Water & Wastewater Asia January/February 2023
Water & Wastewater Asia is an expert source of industry information, cementing its position as an indispensable tool for trade professionals in the water and wastewater industry. As the most reliable publication in the region, industry experts turn this premium journal for credible journalism and exclusive insight provided by fellow industry professionals. Water & Wastewater Asia incorporates the official newsletter of the Singapore Water Association (SWA).
Water & Wastewater Asia is an expert source of industry information, cementing its position as an indispensable tool for trade professionals in the water and wastewater industry. As the most reliable publication in the region, industry experts turn this premium journal for credible journalism and exclusive insight provided by fellow industry professionals. Water & Wastewater Asia incorporates the official newsletter of the Singapore Water Association (SWA).
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IN THE FIELD<br />
NANOSTONE<br />
ENABLES COST-<br />
EFFECTIVE<br />
WASTEWATER<br />
reuse for semiconductor<br />
foundry<br />
CHALLENGE<br />
A leading global foundry sought<br />
to increase capacity in a limited<br />
footprint while managing a challenging<br />
wastewater that made stable operations<br />
difficult to maintain. The foundry<br />
struggled with:<br />
• Lost productivity: Chemicalmechanical<br />
planarisation (CMP)<br />
wastewater irreversibly fouled existing<br />
tubular ceramic membranes, reducing<br />
treatment capacity by nearly 25%<br />
• Limited footprint to accommodate<br />
expanded capacity: Tightening<br />
regulations necessitated expansion<br />
of the CMP wastewater treatment<br />
capacity; however, there was limited<br />
space available for expansion<br />
• Prolonged downtime: The existing<br />
tubular membrane system operated<br />
in cross-flow filtration resulting in<br />
concentrate build-up in the feed tank,<br />
which required frequent shut down to<br />
drain manually<br />
• Increased operating cost: Monthly<br />
cleanings were required to restore<br />
membrane permeability<br />
SOLUTION<br />
Nanostone’s ceramic ultrafiltration (UF)<br />
addressed these challenges, enabling<br />
expanded treatment capacity within<br />
the existing footprint limitations. By<br />
adopting Nanostone, the foundry was<br />
able to:<br />
• Increase capacity: Nanostone UF<br />
membranes were installed within<br />
the existing space constraints,<br />
doubling the capacity of the CMP<br />
wastewater treatment system<br />
• Ensure reliable, low-maintenance<br />
operation: Nanostone’s foulingresistant<br />
membrane coating<br />
extended time between chemical<br />
cleanings to longer than five<br />
months<br />
• Improve uptime: Nanostone<br />
membranes operate predominantly<br />
in dead-end filtration, sharply<br />
reducing concentrate build-up<br />
and avoiding system shutdown<br />
for feed tank cleaning; further,<br />
the less frequent concentration<br />
build-ups were drained using an<br />
automated back wash process<br />
• Reduce power consumption:<br />
Operating largely in dead-end<br />
filtration and eliminating an air<br />
scrub resulted in a 90% reduction<br />
in power consumption of<br />
compared to the existing tubular<br />
membranes<br />
1<br />
2<br />
1 Nanostone Membrane Module<br />
2 Nanostone Membrane Microstructure<br />
CMP WASTEWATER<br />
CMP — used widely in the<br />
manufacture of integrated circuits<br />
— introduces chemical oxidation<br />
and mechanical abrasion to remove<br />
unwanted material and produces<br />
high planarised polished surfaces<br />
for subsequent processing. CMP<br />
typically accounts for 30-40% of the<br />
total freshwater consumed in the<br />
manufacturing process. As transistor<br />
34 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | JANUARY/FEBRUARY <strong>2023</strong>
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