The Kosmo series of dosing pumps
from Seko
Below: Seko’s Duotek pumps
Kosmo pumps are recognised for their
performance in continuous dosing,
courtesy of the dual advantages of zero
leakage and stable dosing, Seko claimed.
This is achieved through the intelligent
design of the pump’s ball values, which
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 51

HOTSEAT
STORMHARVESTER
JOINS WESSEX WATER
in AI wastewater network rollout
Technology to be installed across 35,000km of
sewers, marking one of the biggest deployments of
artificial intelligence in wastewater networks globally.
blockages with zero missed and control room
alarm rationalisation of 97%. Our technology
also identified at least two incidents that we are
fairly confident would have resulted in Category
3 spillages, or worse. Numbers like these make
for a strong business case for utilities.”
Sewer blockages can lead to costly service
failures including pollution and flooding events,
but if spotted early enough, they can be quickly
remedied. Wet weather makes it difficult
to differentiate expected high sewer levels
caused by heavy rainfall volumes from those
arising from restrictions such as partial or total
blockages.
By deploying AI with the capacity to
differentiate between these different events,
both an improvement in alarm quality and
alarm rationalisation is made possible.
UK water company Wessex Water has joined
forces with artificial intelligence (AI) company
StormHarvester to expand the use of AI to
detect blockages across its entire wastewater
network.
The deployment follows a successful trial in
May last year, and will be the most extensive
AI wastewater network to be rolled out in the
world, the companies claimed.
Following this successful trial, Wessex Water
has confirmed it will deploy StormHarvester’s
AI technology across its entire network
over the next three years, as part of its
commitment to continue providing high
standards of sewerage services to its
customers and the environment. The
expansion will cover nearly 35,000km of
sewers and wastewater generated from
2.8 million people.
The agreement follows a trial in the city of
Bath, to test the scope of AI and see whether
it was possible to use machine learning to
identify early-forming sewer blockages,
mute unnecessary control room alarms,
and establish an operational basis for a
shift towards condition-based maintenance.
During the trial StormHarvester’s intelligent
Sewer Suite detected over 60 early blockage
formations in real-time.
Brian Moloney, managing director of
StormHarvester, explained: “Our pilot showed
92% accuracy in identifying early forming
Jody Knight, asset technology manager for
Wessex Water, concluded: “We are proud to
be rolling out this innovative AI solution across
our entire sewerage network. It’s a huge
step in our ambitions to significantly reduce
blockage incidents and improve efficiency in
our sewerage operations.
“We set out to test the ability of machine
learning to predict blockage formations in
sewer networks early and intervene before
they became service failures, better separate
genuine control room alarms from alarms
triggered because of high volume rainfall
during wet weather and dramatically improve
the response time to service failures. In
short, the technology worked and exceed
expectations.”
52 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

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HOTSEAT
ENERGY MANAGEMENT:
Using variable frequency drive to
improve process mixing efficiency
By Erik Larson
Vaughan
Rotamix
Vaughan
Chopper Pump
Reducing industrial equipment’s power
consumption and increasing energy
efficiency continues to be an important
energy policy goal, with power
consumption representing the highest
single operating cost for most facilities.
For the wastewater industry, targeting
the energy efficiency of treatment
processes has been an integral part
of the effort to create net-zero energy
wastewater treatment facilities.
For hydraulic mixing systems, the
use of a Variable Frequency Drive
(VFD) can help maximise energy
efficiency, without sacrificing system
performance. To demonstrate this, we
look at the advantage of using VFD
to optimise energy consumption of a
typical hydraulic mixing system for an
anaerobic digester.
Anaerobic digesters are present in
most larger wastewater facilities.
While they are not the most energy
intensive treatment process, the
biogas they produce can be effectively
used to offset power requirements
in other parts of the facility. This is
achieved by either using biogas to
feed boilers or through co-generation.
In some more advanced facilities, the
energy produced by co-generation is
substantial enough to offset the entire
power usage of the facility. In order to
maximise the energy output from an
anaerobic digester, it is important to
produce as much biogas as possible,
while reducing energy needed to
sustain the digestion process.
For anaerobic digestion, the most
common design is a Continuously
Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR), relying
on continuous mixing to achieve a
54 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

HOTSEAT
homogeneous process volume, which
efficient volatile solids reduction per
provides consistent temperature and
unit mixing energy.
pH, dilution of inhibitory compounds,
and improved biological contact.
In general, the mixing energy required
Mixing also prevents settlement and
to prevent deposition is significantly
deposition of suspended solids, which
higher than the energy necessary
can reduce digester volume and lead to
to provide a homogeneous process
expensive clean-out costs.
volume. However, it is rarely necessary
to continuously maintain the energy
Hydraulic mixing systems are
required to prevent deposition. In the
commonly used to provide mixing
example of a Rotamix system, some
for CSTR anaerobic digesters. They
applications may require as little
consist of multiple nozzle assemblies
as two hours per day at full mixing
located within a tank, with flow often
driven by a chopper pump. This
provides an efficient, even distribution
of mixing energy throughout the entire
volume, while keeping moving parts out
energy to allow for resuspension of
settled solids. The remaining time can
be spent operating at a lower mixing
energy as required to maintain stable
digestion. By varying the mixing energy
Typical Digester
Diameter
Height
70ft
35ft
Figure 1: Relationship
between mixing
energy and digester
performance
of the digester where maintenance can
be more easily performed.
in this way, significant savings can be
achieved.
Volume
1 MG
Total Solids 3-5%
Using Vaughan Rotamix hydraulic
mixing system as an example, it
centres on the Vaughan Chopper Pump
designed to mix a typical 1MG digester.
For most hydraulic mixing systems, as
Typical design parameters of a 1MG
digester mixing system are provided
in Table 1. At full speed operation of
60Hz, the mixing system is operating
at 46.8HP. This will serve as a baseline
Installed Power
Operating Power (60Hz)
Operating Power (45Hz)
50HP
46.8HP
22.1HP
Table 1: Design
parameters of
a 1MG digester
mixing system
flow to the nozzles is varied, the amount
energy consumption. If instead we use
energy requirements. This could be
of energy transfer to the fluid also
a VFD to operate at 45Hz, the mixing
batch tanks with variable fluids, or
varies. Therefore, through manipulating
system will be operating at 19.8HP.
equalisation tanks with variable levels.
the operating curve of the chopper
With VFDs becoming more common
pump with a VFD, an operator can
Assuming a daily operating schedule of
and cost effective, a growing number
control the amount of mixing energy in
two hours at 60Hz and the remaining at
of applications are able to benefit
their process.
45Hz, this brings the average operating
from using VFD to improve control and
power to 22.1HP – a reduction of
efficiency of process mixing.
Figure 1 shows a typical relationship
between mixing energy and digester
performance. As mixing energy
almost 53%. Assuming a power cost
of US$0.08/kW, this produces an
annual operational savings of $12,982
VARIABLE SPEEDS: CONSISTENT
SAVINGS
increases, digester performance also
without reducing system performance.
For wastewater treatment plants
increases as temperature and pH
However, in some cases, more mixing
concerned with their facilities’ bottom
become more consistent, and inhibitory
energy may be required to maintain
line, the use of a VFD means they do
compounds are diluted. Eventually,
digester performance, which will reduce
not have to sacrifice mixing power to
the digester reaches a point where
the possible savings. It is ultimately up
save on operating costs. Instead, by
additional energy no longer improves
to the operator to determine the ideal
incorporating a VFD, energy costs can
performance, and inefficiency occurs.
operating schedule for their facility and
be reduced by 50% or more, while
At even higher mixing energies,
process.
providing a complete mix to the digester
overall performance may begin to
and other tanks. In this case, variable
decline due to mechanical foaming
In addition to anaerobic digesters,
mixing can lead to consistent savings.
and sludge bulking. In most digesters,
VFD can be used to increase efficiency
a mixing energy between 0.15 and
0.35HP//10 3 CuFt will provide the most
in any process hydraulic mixing
system, which has variable mixing
Erik Larson is senior process engineer at
Vaughan Company.
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 55

[Webinar] Sustainable Water Management
for Green Urban Farming
Jointly organised with Republic Polytechnic, Singapore
21 Aug 2021, Complimentary, Webex
NEWSLETTER
OF THE
SINGAPORE
WATER
ASSOCIATION
BRINGING
A NEW VIBRANCY
TO SINGAPORE’S
GROWING
WATER INDUSTRY
Lecturers from Agriculture Research and Innovation (AGRI) Centre School
of Applied Science, shared on new opportunities for urban farming for
better control on water management, latest technologies for vertical
farming towards achieving Singapore’s ambitious “30 by 30” goal to
produce 30% of nutritional needs locally by 2030. More than 80 attendees
from professionals for water and wastewater treatment, environmental
consultants, and sustainable farming enthusiasts participated.
[Webinar] Ozone for Industrial Water and
Wastewater Treatment
Jointly organised with De Nora Water Technologies
3 Sep 2021, Complimentary, Webex
Marwan Nesicolaci, general manager, Asia regional hub, De Nora Water
Technologies, gave a welcome address to more than 95 attendees; and
Alex Bettinardi, global product technology manager, ozone product line,
De Nora Water Technologies, shared case study examples and compelling
data to illustrate how ozone water treatment is used in three primary
industrial water treatment applications.

[Webinar] Nirobox Solution: Focus on Decentralised
Desalination Water Treatment
Jointly organised with Fluence Corporation
9 Sep 2021, Complimentary, Webex
Singapore Water Association (SWA) and
Fluence Corporation co-organised the
informative webinar Nirobox Solution:
Focus on Decentralised Desalination Water
Treatment, where Dr Wendy Tu, business
director of Fluence South East Asia; and
Gilad Yogey, senior product manger of
MABR products at Fluence Corporation,
presented Fluence’s NIROBOX and
NIROFLEX options across a wide range of
situation for almost 60 attendees with a
Q&A segment.
[Webinar] Tackling Challenges of
Drinking Water after Disaster
Jointly organised with Swisspro International Pte. Ltd.
(Katadyn Singapore)
21 Sep 2021, Complimentary, Webex
SWA and Katadyn Singapore co-organised the informative webinar
that drew almost 60 attendees. Liow Yong Zheng, regional manager
at Katadyn Singapore, gave the welcome address. He is joined by
experts from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA),
World Hope, and GivePower, who shared insights into how safe
drinking water is the top need right after a disaster strikes, and how
contaminated water adding stress to survivors and rescuers could
have fatal impacts due to the spread of diseases. Attendees also
learnt about mobile and sustainable solutions for self-sufficient
nutrition and drinking water supply.
[Live] PUB Sharing on R&D and Smart Initiatives by
the Water Supply Plant (WSP) Department
24 Sep 2021, Complimentary, Webex
A total of 107 participants attended the 4th PUB sharing session
on R&D and Smart Initiatives by the Water Supply Plant (WSP)
Department. Dr Chow Qin Wei, head of R&D at PUB; and Dr
Jodie Chin, general manager, Lower Seletar Waterworks, PUB;
shared insightful innovations and smart technologies by the WSP
department and even advised on the possible collaborations the
department can work with SWA members. Some upcoming tenders
were shared as well, and an eventful Q&A segment followed after
their presentations.

[Virtual] SWA 18th Annual General Meeting
30 Sep 2021, SWA members only, Webex
It’s a wrap for SWA’s 18th Annual General Meeting. Chew Men
Leong, president of SWA, gave the welcome address while Dinesh
Sharma, vice-president, administration, SWA, shared the agenda
for the 18th AGM; and Dr Adrian Yeo, vice-president, finance,
SWA, reported on the audited financial statements. More than
50 member representatives joined in the AGM and three lucky
winners – Sembcorp Industries, Prominent Fluid Controls and
Hydrobiology – walked away with a 1-year free membership for
2022 in the draw spin conducted by Charles Quek, vice-president,
general affairs, SWA.
SWA/SgWX Water Utilities Series:
Challenges and Opportunities for Desalination in Saudi Arabia
27 Sep 2021, SWA members and SgWX tenants only, Webex
The speakers were Muhammad Abdulrahman Al Alshaikh, general
manager for partnership, Saline Water Conversion Corporation
(SWCC); and Waled Mohammed Albarrak, director of capital
planning and analysis department at SWCC; who shared the
ongoing projects, challenges and future plans. The session was
attended by more than 100 participants.
The SWCC is dubbed the largest producer of desalination water in
the world, and the winner of Desalination Company of the Year in
the 2021 Global Water Awards. SWCC also set a new Guinness World
Record this April for the lowest energy consumption for desalination
plant at 2.27kWh/h per cubic metre of desalinated water.
[Webinar] Innovation to Practice: For Sustainable
Water Solutions Across Industries
Jointly organised with Singapore Netherlands Water House
(SNWH) and supported by Netherlands Embassy
7 Oct 2021, Complimentary, Webex
SWA is pleased to have Her Excellency, Ambassador to
Netherlands in Singapore, H.E. Margriet Vonno to give her
opening remarks while Wouter de Hamer from SNWH welcomed
almost 80 attendees to hear from four water practitioners on
their sharing on the latest technologies on water recovery
systems, processes and recycling solutions, and sustainable
management of water.

UPCOMING SWA ACTIVITIES
SWA/SgWX Water Utilities Series: Air Selangor Story – The New Radical
26 Oct 2021, SWA members and SgWX tenants only, Webex
Air Selangor is one of the largest water operators and more
progressive water utilities in Malaysia, distributing clean and safe
treated water to 8.4 million consumers in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur
and Putrajaya. This webinar presents their challenges, and how
they worked with its stakeholders in managing water supply
system in the state of Selangor. Air Selangor will also share its
ongoing projects, opportunities and future plans in this webinar.
Join us to find out more about the opportunities with Air Selangor.
SWA/SgWX Water Utilities Series:
Cape Town, South Africa
9 Nov 2021, SWA members and SgWX tenants only, Webex
SWA/SgWX Water Utilities Series:
Watercare, New Zealand
16 Nov 2021, SWA members and SgWX tenants only, Webex
Singapore Water Industry Nite (SWIN)
– Virtual [Special Edition]
Jointly organised with ProMinent Fluid Controls (F.E.) Pte. Ltd.
2 Dec 2021, Webex
The Singapore Water Association (SWA) is preparing an inaugural
virtual edition of Singapore Water Industry Nite (SWIN), which will
take place on a hybrid format on Thursday, 2 Dec 2021, from 5-7pm.
The quarterly Water Industry Nites serve as useful platforms
for members to network with each other and government
agencies. As part of the regular feature of these Water Nites,
PUB will make announcements for upcoming water projects
after the updates of SWA activities. The programme followed
with cocktails and networking buffet dinners. However, due to
the pandemic, SWA was unable to organise any SWIN for the
past two years.
Moving to living in endemic for 2022, SWA wishes to continue
with the quarterly Industry Nites to continue creating a buzz
for the water cluster. And on this inaugural virtual SWIN,
SWA is making a breakthrough to its usual format whereby
the organisation will make prior deliveries of a French Wine
to some 100 online attendees to their door-step with a MoU
signing ceremony with NTUC USME on three motions while
PUB Catchment and Waterways Department will share on their
upcoming plans and initiatives.
SWA WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS (joined from Aug-Sep 2021)
ASSOCIATE & INSTITUTE
1. Reacto Pte. Ltd.
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS
1. Mr Chandrashekar Athreya
2021 EVENTS CALENDAR INTERESTED TO JOIN SWA?
2021 will be bustlingly filled with water shows, networking events,
knowledge sharing sessions and webinars. We have an exciting
and interesting line-up of water series with PUB, Singapore’s
national water agency. Download from https://www.swa.org.
sg/2021-events-calendar/.
To stay connected on the latest updates on SWA, visit https://
www.swa.org.sg, follow us on LinkedIn or Telegram.
YOUNG WATER PROFESSIONALS (YWP)
1. Alvin Ting Jun Xiang
2. Tan Yaw Bin
3. Dr Palaniswamy Suresh Kumar
4. Delph Mak
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
TSURUMI EQUIPS
MMR-series of submersible
mixers with IE3 motor
Tsurumi Avant is the latest product brand developed
by Tsurumi with an eye on the future of the pump and
wastewater treatment equipment markets. The MMRseries
features submersible mixers with a built-in IE3
motor.
Submersible mixers are some of the most efficient
solutions for mixing, agitating, homogenising and
equalising wastewater at treatment facilities. They are
used in aerobic as well as anaerobic and anoxic stages of
wastewater treatment process to prevent sedimentation,
and maintain constant concentration levels in the tanks.
STATE-OF-THE-ART ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS
The compact MMR mixers are equipped with an EN-
GJL-250 cast iron body, AISI 316 stainless-steel propeller,
AISI 431 stainless-steel shaft, and Tsurumi’s dual inside
mechanical seals with silicon carbide faces in the oil
chamber. As an option, models are also available with a
stainless-steel body made of AISI 316. Either way, these
mixers ensure users a high level of reliability and stability,
Tsurumi claimed.
The MMR-series can be chosen from a wide line-up of
propeller sizes from 200-650mm, and motor outputs of
0.75-7.5kW. Moreover, an array of accessories is available
for installing the mixers anywhere inside a tank as a new
installation or replacement of existing equipment.
ENGINEERING FOR A MORE SUSTAINABLE WORLD
The Tsurumi Avant brand embodies Tsurumi’s corporate
philosophy of “being water- and people-friendly”. With
the energy savings of the MMR-series, Tsurumi is
committed to 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.
60 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

ON OUR RADAR
A LEAK HEARD:
Wavin launches its first pipe
fitting with leak alert feature
Wavin has expanded its line-up of pipe
and fittings solutions with the launch of
the Wavin Tigris K5/M5 press fitting series.
The Wavin Tigris K5/M5 are equipped with
an acoustic leak feature, thus enhancing
water management for metal-plastic pipe
connections.
Water is one of the most valuable resources
globally, but its scarcity is particularly acute
in Asia-Pacific. Amid climate change, growing
urbanisation and aging water infrastructure,
Asia-Pacific’s water networks are increasingly
more complex and extensive.
When carrying drinking water, the pipe is only
as good as the joint. The fittings to secure
joints safely, are essential. Hence, the Wavin
Tigris K5/M5 offers a new approach for
governments and organisations looking to
secure their water supply where it all begins -
from installation in the buildings.
MORE THAN AN ORDINARY FITTING
The Wavin Tigris K5/M5 are what the
company claimed as the “world’s first” fittings
with an acoustic leak alert. In a leakage
test executed with air instead of water, an
unpressed fitting will generate a whistle
sound, alerting installers of leaks when fittings
are not fully pressed.
Ruurd van Leeuwen, global product manager
(hot and cold) for Wavin, explained: “When
testing with air instead of water, leak and
pressure tests will no longer be a challenge
in the building installation phase. Testing with
air has several advantages such as no risk of
bacterial growth due to water stagnation in
the period between testing and final use of
the installation. Additionally, it avoids slippery
work spaces or water damage, and there is no
need for using leak sprays.
“The method is quick, clean and safe as it
already works at 0.15 bar, making it also a
solution to check prefabricated installations.
Ultimately, this approach eliminates
dependency on early water supplies at the
building site, as a simple air compressor will
do the job.”
A NEW GENERATION
As successor of the Wavin Tigris K1/M1
fittings, the new Tigris K5/M5 are packed
with improved flow area, made possible via
the increased inner bores called OPTIFLOW.
It features MULTIJAW, which means that the
fittings can now be pressed with pressing
profiles such as U and Up, TH, H and B. This
enables installers to switch to Wavin, without
switching tools and retain their system
warranty.
Furthermore, the fitting incorporates IN4SURE,
providing 360º visibility for installer to ensure
the pipe is inserted properly. It also includes
EASYFIT, which minimises the need to calibrate
or chamfer the pipe after cutting.
The Wavin Tigris has two core lines based on
the preferred choice of body material. The
Wavin Tigris K5 is a press fitting with bodies
made of polyphenylsulfone (PPSU), while the
Wavin Tigris M5 is a metal press fitting with
bodies made of UBA-listed drinking water
approved brass materials. Both radial pressfits,
in PPSU or brass, cover a complete range
of fittings that fit up to 40mm multi-layer
composite pipes with Tigris K5/M5, and
50-75mm with Tigris K1/M1.
Freek Crum, president of Wavin Asia-Pacific,
concluded: “Just like its predecessors, the
new improved Wavin Tigris K5/M5 core value
is reliability – backed by lifetime simulation
tests that go way beyond the certification
requirements. Wavin will continue to create
new generations of products that not only
make the jobs of installers easier and safer
but help ensure that countries’ water supply is
transmitted efficiently, with minimal disruptions.”
The new Wavin Tigris K5/M5 are now available
in South East Asia.
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 61

ON OUR RADAR
ANDRITZ LAUNCHES
AI-supported polymer
dosage system
increased process stability and
reduced operating costs.”
Metris addIQ RheoScan is
designed to measure the
sludge conditions throughout
the thickening and dewatering
stages using a convolution neural
network for texture detection. The
system automatically adjusts the
polymer dose as needed to match
changing flow rates and sludge
conditions. This allows for almost
fully autonomous machinery
operation. The new squeezecontrol
option enables the system
to operate at the capacity limits of
the machine 24/7, thus eliminating
downtime.
Optimised dosage saves polymer,
resulting in Opex reduction by up
to 40% for sewage sludge, coal
Metris addIQ
RheoScan optical
measurement
system for automatic
polymer dosage
(Photo credit:
Andritz)
Andritz has introduced the
next generation of its Metris
addIQ RheoScan, an optical
measurement system for automatic
polymer dosage in belt process
and gravity belt tables. Among
other features, the system uses
artificial intelligence (AI) to further
increase process stability and
reduce operating costs.
Stefan Peter, service product
manager at Andritz Separation,
told Water & Wastewater Asia:
“Metris addIQ control systems
are in place for many years, and
one of the belonging products is
Metris addIQ RheoScan. Also,
this product has been in the
market for several years, and has
now been further improved by
integrating AI.
“The first generation reacted
only on the basis of optical
detection of the sludge flow
on the screening belt, the new
generation additionally makes
use of AI technologies to
recognise the actual flocculation
conditions and further improve
polymer dosing, thus leading to
sludge or paper sludge dewatering.
The technologies used also help to
maintain optimum cake dryness,
and to identify blinded belts
which, in turn, leads to smoother
operations. Installations in
wastewater treatment plants with
digestion processes have seen
the additional benefit of higher gas
yields.
Metris addIQ RheoScan can be
operated without supervision, and
can be applied to any belt press
or gravity belt table in all types of
municipal and industrial sludge
processing facilities.
62 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

WHAT’S NEXT
EVENT CALENDAR
2021 AND 2022
NOVEMBER 2021
1 – 10 Nov
Indonesia Infrastructure Week 2021
(Hybrid Edition)
10 – 12 Nov
VietWater Digital Connect (Virtual Edition)
JANUARY 2022
17 – 19 Jan
World Future Energy Summit
Abu Dhabi, UAE
26 – 28 Jan
InterAqua 2022
Tokyo, Japan
MARCH 2022
29 - 31 Mar
AsiaWater 2022 (Hyrid Edition)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
APRIL 2022
17 – 21 Apr
Singapore International Water Week
Singapore
JUNE 2022
8 – 10 June
Aquatech China
Shanghai, China
AUGUST 2022
4 – 6 Aug
LankaWater
Colombo, Sri Lanka
SEPTEMBER 2022
6 – 8 Sep
CamWater 2022
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
14 – 16 Sep
ThaiWater
Bangkok, Thailand
14 – 16 Sep
Pumps & Valves Asia
Bangkok, Thailand
14 – 17 Sep
Water Indonesia
Jakarta, Indonesia
OCTOBER 2022
8 – 10 Oct
DanangWater
Danang, Vietnam
20 – 22 Oct
LaoWater
Vientiane, Laos
NOVEMBER 2022
3 – 5 Nov
Pump+Valve Myanmar
Yangon, Myanmar
3 – 5 Nov
MyanWater 2022
Yangon, Myanmar
*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.
20 – 22 Apr
IE expo China
Shanghai, China
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 63

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX
INDEX OF
ADVERTISERS
ADVERTISER
PAGE
ADVERTISER
PAGE
ANDRITZ AG 11
CLA-VAL COMPANY 25
NANOSTONE WATER, INC. 35
OVARRO CONNECTING TECHNOLOGIES 1
DUPONT
OBC
SEKO UK LTD 5
ENERGY RECOVERY 17
FINETEK PTE LTD 19
TSURUMI MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
VAUGHAN CO., INC.
IFC
IBC
GUANGDONG LIANSU TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD 9
HARBIN FIRSTLINE ENVIRONMENT TECHNOLOGY CO.,LTD 41
LACROIX SOFREL 7
VEGA INSTRUMENTS (SEA) PTE LTD 45
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA’S HOUSE AD 53, 64
WEHRLE UMWELT GMBH 13
FOLLOW US
@waterwastewaterasia
64 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021

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