Water & Wastewater Asia March/April 2023

MARCH / APRIL 2023 

www.waterwastewaterasia.com 

Furthering the 

revolution already 

underway in water: 

Interview with COO of 

Gradiant 

PHANTOR 6000: A 

mobile solution to boost 

drinking water supply in 

South East Asia 

SUEZ’s new 

sustainability goals

BOOMING OPPORTUNITIES 

IN VIETNAM WATER MARKET 

2023 

www.waterwastewaterexpo.com 

28-30 SEP 2023 

VENUE : 

WTC BINH DUONG NEW CITY EXPO 

BINH DUONG, VIETNAM 

Google Map 

QR code to 

WTC Expo 

Jointly organised by: 

Vietnam Water Supply 

and Sewerage Association 

Official Media: 

PABLO 

PUBLISHING 

& EXHIBITION 

PTE LTD 

Sponsored and supported by: 

VIETNAM’S MINISTRY OF CONSTRUCTION 

 

VIETNAM’S 

WATER SUPPLY 

AND SEWERAGE JOURNAL 

www.tapchinuoc.vn 

www.waterwastewaterasia.com 

Contact us: 

sales@pabloasia.com 

+65 6266 5512

CONTENTS 

08 

13 

CONTENTS 

04 Editor’s Note 

06 News 

53 SWA Newsletter 

63 What’s Next? 

64 Advertisers’ Index 

SINGAPORE FOCUS 

10 Hydroleap: Next-generation 

wastewater treatment 

IN CONVERSATION WITH 

13 Yesterday and tomorrow: Binnies’ 

biggest contribution to Singapore’s 

water story 

15 Singapore’s water strategy facing 

climate change 

17 Binnies applying expertise beyond 

borders 

18 “Too much water, and not enough 

of it”: Groundfos’ strategy to the 

global water crisis 

22 Enhancing water solutions in the 

Middle East 

24 “Furthering the revolution already 

underway in water”: Gradiant 

against water scarcity 

IN THE FIELD 

26 Maynilad Water: A tale of NRW 

reduction in metro Manila 

2 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | MARCH/APRIL 2023

CONTENTS 

62 

32 

28 How differential pressure flow meters 

help water and wastewater treatment 

30 Selective ion exchange process for 

removing PFAS compounds 

32 Plasma oxidation as a way of efficiently 

removing ethoxylates from wastewater 

34 Calculating the true cost of sewer 

ingress 

FOCUS 

36 PHANTOR 6000: A mobile solution to 

boost drinking water supply in South 

East Asia 

38 CeraMac: a ceramic microfiltration 

system to improve water quality 

40 Water sector recognised for NIST 

framework implementation progress 

42 Reducing non-revenue water with 

modern pressure regulating valves 

HOTSEAT 

46 NX Filtration receives follow-on orders 

for large-scale drinking water projects 

in Indonesia 

48 Maltese Island achieves water 

autonomy with SWRO innovation 

50 SUEZ’s new sustainability goals 

52 Tsurumi AVANT: Submersible 

pumps and wastewater 

treatment equipment 

ON OUR RADAR 

57 IZAR RDC Motion makes touring 

easy 

58 New in-line pumps for building 

services applications 

59 Emerson’s non-contacting radar 

transmitters improve efficiency 

in water utility applications 

60 Ovarro launches fully managed 

fixed network leakage service 

SHOW PREVIEW 

62 Overcoming global industry 

challenges: Water Philippines 


WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | MARCH/APRIL 2023 3

FROM THE EDITOR 

THE WATER REVOLUTION 

PABLO SINGAPORE 

William Pang • Publisher 

williampang@pabloasia.com 

There is no panacea for all the water crises 

of today. But the takeaway is this: a water 

revolution is already underway. 

Our conversations with water experts reveal 

climate change tops the water crises pyramid, 

as it takes precedence over other familiar 

challenges in the industry, such as shrinking 

freshwater supplies and ageing networks. 

Climate change challenges transcend borders 

as nations worldwide face the same crisis. 

And this insight reveals that solutions can be 

applied anywhere, across the globe as water 

expertise are encouraged to apply beyond 

borders (p. 17). Take the Middle East water 

challenges for example: Desalination methods 

used at IDE Technologies are applied in China 

and the US. According to its country manager, 

MENA, IDE’s innovation in brine minimisation 

meets the needs of multiple industrial markets 

globally, revolutionising water plant recovery 

rates with such a technique (p. 23). 

But to combat climate change, innovation 

alone is not enough. On our radar, a fully 

managed fixed network leakage service has 

sped up leak detection process in the UK with 

its own data analysis alert (p. 60). Further, 

multifaceted solutions take the revolution 

further as seen in the PHANTOR 6000, which 

uses regenerated electricity to produce water 

out of humidity, an innovation best suited for 

South East Asia’s climate (p. 36). Learning 

from history, Binnies — the company that has 

contributed to Singapore’s 100 years of water 

excellence — revealed that water strategies 

need not change radically as they have 

always been prioritised here. Instead, they 

must be maintained through a new lens 

of climate adaptation, which is the way 

forward (p. 15). 

As more turn to water circularity to 

reduce water footprint, advancing 

technology such as artificial intelligence 

(AI) has taken precedence already. 

But the sector now has to adopt and 

implement new frameworks and industry 

standards. Improving critical infrastructure 

cybersecurity with a standard framework, 

according to Claroty’s regional vicepresident, 

is the next important step in the 

water revolution (p. 40). 

Moving forward, finding ways to a new, 

more responsible paradigm of water 

use through water recycling operations, 

new technology and advanced water 

purification techniques are all collectively 

furthering the revolution already underway 

in water, as Singapore’s homegrown global 

solutions provider Gradiant puts it (p. 24). 

Amira Yunos 

Assistant Editor 

Published by 

PABLO PUBLISHING & EXHIBITION PTE LTD 

3 Ang Mo Kio Street 62, 

#01-23 Link@AMK Singapore 569139 

Tel: (65) 6266 5512 

E-mail: info@pabloasia.com 

Company Registration No: 200001473N 

Singapore MICA (P) No: 082/12/2022 

REGIONAL OFFICES (CHINA) 

PABLO BEIJING 

Tel: +86 10 6509 7728 

Email: pablobeijing@163.com 

PABLO SHANGHAI 

Tel: +86 21 5238 9737 

Email: pabloshanghai@163.net 

All rights reserved. Views of writers do not necessarily reflect the views of the Publisher 

and the Singapore Water Association. No part of this publication may be reproduced in 

any form or by any means, without prior permission in writing from the Publisher and 

copyright owner. Whilst every care is taken to ensure accuracy of the information in this 

publication, the Publisher accepts no liability for damages caused by misinterpretation 

of information, expressed or implied, within the pages of the magazine. 

All advertisements are accepted on the understanding that the Advertiser is authorised 

to publish the contents of the advertisements, and in this respect, the Advertiser shall 

indemnify the Publisher against all claims or suits for libel, violation of right of privacy 

and copyright infringements. 

Water & Wastewater Asia is a controlled-circulation bi-monthly magazine. It is mailed 

free-of-charge to readers who meet a set of criteria. Paid subscription is available to 

those who do not fit our terms of control. Please refer to subscription form provided in 

the publication for more details. 

Printed by Times Printers Pte Ltd 

Amira Yunos • Assistant Editor 

amira@pabloasia.com 

Pang YanJun • Business Development Manager 

yanjun@pabloasia.com 

let's connect! 

Goh Meng Yong • Graphic Designer 

mengyong@pabloasia.com 

Shu Ai Ling • Circulation Manager 

circulation@pabloasia.com 

PABLO BEIJING 

Ellen Gao • General Manager 

pablobeijing@163.com 

PABLO SHANGHAI 

Daisy Wang • Editor 

pabloshanghai@163.net 

@waterwastewaterasia 

Water & Wastewater Asia 

incorporates the official newsletter 

of Singapore Water Association 


NEWS 

LUMINULTRA PARTICIPATES IN WASTEWATER 

SURVEILLANCE PILOT PROJECT AT TORONTO PEARSON 

which is why we have been called upon 

multiple times by organisations like the CDC, 

the Government of Canada and private 

companies around the world to deliver this 

surveillance testing.” 

The on-site laboratory at Pearson is 

equipped to run all required steps to 

process the polymerase chain reaction 

(PCR) test for the specific targets, resulting 

in a rapid turnaround time from sample to 

result. LuminUltra has provided all required 

components and staffing, including auto 

extraction units and high-throughput PCR 

devices, and has developed the assays 

that test for the specific targets: omicron 

sub-variants and monkeypox. The company 

is also able to add assays for more targets if 

needed. 

Pearson International Airport is one of the busiest airports in North America 

LuminUltra has partnered with the Greater support public health officials in making 

Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) to 

smarter, more timely decisions.” 

implement an on-site laboratory to perform 

wastewater surveillance testing at Pearson Testing effluent for the presence of specific 

International Airport. This pilot project, viruses or pathogens has become a 

supported in part by funding from the National common, non-invasive method for measuring 

Research Council of Canada industrial community health trends that has been used 

research assistance programme (NRC IRAP), throughout the pandemic. Earlier in 2022, 

is using LuminUltra’s technology to test for the LuminUltra delivered on a contract with 

presence of sub-variants of the SARS-CoV-2 the US Centres of Disease Control (CDC) 

omicron virus and monkeypox in wastewater to process samples from across the US as 

effluent from planes and airport terminals. part of its National Wastewater Surveillance 

System (NWSS). 

“This project aims to demonstrate that 

wastewater surveillance testing is an important “Wastewater is a very complicated sample 

tool for keeping travel open and available to type, which makes testing it very different 

Canadians,” said Dwayne Macintosh, director than the clinical testing of individuals using 

of GTAA safety and security. 

nasal or throat swabs,” said Pat Whalen, 

chairman and CEO of LuminUltra. 

“As Canada’s largest airport, Toronto Pearson 

is leading the industry in exploring trials “Our company has decades-long history of 

that leverage testing technology like this to working with difficult sample types, ranging 

help understand how data from airports can from wastewater to oil and gas sludges, 

“We have developed an agile process for 

developing new assays,” said Anda Quintero, 

laboratory scientific director at LuminUltra. 

“Our customers have relied on us to be 

able to respond quickly to newly emerging 

variants, which helps them ensure they are 

looking at the complete picture.” 

LuminUltra delivers molecular testing 

solutions in a range of applications including 

biofouling, bioprocessing and biosecurity 

through both service and product offerings. 

Whalen concluded: “We understand the 

risks that microbial activity, including 

viruses and pathogens, can pose. We have 

a portfolio of products and services that 

identify this activity across many sample 

types, volumes and testing targets. In this 

case, we have implemented some of our 

largest scale solutions to be able to meet 

the needs of Canada’s largest airport and 

enable people to work, live and play with 

confidence.” 


NEWS 

SOGEDO SIGNS 10-YEAR PARTNERSHIP 

WITH IOT PROVIDER UNABIZ 

Singapore-based UnaBiz will 

provide smart water metering with 

French water company 

French water company Sogedo has 

partnered with IoT solutions provider 

UnaBiz to use its Sigfox network 

to enhance its water conservation 

efforts and manage the water 

consumption in France. 

Smart meter solutions that monitor 

water consumption will be deployed 

by UnaBiz to support Sogedo. 

These are powered by technology 

of French wireless company 

Sigfox, which UnaBiz acquired 

for a reported €25m in 2022. Its 

low-power wide-area (LPWA) ‘0G’ 

technology include smart meters, 

water consumption sensors, 

pressure sensors, and condition 

monitoring sensors. 

Since March 2016, over 22,000 

water metering solution devices 

were deployed by Sogedo. A 

1,000 alerts have been recorded, 

detecting over 500 leaks in its 

customer base. This has helped 

save over 90,000m 3 of water 

throughout its water distribution 

network, an equivalent of 30 

Olympic-sized swimming pools, 

according to the company. 

Julien Siffert, expert for remote 

control solutions at Sogedo, said: 

“The combination of Sogedo’s 

expertise in water and UnaBiz’s 

know-how in communication 

technologies bring better 

operations, time-savings, and the 

better management of precious 

water resources for the benefit of 

the community.” 

Source: Data Center Dynamics 


NEWS 

DUPONT CONSOLIDATES UF TECHNOLOGIES 

UNDER NEW INTEGRATEC BRAND 

To better serve municipal and industrial 

customers, US chemicals company DuPont is 

consolidating and rebranding its portfolio of 

ultrafiltration (UF) membranes for sustainable 

purification, conservation, and reuse of water. 

The DuPont IntegraTec portfolio of UF 

technologies and products consolidates 

brands — from Inge, Memcor, and DuPont 

UF — into a singular portfolio available to 

customers. 

This offering reportedly makes it easier for 

its customers to benefit from the best-fit UF 

technology, either to be used alone or as part 

of a multi-technology water treatment solution, 

towards goals of high-filtration performance, 

high recovery, and energy savings. 

With a global network of UF specialists, 

DuPont’s team can help customers navigate 

the IntegraTec portfolio to tailor scalable, 

sustainable water and wastewater filtration 

solutions for industrial, municipal, and 

commercial applications. 

Alan Chan, its global vice-president and general 

manager said: “DuPont will help customers 

leverage the wider IntegraTec portfolio to meet 

goals to increase access to high-quality water 

through more energy-efficient and circular 

processes.” 

This set of technologies in use at more than 

3,000 installations around the world produce 

a combined 50 million m 3 of water every day. 

With more than 90 years of experience in 

UF technologies, IntegraTec is underpinned 

by more than 200 patents and a network of 

technical support professionals and labs that 

can assist with the delivery of tailored solutions 

for customers. 

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), 

polyethersulfone (PES) and polypropylene 

(PP) membrane chemistries are available, 

and modules can be configured in either a 

pressurised or submerged configuration. 

Integrated UF options are also available that 

combine the screening and UF stages within 

a single compact vessel to reduce the plant 

footprint and enhance the robustness of the 

solution. 

In January 2020, DuPont completed the 

acquisitions of Inge and Memcor, which 

brought together three distinct sets of UF 

technologies to meet customers’ current and 

future challenges, including the increased 

need to recycle water while reducing energy 

requirements to generate clean water. 

UF membrane barriers exclude particles 

0.02-0.05 microns, including bacteria, viruses, 

and colloids, meeting increasingly stringent 

water-quality standards around the world. 

When used alone, UF does not require the 

use of pre-treatment chemicals or associated 

costs for sludge disposal. When used as a 

pre-treatment for reverse osmosis (RO), UF 

reduces RO membrane fouling, lowering 

chemical usage and operating costs. 

SOLENIS RECEIVES ECOVADIS PLATINUM RATINGS FOR CSR 

US manufacturing company Solenis has 

earned platinum for another consecutive 

year and remains among the top 1% of 

performers evaluated in the chemical 

industry category. 

It was recognised for its corporate social 

responsibility (CSR) performance from 

EcoVadis, a collaborative platform providing 

sustainability ratings and performance 

improvement tools for global supply chains. 

Dr Daniel Grell, chief safety, regulatory and 

quality officer at Solenis, said: “It becomes 

more difficult to maintain, with additional 

questions to answer and criteria to meet. All 

companies are striving to improve year after 

year, so it gets increasingly harder to be 

part of the 1%. 

“This is a reflection of the work of 6,500 

people in 120 countries.” 

Solenis’ CEO, John Panichella, said that 

meeting its sustainability goals and helping 

its customers to do the same are a top daily 

priority, along with safety. 

As a global producer of specialty chemicals 

for water-intensive industries, the company 

remains among the top 1% of performers 

evaluated by EcoVadis in the chemical 

industry category. Prior to achieving platinum 

status in 2022, it had been awarded gold level 

evaluation status twice. 

The EcoVadis methodology is built on 

international CSR standards, including the 

Global Reporting Initiative, the UN Global 

Compact and ISO 26000, covering 200 

purchasing categories, 175 countries and 

21 CSR issues grouped in four themes: 

environmental, labour and human rights, 

ethics, and sustainable procurement. 


NEWS 

INDONESIA TO FOCUS ON SIX ISSUES FOR 

10TH WORLD WATER FORUM 2024 

Indonesia will focus on six key issues 

for the 10th World Water Forum (WWF), 

jointly organised by international think 

tank World Water Council and Indonesia. 

It is set to take place from 18-24 May 

2024 in Bali. Speaking at the WWF kickoff 

meeting in Jakarta, vice-chairman of 

the WWF national organising committee, 

Basuki Hadimuljono, framed the agenda 

which will guide discussions over the 

next 15 months. 

Hadimuljono, who also serves as 

Minister of Public Works and Public 

Housing (PUPR), said that the major 

water resource problems were water 

for humans and nature, water security 

and prosperity, disaster risk reduction 

and management, cooperation and 

hydro-diplomacy, water and innovative 

finance, as well as knowledge and 

innovation. 

Measured discussion of these issues 

will be conducted through political, 

thematic, and regional processes, 

necessitating deliberation to 

find solutions, innovation, and 

implementation of action plans. The 

Indonesian government will promote 

the WWF agenda at the UN Water 

Conference in New York City from 

22-24 March 2023. 

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) 

stated his expectation that 

the 10th WWF yield concrete 

recommendations on overcoming the 

global water crisis: “These agendas 

must be addressed as joint efforts, 

through community participation and 

support from various stakeholders, 

as well as dialogue and partnerships 

between countries in the spirit of 

togetherness for the welfare of the 

global community.” 

The president of World Water 

Council, Loic Fauchon said: 

“Together, while coordinating 

implementation of the 10th WWF, we 

will strive to provide new solutions, 

which will help to increase the access 

to water for billions of people.” 

As a cross-border event that 

discusses water resources issues, 

WWF serves as a forum for sharing 

experiences and innovations to 

respond to global water management 

challenges. Indonesia has formed 

the national organising committee 

for the 10th WWF, comprising 

various ministries and supported 

by specialists and professors in the 

field of water-related issues from 

Indonesian universities. 

The kick-off meeting which was also 

the first stakeholders meeting was 

attended by 1,300 delegates from 

56 countries. It aimed to provide 

information to mobilise stakeholders 

in the WWF process until the forum 

launches next year. The event will 

continue with regular pre-summit 

discussions and workshops to set the 

stage for the 10th WWF. 



HYDROLEAP: 

Next-generation 


Hydroleap, a Singapore-based innovative company 

with patented electrochemical technology, creates 

solutions for water and wastewater treatment that 

aim to displace conventional processes to spur 

sustainable, operational and financial benefits. 

effluents from F&B processing plants 

are associated with characteristics 

such as high concentration of total 

suspended solids (TSS), chemical 

oxidation demand (COD), biological 

oxidation demand (BOD), and fats, 

oils, and grease (FOG). It also has 

pathogenic organisms and traces 

of pesticides, as well as nutrients 

consisting of ammonia, phosphorus 

and nitrogen. 

These characteristics present 

conundrums for facilities that harness 

traditional methods such as dissolved air 

filtration (DAF) and biological processes 

for wastewater treatment, as they 

may not be able to contain the high 

contaminant loads that pose a threat to 

human life and the environment. 

Fig. 1: Installed EC 

reactor in F&B-based 

company 

Hydroleap’s first core technology, 

electrocoagulation (HL-EC) is a 

process known for its efficacy in 

removing impurities from a range of 

industrial effluents. These include 

heavy metals, suspended particles, 

organic compounds and dyes. The 

simple nature of the EC process 

utilises easily operated equipment that 

entail a shortened reactive retention 

time compared to orthodox biological 

processes. 

The application of EC, however, on 

a large scale has been hindered by 

issues of high-power consumption 

and passivation. To overcome this, 

Hydroleap coupled smart automation 

processes with optimised variables to 

develop a robust, modular system. 

This has enabled the group to attain 

up to 60% savings in operating 

expense, 50% space utilisation, 

95% reduction in operating 

manhours, 30-50% reduction 

in CO2 emission and increased 

performance assurance due to 

remote monitoring system. 

CASE STUDY 1: F&B 

WASTEWATER 

The food and beverage (F&B) 

industry is a water resourceintensive 

sector. From being an 

ingredient in condiments to being 

used to facilitate daily equipment 

cleanings, water is a valuable 

resource. Typically, wastewater 

One of Hydroleap’s customer expressed 

issues of their treatment plant, which 

were based on conventional treatment 

processes: DAF, anaerobic and aerobic 

processes. The challenges were 

high operating costs, unsustainable 

ecological footprints, and poor effluent 

water quality, whose parameters were 

5-7 pH, 2,000-4,000mg/l of COD, 

200-3,000mg/l of BOD, 1,000-3,000mg/l 

of TSS, and 10-500mg/l of FOG. While 

COD and BOD could be removed 

biologically, they demanded a longer 

retention time compared to Hydroleap’s 

solutions. Further, the presence of 

non-biodegradable organic compounds 

also hindered the decolourisation of the 

water. 

To help resolve the drawbacks, 

Hydroleap sought to reduce their water 

footprint and lower the environmental 

impacts from their wastewater discharge 

and solid sludge generation. Hydroleap 

concluded that the absence of 

anions allowed for sludge production, 

which was more compact in the EC 

process, compared to that in chemical 

coagulation. 



Fig. 2: Influent and effluent water quality after EC and lamella clarifier 

Fig. 3: Before (left) and after (right) EC treatment 

Hydroleap thus installed a 30m 3 /hr 

pre-treatment system along with a 

lamella clarifier (Fig. 1) to replace 

the existing anaerobic process 

and clarifier. This translated to high 

removal rates with 68% COD, 70% 

BOD, 96% TSS, 95% FOG and 76% 

of phosphate (Fig. 2). Visually, the 

colour change of the raw wastewater 

is evidence of high removal rates 

(Fig. 3). 

Hydroleap’s system succeeded 

the anaerobic process, achieving 

lower organic loading and higher 

biodegradability to attain discharge 

which was within range of acceptable 

water quality. 

As for its second core technology, 

electro-oxidation (HL-EO), this 

advanced oxidation process (AOP) 

technique focuses on mineralising 

organic contaminants, eliminating 

or deactivating microorganisms and 

mitigating the production of scaling in 

water systems. To do so, its EO reactor 

utilises direct current to generate 

highly reactive oxidative species such 

as hydroxyl radical, free chlorine and 

sulphate radicals that help break down 

recalcitrant species. 

CASE STUDY 2: COOLING TOWER 

WATER 

Cooling tower water is used to remove 

heat from a process or system, such 

as an air conditioning system or a 

power plant. They work by circulating 

water through a heat exchanger and 

then spraying the water into the air to 

dissipate heat through evaporation. The 

water is then collected at the bottom of 

the tower and recirculated back to the 

heat exchanger to continue the cooling 

process. But due to evaporation in the 

cooling tower, the salt concentration 

gradually increases. After a set 

concentration threshold is reached, 

water is discharged as a so-called 

cooling ‘blowdown water’ and replaced 

with freshwater. However, this same 

water can contain various contaminants, 

such as algae, bacteria, minerals, and 

chemical additives used for treatment 

Fig. 4: Schematic of a cooling tower with EO reactor installed 

Fig. 5: Schematic of a cooling tower 



and maintenance. As such, it is 

common for industrial companies to 

adopt some type of cooling tower 

water treatment system to ensure 

efficiency and long service life. But 

if left untreated, the resultant effects 

of fouling, scaling, and corrosion 

combined can drastically reduce 

plant productivity by causing plant 

downtime, and henceforth require 

costly equipment to replace existing 

ones. 

Fig. 6: Removal 

efficiency of EO 

reactor over time 

Traditionally, chemical treatments 

address the said issues by doing the 

following: corrosion by providing a 

protective chemical layer, generally 

within an alkaline environment; 

biological fouling and deposits 

through the use of oxidising and 

non-oxidising biocides; scale 

formation through a combination 

of polymers, polyphosphates and 

managed cycles of concentration 

(COC) within the tower, and; 

suspended solids using dispersants 

and polymers. As a result of chemical 

use laws enforced by local agencies, 

stakeholders are re-evaluating 

methods to treat their cooling tower 

waters to achieve higher water usage 

efficiency (WUE) and power usage 

efficiency (PUE). This is exacerbated 

by the increased chemical and 

utility costs, expenses incurred with 

training of employees who handle 

the chemicals, storage and disposal 

of chemicals, and the general 

maintenance involved with the use of 

chemicals which call for a paradigm 

shift towards more sustainable 

wastewater treatment solutions. 

The HL-EO process removes minerals 

and contaminants in the water, while 

killing bacteria including legionella and 

breaking down calcium build-up to 

mitigate scaling. The EO reactor treats 

a slipstream, which is pulled off from 

the main condenser water loop, flowed 

to the EO reactor skid and then fed 

back into the cooling tower. The system 

includes the reactor skid and the 

slipstream circulation pump (Fig. 4). The 

removal efficiency of conductivity, total 

hardness and total dissolved solids 

(TDS) can be improved by increasing 

the applied current. This is due to 

the higher number of ions produced 

on the electrodes, which promote 

destabilisation of the monovalent and 

divalent molecules present in water. 

Fig. 6 illustrates the removal efficiency 

of total hardness, conductivity, and TDS 

during the pilot run. The simultaneous 

production of OH- ions at the cathode 

lowers the pH and leads to a high 

concentration of bicarbonate ions, 

which accelerates the precipitation 

of the hard minerals and silica inside 

the reactor cathode surface, instead 

of on tower surfaces and in the heat 

exchanger tubes. 

The system activates the chlorides 

naturally present in the water, 

creating chlorine, which acts as 

a biocide. The generation of free 

chlorine, which was more than 

1mg/L during the period run was 

sufficient in quantity for the effective 

removal of legionella (Fig. 7). 

Overall, the EO was found effective 

in removing total hardness, 

legionella and other pathogens. 

This was likely due to the combined 

effect of multiple oxidants 

generated in the EO process. This 

successful removal also suggests 

that the treated water could be 

recirculated for more cycles 

than before, resulting in a lower 

blowdown rate and greater energy 

efficiencies. Considering this, 

Hydroleap effectively increased 

COC by 2.5 times and henceforth 

lowered the blowdown rate. 

Fig. 7: Removal 

of pathogens and 

microorganisms 



YESTERDAY AND 

TOMORROW: 

Binnies’ biggest contribution 

to Singapore’s water story 

Binnies, an RSK Group company providing water, 

wastewater, and flood resilience solutions, celebrated 

its 100th year of water excellence in Singapore on 5 Dec 

2022. We spoke to Alan Ryder, the CEO and founder of RSK 

Group, about Binnies’ contributions over the past century, 

and its prospective projects. 

By Amira Yunos 

DIGITAL WATER 

Binnies has helmed projects that 

transformed Singapore’s water 

landscape. Working closely with the 

Singapore government to strategise 

the importation of water from Malaysia 

in the 1960s, Binnies also worked 

with PUB, Singapore’s National Water 

Agency, to develop the four national 

taps strategy. 

For Ryder, digital water is the 

company’s biggest contribution to 

Singapore’s water excellence. 

From left to right: Alan Ryder, CEO and founder of RSK Group; Her Excellency Kara Owen, British High Commissioner to 

Singapore; and Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment (Image: Binnies Singapore) 

Binnies’ asset management division 

specialises in developing technologies 

that help improve the efficiencies 

of water production and water 

conveyance. The application of 

digitalisation can provide water utilities 

with improved efficiency, enhanced 

customer service, and better decisionmaking 

based on data and analysis. 



By analysing data on water usage and 

customer behaviour, digitalisation 

allows utilities to develop targeted 

programmes and services to meet the 

specific needs of different customer 

groups. Better asset management 

leads to more sustainable water 

infrastructure and minimises nonrevenue 

water. 

At the crux of it all is making sure that 

RSK applies the latest technology to 

managing precious water resources, 

Ryder said. 

“The key thing is we recognise that 

technology, the development of 

technology, and the application of 

technology are going to be crucial 

in safeguarding water and providing 

NEWater.” 

Binnies was awarded S$28.8m by 

PUB to upgrade the Choa Chu Kang 

(CCK) Waterworks, one of Singapore’s 

oldest water treatment plants. 1 

Equipped with membrane technology 

and automation, the facility will 

adopt smart technologies and digital 

solutions for improved operational 

efficiencies and to reduce costs. It 

will serve as a showcase project with 

the adoption of digitalisation when 

completed in 2026. 

STRATEGISING FOR CLIMATE 

CHANGE 

Among the concerns facing the 

water industry in Singapore are how 

the country will adapt to the climate 

emergency, and how water resilience 

will have to be enhanced, prioritised 

and changed to accommodate the 

changing climate, Ryder added. 

It is not about changing water 

strategies in Singapore, however, 

Ryder said. 

“There is no need for a radical change 

in strategy because the importance of 

water and resilience of water supplies 

have been high on the list of priorities 

for the government here for decades. 

It is about maintaining that focus on 

the importance of water but looking 

at it through a new lens of climate 

adaptation.” 

ACHIEVING COP27 AGENDA 2030 

The 2022 UN climate change 

conference, COP27, included the 

new Action on Water Adaptation 

or Resilience (AWARe) initiative to 

mitigate the water crises caused 

by climate change. Ryder said that 

despite progress in water efficiency 

and resource management, more 

needs to be done beyond offering 

transitional adaptation solutions. 

He said: “To truly mitigate the water 

crisis, we believe solutions and 

approaches would need to include 

Nature-based solutions (NbS). 

“The power of NbS lies in its potential 

for multifunctionality and regenerative 

design: One intervention can have 

multiple impacts, benefits, and 

investment returns. By implementing 

NbS, the initiatives would inherently 

work with nature to incorporate natural 

systems into design, maintenance, 

development and infrastructure 

policies and plans. Beyond mitigating 

the water crisis, it will deliver widereaching 

positive environmental, social 

and economic outcomes and gains.” 

Its acquisition by the RSK Group 

in March 2021 enabled the latter to 

grow from 8,000 employees to about 

11,000 people today. Its presence 

in Asia leverages the expertise of 

over 175 environmental, engineering, 

and technical services businesses, 

expanding beyond Singapore to 

Hong Kong, the Philippines, Vietnam 

and mainland China. 

“Binnies has delivered world-class 

infrastructure for some of the 

biggest projects of their kind in the 

world. So, for Binnies to be leading 

that engineering, it is as iconic 

today as it was 100 years ago,” 

Ryder said. 

Reference 

1 CNA. Choa Chua Kang waterworks to undergo 

major reconstruction; S$29 million tender awarded 

 

2 NLB. Singapore’s water supply 

 

“How RSK and the government of 

Singapore [will] collaborate in the 

future [is] very much focused on 

climate change and adaptation to 

climate change.” 

CONTINUING THE LEGACY 

Since the 1890s, Binnies, established 

by British civil engineer Sir Alexander 

Binnie, 2 has been developing 

Singapore’s water reliance and supply. 

Alan Ryder, CEO 

and founder of 

RSK Group (Image: 

Binnies Singapore) 



SINGAPORE’S 

water strategy facing 

climate change 

Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability 

and the Environment, discusses lessons from Singapore 

in balancing water security and sustainable development 

in the face of climate change. 


Today, the nation’s pursuit of water 

excellence goes beyond the supply 

of water. Rather, water businesses 

now need to be sustainable in their 

processes to reduce Singapore’s 

greenhouse gas emissions and the 

effects of climate change. 

Singapore launched the Singapore 

Green Plan 2030 as a whole-of-nation 

roadmap to achieving sustainable 

development. Most recently, at the 

UN Climate Change Conference, or 

COP27, Singapore strengthened its 

commitment for a net-zero 2050. As 

an alternative-energy disadvantaged 

nation, aligning Singapore’s 

international commitments with 

its domestic water needs will be 

challenging. 

“Not resting on its laurels, the water 

industry at large must now enhance 

its water security while reducing 

energy intake and carbon footprint,” 

said Dr Khor. 

She added that besides the 

deployment of solutions to reduce, 

reuse and remove carbon, such as 

reducing water demand or being 

more energy-efficient in water 

production, industry associations 

too have a part to play. The 

Singapore Water Association (SWA), 

for example, which represents 

over 300 members in the water 

sector, must elevate the awareness 

of business opportunities in the 

sustainability sector and tap on 

upskilling programmes to advance 

the sustainability agenda. 

Climate change impacts are 

projected to result in more frequent 

and prolonged droughts, and intense 

rainfall will also threaten Singapore’s 

water supply. In this regard, PUB, 

Singapore’s National Water Agency, 

as the appointed national coastal 

protection agency, has commenced 

site-specific studies to look at 

possible protection measures for the 

nation’s coastlines. 

One such study was to explore 

the feasibility of underground 

stormwater conveyance and storage 

systems to mitigate the impact of 

rainfall-induced floods. Undertaken 



by Binnies, the study involved 

the development of a conceptual 

design for a mega stormwater 

conveyance and storage system 

(UDRS) to maximise space usage. 

“Climate change adaptation is a 

new area which presents many 

opportunities for Singapore’s water 

industry,” Dr Khor added. “With its 

expertise in flood management and 

coastal protection, Binnies can play 

a key role in the development of 

solutions through collaboration with 

local institutes of higher learning 

and the water industry.” 

To facilitate this, at the Singapore 

International Water Week 

(SIWW) last year, Binnies’ parent 

company, RSK Group, launched 

the RSK Centre for Sustainability 

Excellence. The centre, which 

consolidates expertise from over 

175 environmental businesses 

under the RSK Group, provides 

practical solutions in digital 

water, carbon accounting, 

renewable energy, and sustainable 

agriculture. This aims to strengthen 

collaboration opportunities 

within the industry towards lower 

carbon footprint and greater water 

resilience. 

02 

1970s 

Binnies engineered the 

Upper Pierce Scheme 

04 

01 

1920s 

Binnies commissioned 

to work on the Gunung 

Pulai Dam in Johor 

which delivered water 

to Singapore 

03 

2000s 

Binnies helped 

design Singapore’s 

first large-scale 

desalination plant, 

SingSpring 

05 

BINNIES AND SINGAPORE’S 

WATER STORY 

Singapore and Binnies have a longstanding 

partnership dating back 

to the early 1900s, when Binnies 

played a part in laying down the 

foundations for the nation’s water 

and wastewater infrastructure. 

2013 

Binnies engineered 

the Tuas South 

Desalination Plant 

(formerly Tuaspring 

Desalination Plant) 

2020 

Binnies engineered the 

Keppel Marina East 

Desalination Plant 

which has the ability to 

treat either seawater or 

freshwater 

As a partner to PUB for years, 

Binnies has had a hand in many 

critical infrastructural projects that 

provided clean water and sanitation 

in Singapore’s early nation building 

efforts, according to Dr Khor. 

The timeline shows some of Binnies contributions to Singapore’s water history 



BINNIES 

applying expertise 

beyond borders 

Her Excellency (HE) Kara Owen, British High Commissioner to Singapore, shares 

Binnies’ impact beyond Singapore borders, the water challenges the UK and 

Singapore have in common, and some of the solutions Binnies has to offer. 


In terms of water management, flooding 

and coastal management are crucial 

in the face of climate change. During 

Binnies’ 100th year celebrations held at 

Eden Hall, the official residence of the 

British High Commissioner to Singapore 

on 5 Dec 2022, HE Kara Owen shared 

more about Binnies’ contributions to the 

water stories of Singapore and the UK. 

Countries have been grappling with 

the effects of climate change, and 

governments have much to learn from 

one another. According to HE Kara 

Owen, despite the different geographies 

of Singapore and the UK, the two 

countries share many pain points that 

require efficient water management 

systems. 

“It is not just about water; it can be about 

the life and the soul of a city.” 

According to HE Kara Owen, Binnies has 

developed expertise that can be adapted 

for use in one place to another: “Both 

Singapore and London have evolved 

as cities because they were ports, but 

as sea levels start to rise as a result of 

climate change, we have to think about 

how to control flooding… What Binnies 

has worked on here can be brought back 

to the UK — in terms of solutions relating 

to flooding and coastal management.” 

In the UK, Binnies worked on the £4.7m 

‘Transforming the Trent Valley’ (TTTV) scheme 

since 2019, which included projects aimed 

at restoring rivers and floodplains, improving 

pathways and cycleways and creating ways to 

improve natural heritage. 1 One aspect which 

Binnies contributed was to map and value the 

habitats and land cover within the study area. 

Moving forward, HE Kara Owen added that 

having partnerships with local communities, 

authorities and water companies can bring 

together new ideas and technologies, such as 

membrane filtration and sensors. 

“Before, if you wanted to see what was 

happening in the water mains, you would have 

to dig them up. Today, we harness digitisation 

and sensors, and integrate them fully into 

water management, maintenance and repair 

systems. That is something in which Binnies 

is an expert.” 

Reference 

1 Binnies. Transforming the Trent Valley. 

It is not just about water; it can be 

about the life and the soul of a city. 

Her Excellency Kara Owen 

British High Commissioner to Singapore 



“TOO MUCH WATER, 

and not enough of it” 

These two sides to the global water crisis reflect the uneven distribution 

of the precious resource across the globe, but Ulrik Gernow, Grundfos’ group 

executive vice-president and COO says dialogue through digitalisation, 

collaborative efforts and the circularity approach can restore balance. 


What water crises need to be 

addressed urgently? 

Ulrik Gernow: Water and climate 

change are interlinked, and that has 

led to two sides to the global water 

crisis — too much water, and not 

enough of it. 

On one hand, countries around the 

world are experiencing extreme 

weather events such as flooding 

because of climate change. This year 

alone, catastrophic floods have hit 

Pakistan, impacting a third of the 

country; Australia’s southeast has 

experienced some of the nation’s worst 

recorded flood disasters, while heavy 

monsoon rains have also affected about 

450,000 homes and more than 100,000 

hectares of farmland in Thailand. 

cities in Asia urbanise and populations 

increase. 

Coupled with challenges such 

as increasing droughts globally, 

water pollution, and ageing water 

infrastructure that subsequently leads 

to water loss within the system, also 

known as non-revenue water. This 

means we are losing more of the 

precious resource. 

This is further exacerbated by our 

continued linear approach with 

regards to water use. In the linear 

approach, water withdrawn from 

natural water bodies or harvested from 

rainwater is used and then disposed, 

treated or untreated, into waterways 

that flow into the ocean eventually. 

approach to water use to a higher level 

of circularity and reuse. 

In your opinion, how prepared is 

the global water and wastewater 

industry in mitigating these water 

crises? 

Gernow: I am encouraged to see 

that the water and wastewater 

industries are acknowledging this 

On the other hand, water is a scarce 

and rapidly depleting resource. 

Demand for water is soaring alongside 

population growth and economic 

development. The situation is 

particularly acute in Asia, where up 

to 3.4 billion people could be living in 

water-stressed environments in Asia 

by 2050. 

I believe this consumption model of 

‘take, make, consume, and waste’ is 

unsustainable, and has contributed 

significantly to the current water crises 

we are facing, as it has led to a strain 

on our finite water resources in 

addition to generating waste 

and causing environmental 

degradation. 

Ulrik Gernow, 

group executive vice-president 

and COO of Grundfos 

Water demand is forecasted to 

increase by 55% by 2030 as more 

We see it more crucial 

than ever to shift our 



Grundfos’ digital 

dosing pumps 

ensure accuracy 

in addition of 

chemicals to treat 

water and prevent 

contamination 

and acting purposefully to take 

increased responsibility. Further, 

companies continuously innovate 

and incorporate new technologies 

including artificial intelligence (AI), 

Internet of Things (IoT), and big 

data, which have contributed to the 

sectors’ preparedness to tackle 

ongoing water crises. 

players are increasingly leveraging 

partnerships with customers and 

end-users to tap on synergies in 

R&D as well as the exchange of best 

practices. 

Grundfos works with manufacturers 

to reduce resource consumption in 

industrial processes. As part of a 

network of consultants, universities, 

and technology providers, Grundfos 

supports brewing company 

Carlsberg’s total water management 

treatment plant in Fredericia, 

Denmark with optimal pumps and 

dosing systems, enabling the plant 

to recycle up to 90% of its process 

water. 

Grundfos also partnered with dairy 

company Arla Foods to achieve 

substantial reductions in energy use, 

emissions and costs at its Westbury 

dairy site in the UK by delivering a 

turnkey end-to-end system for chilled 

and ice water featuring intelligent 

pumps and controls. The new system 

helped the site attain savings per 

year of 481,800kWh energy and 

194 tonnes of CO2, with a return on 

investment of less than two years. 

How does water circularity mitigate 

the water crises? 

Gernow: Integrating circularity 

into the way we approach water 

is integral to ensuring sustainable 

water management. By transitioning 

to a circular economy for water, we 

reduce water consumption, reuse and 

recycle water and wastewater, and 

recover materials such as minerals and 

nutrients from water and wastewater, 

which contribute to the reduction 

of greenhouse gas emissions. This 

helps diversify our water supply and 

enhances our resilience to the threat of 

water insecurity. 

It is crucial for the water and 

wastewater industry to embed circular 

principles throughout its businesses 

to tackle such water crises. Circularity 

focuses on designing waste out of the 

resource ecosystem and maximising 

the value of resources by keeping them 

in use for as long as possible. 

Water reuse is a big part of circularity. 

By ensuring wastewater is effectively 

treated to a quality that makes it 

possible to feed back into our water 

cycles, it allows water to be saved 

At Grundfos, we are leveraging 

innovations such as intuitive and 

intelligent dosing pumps to maximise 

the efficiency and reliability of dosing 

equipment, allowing us to get the 

most out of the water we have used 

by harnessing it repeatedly. 

Additionally, cognisant that 

organisations cannot work in silos 

and collaboration is critical to the 

success of solutions aimed at 

mitigating water crises, industry 

Grundfos dosing systems are found both inside and outside of the Carlsberg total water 

management plant 



efficiency and sustainability, reduce 

water and energy consumption and 

increase the reuse of resources, which 

in turn helps to cut down on operation 

costs. This enables companies to 

create more value while reducing their 

dependency on the dwindling and 

costly resource of water. 

The key challenge for water industries 

to adopt a circular model has moved 

beyond convincing them ‘why’. It is 

now understanding ‘how’ — while 

businesses are clear that operating 

sustainably is no longer a ‘nice to 

have’, the next step is raising greater 

awareness and education on how 

circular principles are key areas of 

consideration for businesses when 

embarking their sustainability journey. 

Going green is undeniably a big task. 

For businesses that do not know where 

to start, tap on relationships with 

aligned partners within the industry 

and both the public and private sectors 

to benefit the trajectory of the circular 

Circularity in 

product lifecycle 

in times of scarcity. Water treatment 

solutions are capable of empowering 

companies to reuse their wastewater, 

reduce costs, and do their part to 

ensure that our natural water sources 

are not exploited. 

How does digitalisation contribute 

to better water circular practices? 

Gernow: Through digitalisation, 

we can approach water use more 

strategically. Traditionally, humanity’s 

relationship with the water system 

has been a one-way process, moving 

water from supply to demand. Now, 

new digital innovations are able turn 

this relationship into a dialogue — by 

retrieving feedback throughout the 

process. At Grundfos, we innovate 

across the water cycle and apply 

digital technologies with the aim 

to improve water circularity and 

efficiency. 

For instance, real-time sensors and 

data analytics are increasingly used 

globally to conduct pre-emptive 

and predictive maintenance of 

the entire water system. These 

intuitive technologies help enhance 

sustainable operations and resiliency 

of infrastructure, ensuring that water 

is used and managed optimally by 

preventing wastage of resources and 

energy. 

What are the benefits and 

challenges of transitioning to a 

water circular model, and what 

advice do you have for companies 

who encounter such challenges? 

Gernow: Besides the environmental 

value generated by a water circular 

model, the business case of 

transitioning to a circular economy for 

water is clear. Embedding circularity 

allows businesses to improve 

water system. 

Such strategic partnerships can help 

businesses understand the complexity 

of shifting to a circular model, come 

up with solutions more quickly, and 

capture the best value out of the circular 

transition. At Grundfos, our ambition is 

to help industries globally to save water 

and energy, thereby reducing climate 

footprint, while proving such solutions 

are financially attractive through a total 

cost of ownership valuation. These 

solutions exist today, and at Grundfos 

we work with industries to apply them. 

What does water circularity mean to 

Grundfos? 

Gernow: Sustainability is part of 

Grundfos’ DNA. We recently became 

the first organisation in the water 

solutions sector validated for our 2050 

net-zero target by the science-based 



CED wastewater 

treatment and 

recycling system in 

Grundfos’ factory in 

Bjerringbro, Denmark, 

which enables water 

reuse 

Grundfos Utility 

Analytics software 

strengthens a water 

utility’s ability to 

monitor, diagnose, 

predict, and plan 

for responses to 

leaks and bursts by 

providing real-time 

data and insights 

into network 

behaviour 

targets initiative (SBTi), a climate 

action organisation that enables 

companies to set greenhouse gas 

(GHG) emissions reduction targets 

grounded in science. SBTi also 

validated Grundfos’ near-term 2030 

emission reduction targets. 

In addition to our emissions reduction 

target, we also aim to transition to a 

circular economy for water by making 

sure that we use water resources 

efficiently, while increasing reuse. 

First, we aim to optimise solutions 

for our customers at every stage of 

the operational water cycle, including 

water intake, water consumption, 

water treatment, water reuse and 

water replenishment. One of our goals 

is to save 50 billion m 3 of water by 

2030 through the development and 

installation of water efficient and water 

reuse solutions. We also aim to ensure 

year-on-year reduction of our own 

water withdrawal; having now halved 

our own water consumption by 50%. 

For instance, we built a wastewater 

treatment and recycling system in 

our factory in Bjerringbro, Denmark 

to recycle water used for cathodic 

electrodeposition (CED). The system 

sends wastewater through a threefiltration 

system, then to a Grundfos 

reverse osmosis unit, before the 

purified water is returned to the CED 

tanks. We believe that used water is 

a resource that can be reused when 

it is treated and can be looped back 

into production — thereby closing 

the water circuit and capturing the full 

value of water. 

Second, we strive to save energy 

through smarter pump and water 

treatment solutions. Traditionally, 

massive amounts of energy are 

required to move and treat water. We 

believe that this can and must be done 

more efficiently through our pump 

solutions such as speed-regulated 

pumps and highest energy efficient 

motors which allows us to reduce our 

carbon emissions. 

Finally, beyond addressing our carbon 

footprint by being a water steward, 

tackling our vast use of resources is 

equally important. As manufacturers, 

we have the responsibility to ensure 

that every step of the product 

lifecycle promotes reuse, repair, 

remanufacturing, and recycling. 

We are in a process to reduce our 

global footprint by enabling a wider 

green supply chain and continue 

to explore how to embed circular 

principles throughout our business to 

reduce impact on the planet. 



ENHANCING WATER 

SOLUTIONS 

in the Middle East 

With the recent opening of IDE Technologies’ regional office 

in Dubai, Mohamed Sebbane, IDE’s country manager, MENA, 

shares more of IDE’s efforts to deliver its water treatment 

solutions to the Middle East. 


Companies cannot remain 

entrenched in old technology; 

they must constantly innovate, 

refine, and improve the 

technology. 

Mohamed Sebbane 

IDE’s country manager, MENA 

SOLVING WATER CHALLENGES IN 

THE MIDDLE EAST 

The opening of IDE Meyah Water Solutions 

in Dubai on 10 Jan 2023 signalled this 

Israeli water desalination company’s 

strategy to expand its business operations 

in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) 

region. 

With UAE as a critical player in the 

region that has developed a solid water 

pipeline, including desalination bus, well 

water reuse, and industrial water, IDE 

Technologies is focused on supporting 

UAE’s policy which aims to ensure the 

optimal use of recycled water. Specifically, 

the company aims to support efforts of 

preserving the country’s water resources, 

including drinking and groundwater, to 

meet the future needs of all sectors and 

promote the use of recycled water for 

its economic, social, and environmental 

benefits. 

Delivering 3 million m 3 /day of water 

worldwide, IDE has led the water industry 

with advanced thermal and membrane 

desalination plants, including large plants 

worldwide in China, India, the US, Australia, 

and Israel. 

“Solving the Middle East water challenges 

is a crucial priority of IDE,” Sebbane said. 

With more than 60 granted patents in 

the R&D field of desalination and water 

treatment, IDE’s invention, the MAXH2O 

Pulse Flow RO (PFRO), is a method 

for reverse osmosis (RO) water reuse 

systems, enabling operation at high 

recovery and flux. 

Its PFRO technology challenges 

conventional RO operation by discharging 

brine in a pulse flow regime with short, 

forceful surges. The frequently and rapidly 

changing osmotic and gauge pressure 

prevents the formation of biofouling 

and reportedly eliminates the need for 

chloramine dosing. This method has 

six times the ability of the standard 

RO process to remove concentrated 

solute ions or fouling particles. The RO 

membrane operates in dead-end mode 

between brine discharge pulses, with 

100% recovery. 

Low water costs, high plant availability 

and reliability, and optimal operation and 

maintenance processes are paramount in 

desalination, Sebbane added. 



“Companies cannot remain 

entrenched in old technology; they 

must constantly innovate, refine, 

and improve the technology,” he 

said, “Energy consumption is one 

of the most critical indicators of an 

efficient plant operation. These energy 

consumption savings directly result 

from optimised plant design and 

proper operation.” 

BRINE MINIMISATION 

IDE’s process for better brine 

minimisation — which is “one of the 

most significant challenges [they] 

currently face”, Sebbane added — was 

driven by an increasing regulatory 

pressure and growing environmental 

awareness. The most economical 

approach to brine minimisation would 

be to increase the load on the RO 

stage and maximise its recovery as 

much as possible, thereby reducing 

the size of the thermal crystallisation 

unit to the minimum. However, three 

major factors limit the recovery of any 

RO system: osmotic pressure, the 

chemistry of the feed water, and low 

brine flow through the membranes 

associated with high recovery. 

IDE’s innovation to convert highrecovery 


solutions into water that can be used 

for various purposes or transformed 

into assets is its MAXH2O Desalter, 

a RO process that operates at a high 

recovery rate without compromising 

the membranes’ service life, 

resulting in a ‘zero environmental 

footprint’. 

It operates by recirculating treated 

water through the RO system at 

high shear velocity, continuously 

precipitating supersaturated salts 

from the recirculated brine. This 

process minimises brine quantity 

to the maximal threshold limit 

of the osmotic pressure with 

minimal operational expenditures, 

overcoming these limitations and 

supporting brine minimisation. 

“IDE’s MAXH2O Desalter is a gamechanger 

for industrial effluents, 

as it overcomes challenges of 

increasing recovery using RO,” 

said Sebbane, “It is a fit for multiple 

industrial markets that must comply 

with stringent water management 

regulations as we supply clients with 

high permeate water recovery across 

numerous applications.” 

THE WATER LANDSCAPE 

OUTLOOK 

According to Sebbane, the climate 

crisis comes on top of more familiar 

challenges for the industry: ageing 

networks, rising populations, shrinking 

fresh water supplies, evolving 

regulations, and tightening budgets. 

Water utilities are making significant 

strides towards net zero for their 

communities by leaning into innovation 

to achieve the double bottom line of 

being more resilient and sustainable. 

Even then, Sebbane said that local 

authorities should be more specific 

about regulations related to brine 

discharge with minimal environmental 

effects: “IDE is shifting the dial with 

its sustainable solutions, seeing the 

current emergency as a significant 

opportunity for growing awareness of 

the need for positive solutions.” 

IDE intends to expand in UAE by 

implementing high recovery RO-based 

solutions to minimise brine, municipal, 

and industrial effluents for industrial 

customers. 

In addition, it works as an EPC 

contractor, developer, and operator, 

developing new desalination plants 

using competitive and efficient RO 

water desalination technology. 

The MAXH2O 

Desalter maximises 

the potential of 

RO to treat brine 

by eliminating the 

limitation of water 

chemistry 

With IDE’s recent hosting of a 

professional seminar in Abu Dhabi to 

discuss industrial and municipal water 

challenges and explore the future of 

water solutions in the MENA region, 

the award-winning ‘Desalination 

Company of the Year’ (2022 and 2011) 

IDE continues to collaborate with 

local clients to build relationships of 

trust. 



The new solution of Gradiant RO Infinity system for lithium concentration and recovery enables higher levels 

of lithium recovery in a fraction of the time of conventional methods, at reduced carbon, water footprint and 

capital costs (Image: Gradiant) 

“FURTHERING 

THE REVOLUTION 

already underway 

in water” 

Prakash Govindan, co-founder and COO of Gradiant, 

shares the revolution against water scarcity: key 

pressures, strategy breakthroughs and impact for the 

industry to collectively reduce water footprint. 


with an innovation-centred business strategy 

to make it profitable for businesses to adopt 

our standards. Recently, we have scored a 

few successes to bring water sustainability 

to the mining industry. We are helping mining 

and energy leaders improve yields by up to 

20% while cutting carbon emissions and 

energy usage by 85% and freshwater intake 

by 90%. Given the kind of sustainable savings 

associated with such numbers, we are setting 

new standards for industrial water users. 

We have hundreds of patents related to 

different water-treatment processes. Those 

include patents for reverse osmosis (RO), 

membrane filtration, biological wastewater, 

carrier gas extraction, selective contaminant 

extraction, and advanced oxidation process 

(AOP) technologies. These solutions can result 

in achieving wastewater recovery rates of up 

to 99%. 

Beyond that, however, we apply efficiencyboosting 

models powered by digital twins 

technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to 

find new ways our clients can benefit from 

our solutions — such as recovering resources 

from wastewater. In this way, we upgrade 

our clients’ technology, and their ability to 

maximise the efficiency of this technology. 

What are the key global pressures of 

water scarcity? 

Govindan: According to the UN, if current 

water consumption trends continue, global 

demand will exceed supply by 40% by 2030. 

Erratic weather patterns linked to climate 

change are already leading to intense drought 

episodes in different parts of Asia and the 

world, some of the worst in over 1,000 years. 

The water cycle is the first to feel the impact 

of climate change and is projected to absorb 

most of its impact. For example, we have seen 

early signs of global warming speeding up 

the water cycle and intensifying droughts and 

floods in different areas. 

More than 2.2 billion people worldwide are 

living without a steady supply of drinkable 

water. To put it mildly, we are facing an 

unprecedented water shortage crisis that is 

likely to threaten both the physical security of 

people by virtue of extreme weather events 

and a shortage of clean water fuelling the 

food supply. 

A separate but related issue is the 

contamination of freshwater sources. 

Groundwater comprises 99% of all freshwater 

today, but contamination can spread far and 

wide. It then takes a very long time to clean 

up, so prevention is key. 

As a water solutions provider, what 

are Gradiant’s key technology and 

strategy breakthroughs to deal with the 

aforementioned pressures? 

Govindan: Our strategy is to pair technology 

What were the challenges faced and how 

did Gradiant overcome it? 

Govindan: Once contaminated or depleted, 

an aquifer can take decades to fully recover. 

This brings us to another challenge: we have 

demonstrated that the technology to solve our 

twin water contamination and scarcity issues 

already exists. But how do we apply that 

technology at scale? According to the World 

Bank, 80% of the world’s wastewater is being 

discharged back into the environment without 

treatment, and the problem is especially acute 

in developing nations. 

Industrial water use accounts for about 45% 

of global freshwater consumption, and this 

share has been growing steadily over the past 

few years. By creating powerful incentives for 

businesses to adopt Gradiant’s localised water 



solutions, we can slash the water usage and 

carbon emissions of a few of the largest 

water-intensive companies on the planet. 

An example is the pharmaceutical industry. 

Toxic by-products from medicine production 

are difficult to detect and treat in wastewater 

discharges. We built an end-to-end solution 

based on carrier gas extraction that results 

in a 96% recovery rate of such pollutants. 

Another example is the semiconductor 

industry: A large chip fab can use up to 10 

million gallons of fresh water daily. With our 

technology, semiconductor makers can 

increase their water recycling rates from 

40-70%, now to 99%. 

Share a project Gradiant embarked on 

to tackle water scarcity. How was the 

process and what was the impact? 

Govindan: Water scarcity in the Middle 

East is a daily concern as the region is one 

of the most challenging places in the world 

for seawater desalination. The high salinity 

and organics in the feedwater limit the 

design envelope for high flux and recovery 

in RO systems. Gradiant partnered with 

SAWACO, Saudi Arabia’s leading provider 

of municipal and industrial potable water 

to deliver a solution to increase freshwater 

production without needing a new and 

costly infrastructure of seawater intakes 

and discharge outfalls. A bolt-on RO Infinity 

system for brine concentration will be added 

to the existing seawater desalination facility 

— total plant production will be almost 

doubled without increasing feedwater flow 

or pre-treatment needs while reducing 

discharge flows that would require disposal. 

new intake and discharge infrastructure, 

was using Gradiant’s technology. The RO 

Infinity process, in an extended three-year 

demonstration of continuous operation 

at 99.8% system availability showed 50% 

recovery while using less energy than 

competing technologies. The project had 

80% more freshwater production, with 

150,000 mg/L TDS brine concentration, 

1,920m 3 /day system capacity and three 

years of continuous pilot testing, only ¼ of 

energy is consumed versus conventional 

technologies. 

Given Gradiant’s footprint in various 

industries, what are the company’s goals 

in 2023 to reduce these industries’ water 

footprint and encourage sustainability 

practices? 

Govindan: A technological revolution 

is underway in water, which is as much 

about transforming the business model 

of water treatment and adding value in 

new ways as it is about solving pressing 

environmental issues with innovative 

technology. Our ultimate goal is to eliminate 

any liquid discharge and reclaim 100% 

water through employing our reuse and 

recycling technologies — today, we are 

already achieving this in an economically 

sustainable way. 

Specifically, we recognise that industries 

such as semiconductors, energy and food 

and beverage (F&B) stand to make some of 

the biggest water savings in the next few 

years, and we are jumping into aid that with 

our technology. We will continue to improve 

our end-to-end solutions and offer water 

solutions with an as-a-service aspect. 

Moving forward, what are a few practices 

the industry can adopt collectively in the 

fight against water scarcity? 

Govindan: Since industries, as compared 

to individual households, use huge 

amounts of water, they can benefit the 

most from operating cutting-edge water 

recycling technologies and are therefore 

uniquely positioned to lead the way into a 

new, more responsible paradigm of water 

use. In this way, new membrane technology 

and other advanced water purification 

techniques that mimic natural processes 

such as the rain cycle are already fuelling 

a shift towards decentralised water 

recycling and reuse facilities. Results 

show major reductions in harmful 

emissions and freshwater withdrawal 

for industries as diverse as energy and 

mining, pharmaceuticals, semiconductor 

manufacturing and F&B. 

This is a huge paradigm shift for many 

industries, which have struggled to rein in 

their water usage and wastewater discharge 

for years. That would accelerate the 

revolution already underway in water. 

The company had been experiencing an 

unprecedented demand for water but could 

not increase existing production capacity 

due to constraints on seawater intake and 

brine discharge capacities. The Saudi 

government needed additional freshwater 

production on a short timeline of fewer 

than six months. The answer to expanding 

capacity, given the limited options and 

the high cost of time and money to build 

Gradiant’s founders, 

COO Prakash Govindan 

and CEO Anurag Bajpayee 

at the Global Innovation 

Center in Singapore 

(Image: Gradiant) 


IN THE FIELD 

MAYNILAD WATER: 

A tale of NRW reduction 

in metro Manila 

1 Manila’s water 

system prior to 

the installation 

of Cla-Val 

90-series PRVs 

2 A sample 

of Cla-Val’s 

90-series PRVs 

being installed 

into Manila’s 

water system 

with more 

than 700 MLD 

recovered after 

six years of the 

programme, 

reducing NRW 

from 66% in 

2007 to 39% in 

2013 

1 2 

In 2007, Maynilad Water Services 

faced an enormous challenge. They 

were tasked with providing 100% 

service coverage in the next few 

years and connecting an additional 3 

million people who lacked access to 

piped water, with no additional water 

resources. 

With non-revenue water (NRW) 

running at 1.5 million litres per day, 

or 66% of total system input, the 

financial viability of the company was 

also in question. 

The central NRW team was created 

in 2008 and tasked to lead the 

NRW reduction and management 

programme, which, at the time, was 

considered one of the world’s largest 

projects in terms of the water losses 

sustained and also magnitude of 

work required. 

The NRW programme involved 

breaking the whole network into 

hydraulically isolated and measurable 

areas, before monitoring and 

diagnosing each area. The team 

was trained and equipped to detect 

both surface and sub-surface 

leaks. Active leakage control, pipe 

replacement and rehabilitation, 

removal of illegal connections, 

integrated meter management, and 

active pressure control were all key 

components. 

By 2013, six years into the 

programme, more than 700 million 

litres per day (MLD) had been 

recovered, bringing NRW down to 39% 

and enabling new piped supply to over 

400,000 clients. This led to increased 

billing volumes of 56% and a 107% 

increase in total revenues, meaning 

the project was beneficial for both 

consumers and the company. 

By 2018, the NRW level was down to 

27%. Cla-Val claims that these results 

were due to their Cla-Val 90-Series 

pressure regulating valve (PRVs) 

deployed across the network. The 

company added that these results 

showed that strong local partnerships, 

along with quality manufacturing of 

their equipment and regional factory 

support, provided “solid, long-term 

results”. 


IN THE FIELD 

HOW DIFFERENTIAL 

PRESSURE FLOW METERS 

help water and wastewater 

treatment 

By Varshneya Sridharan, product manager for 

pressure and temperature measurement, Emerson 

All stages of the municipal water 

treatment process, including sediment 

removal, filtration, disinfection, and 

chemical dosing, must be accurately 

controlled to ensure results and 

regulatory compliance. Accurate and 

repeatable flow measurement is also 

required throughout the distribution 

system to diagnose leakage and 

monitor consumption for billing 

purposes. 

Three essential elements are required 

to engineer a differential pressure 

(DP) flow meter. The primary element 

creates a pressure drop across the 

flow meter by introducing a restriction 

in the pipe, and this engineered 

restriction enables Bernoulli’s equation 

to be used for a flow rate calculation. 

The pressure drop is measured by a 

secondary element, a DP transmitter, 

while tertiary elements such as a flow 

computer or control system use 

these inputs to report a flow rate. 

It is worth noting that modern DP 

transmitters often do not need a flow 

computer as that function is built into 

the transmitter’s electronics. 

We will now discuss two applications 

in water treatment and related 

processes that are rarely discussed 

as potential DP flow meter 


IN THE FIELD 

applications. In the first case, we will 

discuss transporting potable water 

through long distances and in the 

second case, we will discuss the 

dissolved air flotation cell process 

where purities are removed from a 

slurry to derive high value items in 

water applications in metals and 

mining industry. 

APPLICATION 

CHARACTERISTICS AND 

CHALLENGES 

Water must be moved consistently 

and requires flow measurement 

and control through the various 

treatment stages. Traditional flow 

meters for large line sizes can have 

high capital costs thus insertion-style 

meters such as Rosemount Annubar 

averaging pitot tubes are a more 

economical option. Underground 

piping restricts access for installation 

and maintenance of measurement 

points, but again, the insertionstyle 

meters such as averaging 

pitot tubes can accommodate the 

electronics above grade for easy 

access and maintenance. Further, 

complex distribution systems require 

monitoring at multiple points over 

long distances. 

SUITABLE TECHNOLOGIES 

The Rosemount Annubar and 

Rosemount compact flow meters are 

suitable technologies. 

DISSOLVED AIR FLOTATION 

CELL PROCESS 

In mineral processing, air flow 

into a dissolved air flotation cell 

is an important measurement to 

make the processing of mined 

ores economically feasible. The air 

flow creates bubbles that capture 

hydrophobic minerals containing 

metals such as copper or lead. 

The amount of air pumped into a 

cell must be controlled, and flow 

metering allows this to be done 

accurately based on changing 

process conditions. 

Averaging pitot tubes are the 

preferred DP flow technology 

because they create low permanent 

pressure loss, are cost effective and 

easy to install. To overcome costs 

involved with wiring and laying of 

cables at sites, a straightforward 

pairing of the Rosemount 3051S 

wireless differential pressure flow 

transmitter with WirelessHART 

technology which could be deployed 

at site. As a flow meter that can be 

battery powered and wireless, the 

WirelessHART flow solution offers 

instrumentation of measurement 

points without the cost of wiring 

and delivers more than 99% data 

reliability. 

APPLICATION 

CHARACTERISTICS 

When necessary, high mass flow 

accuracy can be achieved with 

an economical instrument. The 

insertion style meter minimises 

equipment and installation expenses 

by eliminating flanged connections 

and welding. Multivariable 

transmitter technology can provide 

mass flow output without the need 

for an external flow computer. 

SUITABLE TECHNOLOGIES 

The Rosemount 3051S multivariable 

transmitter (3051SMV) can make 

additional static pressure and 

temperature measurements 

in conjunction with differential 

pressure. The static pressure 

measurement is taken from a sensor 

found on the high-pressure side of 

the transmitter. The temperature 

measurement is taken from a 

temperature element external to the 

main transmitter body. The 3051SMV 

can calculate a compensated flow 

value via the onboard flow computer. 

This can compensate for a variety of 

dynamic fluid properties such as the 

discharge coefficient for Reynoldsdependent 

meters (eg, orifice plates), 

density, and viscosity. 

Real-time flow calculations performed 

by the 3051SMV ensure accurate DP 

flow across operating range of any 

differential pressure transmitter. 

The capabilities of DP solutions 

are pushed even further in more 

extreme applications such as steam, 

cryogenic, and high temperature 

applications in various industries. 

The accuracy and flexibility of these 

systems combined with their low 

lifecycle costs make them ideal for 

flow applications. 


IN THE FIELD 

SELECTIVE ION 

EXCHANGE PROCESS 

for removing PFAS compounds 

By Rajeev Bhavaraju, head of technical services and business development - APAC 

and Dr Dirk Steinhilber, technical marketing manager, LANXESS 

training facility of the Country Fire Authority 

(CFA). An aqueous and PFAS-containing fireextinguishing 

foam was used for many years at 

this location, causing persistent chemicals to 

pollute the groundwater. 

Containerised PFAS treatment plant (Image: Haldon Industries) 

Currently no standardised standard flow sheet 

was established yet because water composition 

of each PFAS treatment project is unique 

and comes with its own set of challenges 

and variables. These include the molecular 

composition of PFAS compounds (long chain 

versus short chain, carboxylates versus 

sulfonates); the presence of co-contaminants; 

the receiving environment; regulatory 

compliance; waste disposal; client’s budget, 

and time constraints. Haldon Industries — a 

Australian provider of water treatment plants — 

developed a water treatment plant that utilised a 

selective, multi-stage ion exchange process. 

Regenerable ion exchange resins (IER) and 

highly selective, single-use resins are both 

capable of removing per- and polyfluoroalkyl 

substances (PFAS) to ensure compliance 

with legal limits in water treatment. This 

article describes an innovative, multi-stage 

process in which the benefits of selective 

anion exchange resins play a vital role in 

final polishing and reducing the level of 

perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) to nondetectable 

levels and with high-capacity 

utilisation, too. The efficient removal of PFBA 

will be among the challenges in the water 

treatment processes of tomorrow. 

Australia is playing a pioneering role in 

the detection and removal of PFAS from 

groundwater. In 2018, an intergovernmental 

agreement between the Commonwealth, 

federal states and territories entered into 

force as a concerted response to the 

problem of PFAS contamination to protect 

the environment and, as a precautionary 

measure, human health. The effectiveness of 

this standardised approach is demonstrated 

in our case study from the state of Victoria 

in southeast Australia, where levels of PFAS 

as high as 200ppb were removed from 

the wastewater of the former fire service 

Haldon Industries used a mobile waste 

processing plant specially designed for the 

on-site treatment of waste contaminated with 

PFAS, employing a strategy centred around 

the utilisation of various adsorptive and anion 

exchange media in a sequence tailored to each 

project’s unique characteristics and treatment 

objectives. 

The mobile plant, which is capable of 

processing 125,000l of water per day, was put 

into operation on the site of the old fire service 

training facility and successfully removed high 

concentrations of PFAS in compliance with the 

EPA standards that apply in Australia. 


IN THE FIELD 

Equalization 

Tank 

Pretreat 

GAC 

MP 62 

WS 

TP 108 

DW 

1 

QC, 

Discharge 

or Reuse 

The IER configuration encompassed the 

regenerable, weak base anion exchange 

resin Lewatit MP 62 WS, followed by 

the highly selective, single-use anion 

exchange resin Lewatit TP 108 in a lead/ 

lag configuration. The filter, which was filled 

with Lewatit MP 62 WS, reduced the majority 

of all the PFAS (Fig. 2, grey). The remaining 

leakage, mostly PFBA, was reduced to 

non-detectable levels with the use of Lewatit 

TP 108. Lewatit TP 108 achieved a high 

throughput (Fig. 2) of 10,000 bed volumes 

(BV), which reduced the OPEX costs 

associated with the disposal of the used 

resin. 

2 

IMPORTANT DESIGN AND OPERATING 

PARAMETERS 

The polyamide resin columns filled with 

Lewatit TP 108 were operated in a lead/lag 

polisher configuration. The average flow 

rate was 20m 3 /h. The specific operating 

throughput was 10-20 BV/h. The pH value of 

the feed was maintained at between five and 

seven. 

The process includes oxidation, adjustment 

of the pH value, flocculation, the separation 

of solids, media filtration, the use of 

granulated activated carbon for removing 

dissolved organic carbon (DOC), ion 

exchange using weak and strong base anion 

exchange resins. 

CHOOSING THE RESINS FOR THE 

MULTI-STAGE PROCESS 

It was important to comply with the following 

specifications and limits of the Australian 

drinking water guidelines, which were that 

combined levels of perfluorooctanesulfonic 

(PFOS) and perfluorohexanesulphonic acid 

(PFHxS) does not exceeding 0.07ppb, the 

level of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was 

less than 0.56ppb and short-chain PFAS (eg, 

PFBA) was down to the limit of detection. 

The removal of PFBA is a challenge in 

many remediation projects. PFBA is 

harder to remove through adsorption by 

means of granulated activated carbon and 

1 Fig. 1: Process flow 

diagram outlining 

the multi-stage 

process 

2 Fig. 2: Overall 

efficiency of PFAS 

removal with the 

multi-barrier method: 

Lewatit MP 62 WS 

(grey) feed, effluent 

of Lewatit MP 62 WS 

(black), effluent of 

Lewatit TP 108 (red, 

final outflow) 

3 Fig. 3: Removal 

efficiency of Lewatit 

TP108 for PFBA 

conventional ion exchange because the level 

of interaction between the short perfluoro 

chains and the hydrophobic adsorbents is 

lower. The selective anionic ion exchange 

resin Lewatit TP 108 from LANXESS was 

developed to remove these short-chain 

compounds. 

PFAS-selective ion exchange resin also 

reduces the resin inventory due to the fast 

exchange kinetics and short empty-bed 

contact time (EBCT). Compact, polisher resin 

columns that fit into a container were used 

and helped to cut costs. Compared with 

granulated activated carbon, which typically 

requires an EBCT that is four times as long, 

Lewatit TP 108 is more efficient. 

3 

Despite high feed concentrations, the 

combination of the LANXESS ion exchange resin 

Lewatit MP 62 WS as a working filter and Lewatit 

TP 108 as polisher ensured direct discharge with 

non-detectable levels of PFAS throughout the 

entire project. Even PFBA was removed due to 

the utilisation of Lewatit TP 108. 

Since the plant entered operation in August 

2019, more than 54 million litres of treated 

water have been continuously discharged into 

the environment, and in full compliance with 

the EPA limits and drinking water guidelines 

that apply in Australia. The project, which was 

completed in late 2021, is regarded as one of 

the most successful PFAS water treatment 

initiatives in Australia. 


IN THE FIELD 

PLASMA OXIDATION 

AS A WAY OF 

efficiently removing 

ethoxylates from wastewater 

The Roxia Plasma Oxidizer (RPO) aims to destroy 90-99% of 

pharmaceutical residues from the hospital wastewaters. 

RPO is an alternative to 

ozone, UV and chemical 

water treatment 

Plasma Oxidizer. “We had no alternative,” said 

Janne Ahonen, specialist for health, safety, 

and environment at Wallac. 

ROXIA’S ALTERNATIVE TO EXPENSIVE 

WASTEWATER HANDLING 

Wallac learned of Roxia’s plasma technology 

from a news piece about the removal of 

pharmaceutical residues from hospital 

wastewater. Roxia is another Finnish company 

that provides dewatering, industrial automation 

and environmental technologies, particularly 

for mining, minerals, metallurgy, chemical, 

food and pharmaceutical industries. 

Wallac is a Finnish technology company 

based in Turku and part of the PerkinElmer 

Group, a health technology company. Wallac 

is one of their largest product development 

and manufacturing units, where equipment, 

reagents and software are developed and 

manufactured, and research is carried out for 

disease screening. 

Those operations produced wastewater which 

contained phenolic ethoxylates — organics 

that are known to be hard to remove from 

wastewater. In addition, they were not allowed 

to be discharged into the public sewer 

network. Previously, the only alternative for 

managing wastewater with difficult chemicals 

was to transport those a few hundred miles 

away to a hazardous waste management 

facility. No realistic solution existed for on-site 

treatment before the introduction of Roxia 

In particular, the piece of technology Wallac 

was interested in was the RPO, a chemical-free 

non-thermal plasma technology for industrial 

water purification. Plasma-generated oxidants 

would come in direct contact with water to 

remove colour, odour and organic residues, 

while disinfecting the water. 

Wallac’s interest in the product was due 

to their wastewater containing phenolic 

ethoxylates as a side-product of its operations. 

Conventional water treatment methods such 

as UV, ozone and chemical treatment were 

ineffective in removing such dissolved organic 

pollutants from waters. As per tightening EU 

regulations, water that contains phenolic 

ethoxylates cannot be discharged to a public 

sewer network. Without an alternative, it 


IN THE FIELD 

must be handled at a hazardous waste 

management facility. 

For Wallac, this posed two challenges: Firstly, 

wastewaters containing phenolic ethoxylates 

had to be transported over long distances; 

and secondly, handling the wastewater at a 

hazardous waste management facility was 

costly. 

For those reasons Wallac was keen to try 

out an alternative after they found out about 

Roxia’s non-thermal plasma technology. 

The solution presented by Roxia provided a 

possible alternative to the earlier-mentioned 

conventional water treatment methods. 

FROM LAB TESTING TO FULL SCALE 

Shortly after reaching out to Roxia, a lab test 

was run with a water sample from Wallac. 

The RPO’s purification process worked 

as follows: firstly, treated water would run 

through a non-thermal plasma field. This 

would create strong oxidants from the treated 

water and surrounding air, which in turn would 

destroy pollutants and disinfect the water with 

lasting effects. The product’s design would 

create a large plasma-water contact area, 

which would make the removal of pollutants 

from the water more efficient. The water from 

the process could then be reused on-site. 

Plasma generated 

oxidants effectively 

remove colour, odour 

and organic residues 

while disinfecting 

the water 

weeks. “Installation of the RPO test equipment 

went through without any relevant issues. 

Within two weeks we had the process in full 

service,” said Ahonen. 

In addition to removing the chemicals 

efficiently, the RPO’s reactor core could 

tolerate “difficult” wastewaters and would 

require no air pre-treatment or compressors to 

produce and deliver the oxidants to the water. 

It was also low maintenance, due to the core 

being made of stainless steel and having no 

moving parts, as well as the plasma electrodes 

being not easily corroded by the process. 

During the trial period, Roxia specialists 

also regularly collected water samples. They 

conducted a detailed analysis and used the 

results to optimise the process for maximum 

convenience and energy efficiency. According 

to Ahonen, the plasma oxidation process 

“worked like a charm”. 

Wallac also had the ability to monitor the 

plasma oxidation process in real-time 

through the Roxia Malibu online portal. The 

Roxia Malibu portal is a combined Industrial 

Internet of Things (IIoT) online process 

monitoring, maintenance, and analysis 

tool. The data collected is sent to a cloud, 

processed there, and finally shown in the 

Malibu online portal. It also has a customised 

user interface tailor-made for individual 

processes, allowing for ease of use and 

access for users. The portal thus enabled 

preventive maintenance and analysis of the 

process. 

PLASMA OXIDATION IS HERE TO STAY 

With plasma oxidation successfully removing 

the harmful substances, Wallac no longer 

needed to transport the wastewater over 

long distances to hazardous waste treatment 

plants. After seeing the results from the RPO 

test units, Wallac chose it as their new water 

treatment solution. 

When asked whether Wallac would choose 

the same product again, Ahonen gave an 

optimistic response: ”I would recommend 

this product to any process where harmful 

substances need to be removed from waste 

solutions before discharge to sewer. Roxia’s 

technology enables us to meet EU emission 

limits, even production operations where 

Triton X-100 is used.” 

Images: Roxia 

After treatment with plasma oxidation, there 

were no traces of phenolic ethoxylates 

detected in the waters. With positive results 

from the lab, the testing was taken to the 

full-scale, on-site unit for a trial period of a few 

Plasma Oxidizer equipment at Wallac; a remote view in Roxia Malibu 


IN THE FIELD 

CALCULATING THE 

true cost of sewer ingress 

Inflow of stormwater and infiltration of groundwater into sewerage networks is 

a constant operational challenge, but a Norwegian municipality is utilising the 

InfoTiles software and gaining better understanding of its network with a digital 

approach, says Marco Westergren, chief analytics officer at InfoTiles. 

Infiltration of storm and ground water can increase 

during periods of heavy rain and storm events 

The inflow and infiltration (I&I) of stormwater 

and groundwater into sewerage networks 

can add considerable cost to water utilities 

in pumping, treating, and discharging excess 

water. In Norway, InfoTiles’ digital water and 

wastewater management system is being used 

by one municipality for I&I water detection 

and real-time monitoring of extraneous water 

in sewer networks and is already reducing 

service failures. 

Using the system’s integrated internet of things 

(IoT) and machine learning technologies, 

along with pre-existing real-time data from 

their supervisory control and data acquisition 

(SCADA) systems, operators discovered 

that pumps were pushing 5 million m 3 of 

wastewater through its systems per year, of 

which at least 1 million m 3 was water from 

I&I. The extra operating cost to the utility in 

processing this extraneous wastewater was 

up to €2m, excluding the energy cost of 

transporting the water to the treatment works. 

SYSTEM OVERLOAD 

For many utilities and municipalities, I&I can 

account for an average of 20-50% of the 

annual flow in sewers. However, during snow 

melt and wet autumns in Norway the figure 

regularly hits 80-90%. 

Inflow is stormwater that flows into 

wastewater pipes through faults such as 

holes, cracks, joint failures, and broken 

connections. Infiltration occurs when 

groundwater enters the wastewater network 

through faults in pipes, compounding the 

flow. 

While it is typically acknowledged that most 

I&I is caused by ageing infrastructure that 

requires maintenance or replacement, some 

are also caused by erroneous connections 

such as building drainage and rooftops 

connected to the wrong pipes. When this water 

penetrates the wastewater network, it can 

overload the system — a risk during periods of 

heavy rain or storm events. 

In worst cases, it can lead to untreated 

wastewater released into the environment 

and the pollution of rivers and seas. It also 

increases the risk of cross-contamination of 

drinking water, where polluted water from the 

environment enters through faults in clean 

water pipes. 

Increases in the frequency and intensity 

of rainfall as a result of a changing climate 

exacerbate the problem, making the 

wastewater network ever more vulnerable to 

failure and putting the environment at greater 

risk. Furthermore, if left untreated, pipeline 


IN THE FIELD 

integrity will only deteriorate over time, 

increasing the volume of ingress water to 

be treated. 

WEATHER ANALYSIS 

The challenge for InfoTiles, which is 

headquartered in Stavanger, Norway, and 

its utility partner was to determine when and 

where I&I was occurring and decide on the 

appropriate response. The InfoTiles platform 

uses SCADA control system data together with 

meteorological data to analyse dry and wet 

weather behaviour of wastewater networks. 

Using information from pump stations in 

real-time, the model calculates the total 

and excessive volume transported, allowing 

operators to see not only weather-related 

trends, but also the resulting costs both in 

terms of treatment and power expenditure. 

Once problem areas are identified, the search 

area can be narrowed down using compact 

IoT devices within the same platform. Some 

pumping stations have multiple inputs or long 

upstream pipeline networks. By selectively 

measuring different branches, it is possible 

to identify exactly where the water intrudes or 

exclude areas that are not the problem. 

Sensor devices placed at critical points in the 

network can collect additional meteorological 

data such as precipitation, problematic 

thresholds of rain volume, or seasonally 

varied sensitivities. These feed into a central 

dashboard and the detailed measurements 

can then be analysed by water managers and 

operators. 

CHALLENGING INVESTMENT DECISIONS 

For InfoTiles’ Norwegian partner, the software 

found that about 50% of I&I was handled by 

only four of its 27 pumping stations, which 

enabled maintenance teams to target further 

data gathering and prioritise maintenance and 

repairs. 

The analysis found that a number of pumps 

were constantly overloaded with I&I — even 

in dry weather conditions. It was found that 

upstream pipes situated close to the banks of 

InfoTiles platform uses 

SCADA control system 

data together with 

meteorological data 

to analyse dry and wet 

weather behaviour of 

wastewater networks 

a river were laid in soil saturated by water. 

The wastewater network was unnecessarily 

absorbing excess groundwater, which 

was then being transported, treated, and 

released back into the river. 

The four pumping stations identified had 

already been chosen for upgrade due to the 

existing strain, but with the insights gained 

using InfoTiles’ software, this decision could 

be challenged. It was decided that a better 

investment would be to improve the integrity 

of the upstream wastewater network. 

With a lack of detailed evidence of where 

and when the I&I is occurring, many utilities 

opt to increase the capacity investment of 

wastewater transport and treatment to avoid 

systems becoming overrun. While this may 

mitigate the risk of pollution incidents, it also 

increases costs for customers and does not 

solve the underlying problem. 

REDUCING ENERGY AND CARBON 

COSTS 

Energy is a significant part of the additional 

treatment and transportation costs involved 

when processing I&I. Therefore, reducing 

energy consumption also represents a 

potential saving on operational expenditure. 

The Norwegian utility’s energy cost reached 

record highs of €0.7/kWh in 2022, a drastic 

increase over the previous year due to 

the Europe-wide energy crisis, and sitting 

alongside other price increases including 

for wastewater treatment chemicals. Taking 

the utility’s average I&I of 1 million m 3 of 

water as a baseline, this means it was facing 

a total additional operating cost of at least 

€2m, 165,000kWh of excessive electricity 

use, and 4.1 tonnes of excessive carbon 

emissions. 

Extra energy consumption also represents 

higher carbon footprint, so accurately 

identifying and remedying I&I can help utilities 

meet carbon commitments, including net zero 

targets. 

TARGETED INVESTMENT 

Through using InfoTiles software, the precise 

location, cost, savings and solutions of I&I has 

become clearer to the utility. Better informed 

capital and operational investment decisions 

can be made to improve the most vulnerable 

parts of wastewater infrastructure and 

processes. 

Without accurate I&I monitoring, utilities may 

make misplaced investments, including pump 

upgrades, pipe replacements, and treatment 

equipment upgrades. This can lead to ever 

increasing operating expenditure on energy 

and maintenance as excess water continues to 

enter the network and undergoes treatment. 

Magne Eide, CCO, InfoTiles said, “By 

working closely with the Norwegian utility to 

understand and address its I&I challenges, 

InfoTiles has demonstrated the best practice 

in this challenging area. We seek to share 

these developments widely so that other 

organisations can further understand the 

benefits that digital transformation can bring to 

key critical operations. 

“With digital software technology such as 

InfoTiles, water utilities can get close-toreal-time 

data on I&I and use it to make 

calculations and informed decisions. For 

those utilities pushing digital transformation, 

monitoring and understanding I&I represents 

a significant opportunity to reduce total 

expenditure, protect the environment and 

deliver an enhanced service to customers and 

communities.” 


FOCUS 

PHANTOR 6000: 

A mobile solution to boost 

drinking water supply in 

South East Asia 

The 2022 Berlin Green Award Winner, the atmospheric 

water generator PHANTOR 6000, was built to produce water out 

of humidity, while raising the standards of energy efficiency. 

of up to 6,000l per day, sufficient for 

communities and water production at 

industrial scale. The energy supply can 

be covered by regenerated electricity, 

increasing sustainability for this form 

of water supply. 

When placed next to a wind power 

plant, a photovoltaic system or a 

conventional power plant, PHANTOR 

6000 can absorb excess energy and 

use it to produce drinkable water, 

making it energy-efficient in the market 

with its high possible water output 

at low possible energy output. The 

integrated smart-controlled software 

of PHANTOR 6000 optimises the water 

supply and keeps costs low. It also 

delivers water reliably due to remote 

monitoring and control. 

PHANTOR 6000 won 

the Green Award 

in the category 

Innovation in 

GreenTech 

Seven hundred and fifty million 

people worldwide have no access to 

clean drinking water. The numbers 

are rising, due to climate change and 

natural catastrophes. However, the 

rise of global warming also brings 

the rise of humidity, an underutilised 

resource for atmospheric water 

generators to open an additional 

water source, making the most out of 

this situation. 

Developed and manufactured by 

Austria-based Imhotep Industries, 

PHANTOR 6000 harvests drinking 

water from the air through a series of 

filters such as activated carbon filter, 

UV sterilisation and mineralisation 

— without producing waste and 

with minimal CO2 footprint. Needing 

electrical energy of approximately 

300Wh/l to produce drinking water, 

PHANTOR 6000 supplies an output 

REGENERATIVE DEVICE 

The harvested drinkable water falls 

within an ideal range of 6-10°C 

temperature. The product air flow 

rate is 15,000m³/h. An additional 

by-product is filtered, dry and precooled 

air with approximately 25°C at a 

volume of 15,000m³/h. 

First, humid air is sucked in, filtered, 

and then fed to the cooling unit. Water 


FOCUS 

precipitates in it and is then collected in 

a 6,000l tank. The dried and cooled air 

is circulated in the container and a high 

cooling efficiency is achieved inside the 

container (Fig. 1). 

ONE DEVICE, VARIOUS APPLICATIONS 

With its size of a 20in standard container 

(6m x 2.3m x 2.6m) and a weight of about 

11 tonnes, the PHANTOR 6000 also has 

a plug-and-play solution which takes 

15 minutes to set-up at any location, even in 

the absence of groundwater or seawater. 

1 

This means this generator can be 

applied in regions where drinking water 

connections, groundwater or seawater 

are not accessible, or in remote places 

such as construction sites, hospitals and 

self-sufficient hotels. Further applications 

in office buildings, municipalities and 

agriculture have the potential of generating 

water from air. The PHANTOR 6000 also 

impacts various industries which require 

pure process water, from microchip 

production to indoor farming, and where 

self-sufficient supply of water is becoming 

more and more important. It is also 

reportedly involved in hydrogen production 

projects. 

2 

IDEAL CONDITIONS IN SEA 

PHANTOR 6000 can thrive in the tropics, 

where there are high humidity and 

temperatures above 20°C. Singapore and 

the rest of South East Asia fit the bill. At the 

sustainability event GreenTech Festival in 

Singapore on 17 and 18 Nov 2022, the team 

demonstrated the use of this atmospheric 

generator at Gardens by the Bay, with 

a temperature of 29°C and 89% relative 

humidity level, where more than 200l/h 

could be produced live — meaning 5,000l 

per day — with approximately 320Wh/l of 

electrical energy usage. 

Today, the generator still resides in 

Singapore and can be located at the 

Singapore based company Jebsen & 

Jessen. 

3 

1 Fig. 1: Its high 

energy efficiency 

process due to 

innovative air 

circulation and 

cooling 

2 This mobile water 

giant provides up to 

6,000l of freshwater 

for locations without 

groundwater or 

seawater 

3 The PHANTOR 6000 

requires minimal 

maintenance 

through stable 

components 


FOCUS 

CERAMAC: 

a ceramic microfiltration 

system to improve water 

quality 

By Holly Shorney-Darby, PhD, PE, and Jumeng Zheng, PhD 

Filtration and disinfection are used in 

surface water treatment to remove and 

inactivate harmful pathogens, such as 

cryptosporidium, giardia, and viruses. 

While conventional sand and mixed 

media filters remove larger diameter 

pathogens and reduce turbidity to meet 

the regulatory limits, these filtration 

methods are susceptible to upsets and 

have ripening times, which increase the 

risk of pathogen breakthroughs. 

Membranes have been promoted 

as a barrier to these pathogens and 

particles, or turbidity. Polymeric 

membranes have been implemented 

since the 1990s, but a problem 

polymeric membrane systems face is 

the durability of the polymer material 

over time. Some polymerics are 

susceptible to exposure to oxidants 

and some experience material 

expansion due to physical stresses 

during operations. For example, having 

high solids concentration in feed 

water and backwashing for membrane 

cleaning can lead to changes in 

membrane properties, which result 

in the weakening of fibres or passage 

of particles and viruses though the 

membrane. These changes help explain 

failures in water quality observed in 

polymeric membrane systems, which 

either have breaches or weakened 

fibres over time. 

The CeraMac microfiltration process 

by PWNT from Netherlands has a 

record for exceeding filtration water 

quality requirements while providing 

a system that can be cleaned and 

maintained for over 15 years. The 

system uses Metawater’s ceramic 

microfilter membranes, with multiple 

monolith membranes in one steel 

vessel. This membrane has a nominal 

pore size of 0.1 micron and has been 

in service in Japan since 1998, with 

more than 24 years in operation at 

one site. With five full-scale CeraMac 

plants worldwide of 424MLD in total 

treatment capacity, and over 140 

installations by Metawater in Japan of 

900MLD in total treatment capacity, 

there have been no reported breaks of 

ceramic membranes in service. 

The CeraMac installations typically 

achieve turbidities less than 0.05 

nephelometric turbidity unit (NTU). 

They have little variability in turbidity 

levels after backwashing or cleaning. 

These help utilities that have difficulty 

meeting turbidity limits with sand or 

have failing polymeric membrane 

systems, and ensure quality water is 

supplied to customers in the service 

area. 

Its ceramic microfiltration serves as 

a barrier to particulate contaminants, 

CeraMac microfiltration at the Andijk III water treatment plant in the 

Netherlands operating since 2014 


FOCUS 

but in terms of other dissolved water 

quality parameters, pre-treatment 

process is required to convert 

them to a removable form by a 

different process such as oxidation 

or coagulation. Coagulation can be 

conducted in different pre-treatment 

steps, including in-line coagulation, 

conventional clarification, or dissolved 

air flotation. The in-line coagulation 

process, sometimes with oxidation, 

can coagulate dissolved organic 

carbon (DOC) and colour, with DOC 

removal at 30-70% depending on 

raw water properties. The in-line 

coagulation results in the highest 

solids loading onto the membranes, 

which is viable due to the monolith 

structure, though it does not impact the 

filtered water quality. It may improve 

the filtered water quality by providing 

a layer of flocculated materials, 

sometimes referred to as a ‘cake’ layer 

on the membrane for contaminants 

to pass through. While water passes 

through this ‘cake’ layer, contaminants 

are potentially captured within the layer 

and removed by backwashing to waste. 

It is not a barrier for dissolved 

metals. Dissolved metals, such as 

manganese and aluminium can 

pass through the membrane. It 

is, however, possible to oxidise 

manganese and iron upstream of the 

membrane, or provide a dedicated 

metals removal process, such as a 

manganese reactor bed, upstream 

or downstream of the CeraMac 

to remove dissolved metals. For 

aluminium, un-optimised coagulation 

chemistry is often why too much 

dissolved aluminium passes through 

the membrane when aluminiumbased 

coagulants such as aluminium 

sulfate or polyaluminium chloride are 

used. Typically, a pH adjustment or a 

change in the coagulant dose will bring 

the aluminium concentration to low 

levels, for instance, less than 50ug/l. 

Ferric coagulant can also be used for 

coagulation pre-treatment, and the iron 

concentration in the filtrate is usually 

below detection limits. 

For disinfection credits for surface 

water treatment, CeraMac will achieve 

4.0 log cryptosporidium, 4.0 log giardia, 

and 1.0 log virus inactivation, based on 

log removal credits from the California 

Department of Public Health. The 

actual level of removal is likely to be 

higher, due to the ceramic barrier and 

tight nominal pore size distribution 

of the membrane. Natural virus tests 

show what log removal of viruses are 

achieved in an installation, and those 

tests show higher than 1.0 log virus 

removal in practice. 

Another mode of disinfection can be 

with an oxidant applied to the feed 

water. The CeraMac system is designed 

with materials that are compatible with 

different oxidants, including ozone. 

These chemicals can be for cleaning or 

dosed for oxidation in the main process 

flow. For example, some plants operate 

with ozone in the feed water to the 

membrane such that an ozone residual 

persists at typically 0.5-1.0mg/l on the 

membrane surface. The filtration of 

ozonated water by CeraMac differs, 

with higher flux and lower operating 

transmembrane pressure than without 

ozone. With ozone application, utilities 

with taste and odour compounds 

can expect removal of geosmin and 

2-methylisoborneol (MIB). 

Ozone contact within the CeraMac 

vessels may also provide additional 

disinfection due to the improved ozone 

transfer efficiency through membrane 

pores. Another reason is the additional 

contact of pathogens that are captured 

on the membrane surface and are 

exposed to continuous ozone until 

these pathogens are backwashed from 

the surface. 

No specific disinfection credits have 

been quantified by a third party or 

regulator for this combined ozone 

and CeraMac process, but full-scale 

installations and pilot-scale studies 

indicate that these are added water 

quality and performance benefits of 

the CeraMac system when ozone 

is applied. It is also possible to 

continuously dose chlorine or peroxide 

upstream of the membrane. It would 

be beneficial to perform a cleaning 

function which could assist with 

disinfection. 

The first CeraMac microfiltration 

surface water treatment plant has 

been in operation since 2014. This and 

other ceramic membrane plants have 

different pre-treatments to meet water 

quality goals for a specific site. It is a 

system that allows efficient operation 

with the ability to clean if necessary. 

The quality of the water is maintained 

over time due to the system’s 

resilience. This is supported by the 

monolith membrane, which is made of 

inorganic material that is not subjected 

to physical pore size changes or 

breakages which can affect water 

quality in the filtrate over time. 

Zheng added that ceramic membranes are 

excellent barriers for pathogens 


FOCUS 

WATER SECTOR 

RECOGNISED FOR 

NIST framework 

implementation progress 

By Vijay Vaidyanathan, regional vice-president, solutions 

engineering, Asia-Pacific and Japan, Claroty 

Much of modern society relies on 

stable, secure critical infrastructure, 

but cybersecurity threats constantly 

challenge our complex and connected 

systems, placing national security, 

economic stability, and public 

safety at risk. A recent report by 

the US Government Accountability 

Office (GAO) examined 16 critical 

infrastructure sectors and their 

progress towards implementing 

the National Institute of Standards 

and Technology’s (NIST) framework 

for improving critical infrastructure 

cybersecurity. 

Water and wastewater, a diverse and 

under-resourced space, is one of 

only three, along with government 

facilities and the defense industrial 

base, identified in the report as having 

determined the rate of framework 

adoption by entities within their sector. 

According to the Water Resources 

Institute (WRI), by 2065, Singapore’s 

water use could almost double from 

about 430 million gallons a day. In 

response to this demand, Singapore 

has embarked on a number of 

initiatives to increase the availability 

of water for both domestic and nondomestic 

use, with investments in 

research and technology to treat, 

recycle and supply water. 


FOCUS 

One such effort is the Keppel 

Marina East Desalination Plant, 

which is capable of producing 

30 million gallons of clean water 

every day, built with a government 

contract estimated at up to 

S$500m. Another is Singapore’s 

wastewater recycling campaign, 

NEWater, from which the country 

already derives 40% of its water 

from five water plants currently in 

operation, and hopes are that it will 

rise to 55% by 2060. 

With all of this increased demand 

for clean, available water, any 

potential disruption in water 

resources calls for more resilient 

infrastructure protection. 

Unfortunately, many water and 

wastewater utilities, particularly 

small systems, lack the resources 

to support a robust cybersecurity 

programme. Cyber-physical 

threats to water infrastructure can 

lead to a range of negative effects, 

including changes to water quality 

and available supply levels. 

USE OF CYBERSECURITY 

CONTROLS IN WATER AND 

WASTEWATER ON THE RISE 

The Cyber Security Agency of 

Singapore (CSA) acknowledges 

that while Singapore’s water 

industrial control systems (ICS) 

are segregated from the Internet, 

there are other attack vectors to 

be considered, including from 

insiders, employees and third-party 

service providers. The website 

stated that readiness and resilience 

— in all aspects — must remain 

the keystone. Consequently, the 

water sector was included as a 

critical information infrastructure 

(CII) to be protected in Singapore’s 

Cybersecurity Bill passed in 2018. 

SECURING CONNECTED 

CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEMS 

It is important to invest in 

technologies that can accurately 

identify connected assets and 

vulnerabilities, and also provide 

remediation strategies. A secure 

remote access solution (SRA) 

can help facilities connect with 

confidence and provide role- and 

policy-based access controls, 

alerting, and the ability to audit, 

investigate, and terminate malicious 

activity. ICS is relatively safe 

from cyber-attacks as they are 

segregated from the Internet, and 

are not accessible remotely over 

public networks. Unfortunately, 

the other attack vectors such as 

insiders and third-party service 

providers may inadvertently cause 

a contamination of the water during 

system maintenance. 

Besides reducing risk and better 

managing cybersecurity threats, 

a solution for the extended 

IoT (XIoT) can help align and 

prioritise cybersecurity activities 

for converged enterprises. 

By identifying and prioritising 

opportunities for continuous 

and repeatable improvement, 

organisations can apply risk 

management principles and best 

practices to improve security 

and resilience regardless of size, 

degree of cybersecurity risk, or 

cybersecurity sophistication. 

Cybersecurity risk affects the 

bottom line. It can drive up costs, 

affect revenue, and harm the ability 

to innovate and get and retain 

customers. Cyber-physical security 

solutions enable management 

to focus on business drivers to 

guide cybersecurity activities 

and consider risk management 

processes. These tools can help 

organisations determine necessary 

actions for critical service delivery 

and prioritise ROI. 

Other attack vectors such as insiders 

and third-party service providers may 

inadvertently cause a contamination of the 

water during system maintenance 

Vijay Vaidyanathan 

Claroty’s regional vice-president, solutions engineering, Asia-Pacific and Japan 


FOCUS 

REDUCING NON- 

REVENUE WATER WITH 

modern pressure 

regulating valves 

The impacts of climate change and urbanisation have resulted 

in challenges within the water sector. Pressure management has 

arguably become an indispensable tool to strengthen water networks 

and ensure a reliable water supply around the world. Cutting-edge 

pressure regulating valves (PRVs) can help utilities reduce mechanical 

stress and ensure balance within water networks by combining 

simplicity, longevity, and digital functionality. 

Every year, utilities worldwide lose 

126 billion m 3 of water and US$39bn 

in revenue. 1 This is classified as 

non-revenue water (NRW), a term 

referring to the difference between 

the water that is introduced into 

a distribution system and the 

water that is actually billed to the 

customer. In order to meet the 

demands of the future, utilities 

will have to drastically reduce the 

amount of water that is lost each 

year. 

NeoFlow is the 

newest generation of 

pressure regulating 

valves by GF Piping 

Systems 

There are two major causes for 

this issue. First, utilities may 

experience commercial losses due 

to mismanagement. This includes 

inadequate knowledge of where 

meters are located, the wrong 

metering technology, corruption, or 

theft. Physical losses, on the other 

hand, refer to technical issues in 

the water network. In this context, 

insufficient pressure management 

is mostly blamed in ever-expanding 


FOCUS 

cities, where water networks are 

frequently over-pressurised to meet 

demands which shorten the lifespan 

of pipes and fittings and cause 

leakages. 

LIGHTWEIGHT, VERSATILE, 

MAINTENANCE-FREE, AND 

CONNECTED 

Focusing on over-pressurised 

pipes has proven to be an effective 

strategy. As a result, burst pipe 

networks need to be repaired, 

or even better, prevented before 

the damage is done. Pressure 

management technologies such as 

PRVs are considered solutions as 

they reduce flow rates of existing 

leaks and limit mechanical stress on 

the infrastructure, resulting in lower 

burst rates and prolonged asset life. 

Studies have shown that reducing 

the pressure of water networks by 

25% can cut water losses by up to 

75%. 2 

By facilitating precise pressure 

management, PRVs bring balance 

into water networks. However, 

utilities may face issues during 

operation, as traditional PRVs 

are often made of metal and are 

mechanically complex. Abrasion and 

corrosion lead to short maintenance 

intervals and therefore more labour 

and higher costs for utilities. 

Meanwhile, the newest generation 

of PRVs has overcome these 

challenges. 

traditional models and instead 

feature an axial flow design. An 

axial flow allows valves to be fully 

operational between 1-100% 

opening which gives operators the 

control for precise adjustments. 

The lack of a diaphragm or actuator 

stem also reduces maintenance 

requirements and speeds up 

servicing. This simplification makes 

the valves nearly maintenancefree 

and therefore cost-effective, 

while more compact dimensions 

simplify the process of retrofitting 

networks — especially in spaces 

that are tight and difficult to 

access. Finally, modern PRVs offer 

digital functionality that allows 

operators to monitor a variety of 

parameters and further optimise 

their pressure management. By 

1 The compact and lightweight 

construction of NeoFlow simplify 

the installation and free up space for 

additional equipment 

2 The PRV is designed to prevent 

over-pressurised pipes by ensuring 

an accurate and stable flow, as well 

as increased flow capacity 

1 

2 

Instead of relying on metal, modern 

polymers are introduced to lower 

the overall weight and therefore 

enable easier handling, installation, 

and maintenance. Additionally, 

their material properties result in 

components that are corrosion-free 

as well as long-lasting. At the 

same time, modern PRVs forego 

the complex construction of 


FOCUS 

4 

adding components such as flow meters 

without having to modify the piping system, 

operators can easily create automated water 

networks that can be programmed remotely. 

REDUCING NRW IN INDONESIA WITH 

NEOFLOW BY GF PIPING SYSTEMS 

Moya Indonesia is a Jakarta-based water 

distribution operator that runs a number 

of water treatment projects in the region 

and supplies water to East Jakarta and 

Tangerang. The Moya network in the city 

of Tangerang provides water to 30,000 

customers as well as 90% of the water 

used in the nearby Jakarta International 

Airport. In order to support the current 

production capacity of 1,150l per second 

while simultaneously maintaining a stable 

pressure, Moya Indonesia implemented 

NeoFlow pressure regulating valves by GF 

Piping Systems. 

3 

3 GF Piping Systems is 

designed for gas or 

water pipe networks 

and is quick, safe, 

and simple to 

connect without the 

need for special tools 

4 The wide range and 

size of Neoflow is 

available for district 

metering zones 

As a response to the current needs of the 

water sector, Swiss flow solutions provider 

GF Piping Systems developed NeoFlow, 

the company’s newest pressure regulating 

valve. Due to its axial flow construction, 

the valve does not require an actuator 

stem or diaphragm and only consists of 

three primary components. The valve is 

also less prone to cavitation damage. 

With a compact polymer body, NeoFlow 

is corrosion-free and, in combination 

with its mechanical simplicity, has 

longer maintenance intervals than metal 

alternatives. As a new generation of PRV, 

the valve is fitted with an integrated pilot 

valve that allows parameters such as flow 

and water quality to be monitored and 

controlled with additional equipment. 

For the application in Tangerang, NeoFlow 

was selected in the dimension DN150. 

It was necessary to connect different 

piping materials and thus restraint joints 

were also needed for installation. GF 

Piping Systems also provided its MULTI/ 

JOINT 3000 Plus system. Designed for 

gas or water pipe networks, it was quick, 

safe, and simple to connect without 

the need for special tools. This avoided 

time-consuming traditional jointing 

techniques involving collars, flanging, 

welding, or the use of thrust blocks. The 

compatible solution could be adapted to 

local networks due to its updated pressure 

management. 

FINDING THE RIGHT PRESSURE 

REGULATING VALVE IN MALAYSIA 

Sibu is a landlocked city in the central 

region of Sarawak, Malaysia, with a 

population of around 160,000 people. 

In the past, Sibu’s water board relied on 

a metal PRV in the dimension DN250 

combined with a controller to manage the 

pressure in one of their district metering 

areas (DMA). Here, the PRV was meant to 

reduce the upstream pressure of 6 bar to a 

downstream pressure of 1.6 bar. However, 

the metal valve was not capable of 

reliably responding to the controller which 

resulted in a downstream pressure of 2 

bar. In addition, the pressure difference 


FOCUS 

experienced by the valve caused the 

disc to oscillate during low flow rates 

which led to frequent failure and 

damage. 

During the search for a solution, 

GF Piping Systems Malaysia 

approached Sibu water board. 

The goal was to maintain a stable 

downstream pressure of 1.6 

bar regardless of the upstream 

pressure and flow conditions. After 

gathering data, GF Piping Systems 

recommended installing NeoFlow 

in the dimension DN300. With its 

axial flow construction, NeoFlow 

regulated pressure with a minimum 

opening of 6% during periods of 

low flow rates without a controller. 

The valve’s durable materials and 

simplified construction prevented 

damage within a month of operation. 

The benefits of using polymer 

valves for proactive pressure 

management can be summarised 

as follows: It reduces NRW with 

fewer pipe bursts. It has a simple, 

low-maintenance design, and it is up 

to five times more compact than a 

standard metal PRV and up to nine 

times lighter, thus ensuring fast, 

safe, and simple installation, even 

in tight spaces. It saves on energy, 

resources and costs for existing site 

upgrades and new installations, with 

up to 40% saving on costs when 

using pre-assembled installation 

kits. 

5 

5 The Malaysia 

installation is a 

DN300, which 

is for larger 

pipe dimension 

and is lighter 

by 10 times in 

comparison 

to the existing 

metal PRV 

6 A cross-section 

of NeoFlow 

shows its simple 

construction 

without an 

actuator stem or 

diaphragm 

Image: GF Piping Systems 

References: 

1 Roland Liemberger and Alan Wyatt. Quantifying 

the global non-revenue water problem. 

2 EU Reference document. Good Practices on 

Leakage Management. < https://circabc.europa.eu/ 

sd/a/1ddfba34-e1ce-4888-b031-6c559cb28e47/ 

Good%20Practices%20on%20Leakage%20 

Management%20-%20Main%20Report_Final.pdf> 

6 


HOTSEAT 

NX FILTRATION 

RECEIVES FOLLOW-ON 

ORDERS FOR 

large-scale drinking water 

projects in Indonesia 

NX Filtration, the global provider of direct nanofiltration (dNF) 

membrane technology for pure and affordable water, was selected by 

Bayu Surya Bakti Konstruksi, an Indonesian specialist in constructing 

water and wastewater treatment plants, to supply its dNF membranes 

for various new projects. These orders follow previous projects in Indonesia 

related to drinking water supply for the city of Dumai in Sumatra, 

Meranti island, and Indonesia’s state-owned hospital in Jakarta. 

The new orders relate to 

various treatment plants that 

Bayu is currently developing in 

Indonesia. These are all based 

on NX Filtration’s dNF membrane 

technology that removes colour and 

micropollutants from water while 

offering sustainability benefits by 

reducing energy and chemicals 

consumption. 

NX Filtration’s membrane modules in operation at the Dumai municipal drinking water plant 

In 2022, Bayu started the design 

of a water treatment plant for the 

production of drinking water and 

industrial process water in Medang 

Kampai. This plant will have a 

capacity of approximately 450m 3 /h 

and is expected to be commissioned 

in Q2 2023. Bayu is starting the 

development of a facility that 


HOTSEAT 

produces drinking water from a lake 

in Bengkalis with a final capacity 

of 360m 3 /h. Finally, NX Filtration 

received an order from Bayu for the 

first industrial wastewater project in 

Indonesia based on dNF technology. 

These new projects follow Bayu’s 

previous projects of in Indonesia, 

which NX Filtration supplied its dNF 

technology. In Sumatra, a 180m 3 /h 

drinking water plant has been 

running for over a year, providing 

Dumai city with drinking water 

produced from the local Masjid 

River. Its technology is also being 

used to produce drinking water at 

Meranti island since December 2022 

(54m 3 /h with expansion potential to 

200m 3 /h) and for Rumah Sakit Cipto 

Mangunkusomo, Indonesia’s biggest 

state-owned hospital in Jakarta since 

2021. 

Nyoman Yasa, CEO at Bayu, said, “Our 

large-scale municipal drinking water 

plant in Dumai has demonstrated for 

more than a year how effective NX 

Filtration’s hollow fibre nanofiltration 

technology is in producing clean 

water. We are now able to use this 

technology to widely address water 

quality and availability issues that are 

increasingly prevalent throughout the 

country.” 

Michiel Staatsen, CEO at NX Filtration, 

concluded, “Our dNF technology 

has proved its value, demonstrating 

high performance combined with low 

energy and chemicals consumption 

compared to traditional technologies. 

We are happy to now extend the 

applications to also enable the reuse 

of industrial wastewater in Indonesia.” 

MEET THE NEW 

SUPERHERO OF UHPRO 

The Ultra PX delivers significant cost savings in 

ultra high-pressure reverse osmosis wastewater treatment 

For 30 years, Energy Recovery’s technology has provided significant energy and cost savings for 

our customers in desalination. The Ultra PX energy recovery device dramatically reduces the energy 

needs, costs, and emissions associated with treating industrial wastewater effluent with ultra 

high-pressure reverse osmosis (UHPRO). The device handles pressure of up to 120 bar, while 

delivering the superior performance Energy Recovery customers know and trust. 

So what’s the potential for savings? In a recent installation supporting wastewater treatment 

for reuse at a lithium iron phosphate cathode manufacturing facility in the Hubei province of central 

China, the facility saw a reduction in energy consumption of the UHPRO system by 58.6%. Want 

to learn more? Read the entire case study and start thinking about how you can use Ultra PX 

to make your UHPRO efforts more sustainable. 

Ultra PX 

Scan the code or read the case study on our website: 

https://bit.ly/Sinochem_UltraPX 


HOTSEAT 

MALTESE ISLAND 

ACHIEVES 

water autonomy with 

SWRO innovation 

The plant operates at 

hours with low demand in 

Gozo and transfers water 

back to Malta 

As part of a €100m programme funded by 

the EU to improve water quality across Malta, 

the Gozo project involved a self-contained 

flexible source of high-quality drinking water. 

One of 21 islands that make up the Maltese 

archipelago, the Mediterranean island 

of Gozo had historically depended on 

groundwater and a submarine pipeline 

sending water from Malta. 

To handle peak season tourism demand, the 

government of Malta commissioned the €10m 

Hondoq plant, which uses seawater reverse 

osmosis (SWRO) to produce 9,000m 3 /day and 

fulfil the demand of over 3 million m 3 /yr. 

Both Israeli companies, AST and ROTEC by 

WFI Group, combined to deliver the plant with 

optimal available technologies, in ration with 

the Israeli National Water Company, Mekorot. 

The teams had to construct a new modern 

facility while working on the existing 

building, according to local preservation and 

restoration guidelines. The renovation was 

undertaken with a local architect and subcontractor. 

To accommodate Gozo island’s water 

needs, WSC has set out goals for its water 

supply to achieve drinking water autonomy 

with high efficiency and redundancy and 

enhance the quality of the drinking water. 

WSC said the historic project is the first RO 

project in Gozo that will give autonomy to 

the island’s water production. 

Boaz Shitzer, CEO of AST and ROTEC 

by WFI Group, said: “Malta’s Ministry of 

the Environment wanted to maintain the 

positioning of green desalination in the 


HOTSEAT 

1 

2 

Hondoq Bay, with minimum impact 

on the environment. As a result, 

environmental protection measures 

were at the core of the project 

strategy and execution.” 

Such environmental reduction 

measures included designing and 

building a high-density polyethylene 

(HDPE) pipe under the seabed using 

horizontal directional drilling. As a 

result, brine is discharged to the sea 

350m from the plant, without affecting 

seawater vegetation and with minimal 

impact on the existing structure. 

1 The development 

is part of Maltese 

WSC’s drive to 

become a ‘net 

zero impact 

utility’ 

2 WSC plans to 

serve both the 

Gozo and Malta 

islands with a 

fresh and steady 

water supply 

3 Hondoq plant 

uses SWRO 

3 

The plant incorporates a double-pass 

process design that can be 

implemented at a later stage to meet 

World Health Organization (WHO) 

and European standards for boron 

removal to levels beyond the local 

regulations. This will also allow 

more water reuse for agriculture, 

while minimising impact on the 

environment. 

Shitzer added: “AST’s winning bid 

against several companies was based 

on low total water production cost, 

together with low energy consumption 

and near zero chemicals. WSC’s 

strategy included using off-peak 

hours production.” 

Furthermore, remote plant control 

is handled from WSC’s main 

operation centre in Shirakawa, 

Malta. The plant uses automation 

tools based on artificial intelligence 

(AI) software to enable updating, 

monitoring of performance and 

use of predictive maintenance 

trends to control the ageing 

performance of SWRO pumps 

and membranes. 

WSC recently won an ‘Industrial 

Excellence Award 2022’ for the 

Gozo plant for development of 

the best engineered project by 

the Malta Engineering Excellence 

Awards. 


HOTSEAT 

SUEZ produces green gas made in Marseille, where the Géolide plant treats 

200,000m 3 of wastewater daily, totaling 76 million m 3 /yr (Image: Altivue GRDF) 

SUEZ’S NEW 

sustainability goals 

On 30 Jan 2023, French public 

utility company SUEZ unveiled its 

new sustainable development goals 

for 2027 and beyond, through 24 

commitments revolving around three 

pillars, climate, biodiversity and social 

responsibility, for the first time under 

its new corporate strategy presented 

in September 2022. In terms of climate 

commitments, the group is developing 

a global approach across three levers. 

power generation capacities and new 

renewable energy supply contracts 

such as solar and wind power. 

Next is the reduction of its greenhouse 

gas (GHG) emissions and those of 

its value chain, contributing to the 

communities’ low-carbon transition. 

It aims to reduce the emissions from 

its water activities by almost 40% by 

2030 and from its waste activities by 

more than 25% by 2030, excluding 

energy from waste. By improving the 

environmental performance of its 

The first is contributing to 

decarbonising energy by reaching 

electrical self-sufficiency in Europe 

in 2023 and throughout the duration 

of the plan. Between now and 2030, 

it aims to raise the proportion of 

renewable energy as a share of 

SUEZ’s total electricity consumption 

to 70% worldwide and 100% in 

Europe, compared to the current 

average of 24% by harnessing its own 

In Cairo, SUEZ is 

making one of 

Africa’s largest 

wastewater 

treatment plants 

energy self-sufficient 

(Image: Grand Step 

Advertising) 


HOTSEAT 

energy from waste activities, SUEZ 

will invest an extra €40m in its R&D 

programme dedicated to carbon 

capture and storage (CCS). 

the climate and social responsibility 

pillars, SUEZ is stepping up its 

initiatives in the field of biodiversity, 

with 10 specific commitments. 

Finally, the company is adapting 

top-priority and vulnerable sites 

operated to the effects of climate 

change, undertaking to cover 100% of 

its high-priority and vulnerable sites 

between now and 2027 through an 

established and funded action plan. 

On the social front, it aims to 

contribute to a responsible economy 

through employment and local 

development within communities, 

and encourage the development and 

engagement of its people through 

employee share ownership. Alongside 

A solid governance framework has 

been created through 43 performance 

indicators dedicated to monitoring 

the implementation of these 

commitments. All the indicators will 

be shared once a year to publicly 

communicate on the progress made 

by the group with respect to these 

commitments. 

Sabrina Soussan, chairman and 

CEO of SUEZ, said: “With this 

new roadmap, we are reaffirming 

the central role of sustainable 

development in the SUEZ strategy. 

SUEZ is setting out its pledges 

with a fresh new ambition around 

climate change policy and social 

responsibility, also including 

ambitious goals in terms of 

preservation of biodiversity and 

natural resources.” 

Rebond Insertion 

founded by SUEZ in 

2002, this partnership 

focuses on waste 

collection, delegated 

management and 

sorting services at 

13 sites in France 

(Image: SUEZ) 

SMART WATER NETWORK MANAGEMENT 

Optimize resOurces - ensure water quality - reduce cOsts 

SOFREL NEO 

4G LTE-M/NB-IoT 

Data logger 

Flow and pressure monitoring 

Night flow analysis 

Flow rate alerts 

Leak detection 

CSO monitoring & detection 

learn mOre: 

SOFREL YDRIX 

2G/3G/4G 

Connected RTU 

Simple to use 

Highest level of cybersecurity 

Secure communication 

Alarms management 

learn mOre: 

info.sg.environment@lacroix.group 

www.lacroix-environment.com 


HOTSEAT 

TSURUMI AVANT: Submersible 

pumps and wastewater 

treatment equipment 

The Tsurumi AVANT brand has four different product line-ups which all apply 

similar design concepts, comprising submersible sewerage pumps and mixers. 

The pumps are classified into three series, 

including the MQ-series featuring an IE3 motor, 

the MY-series, and the compact MB-series. 

These pumps are available with discharge 

bores ranging from 40-600mm and motor 

output capacities from 0.37-355kW, and can be 

equipped with five different types of impellers 

including open channel, chopper, vortex, grinder 

or high head. 

The brand also features the MMR-series of 

submersible mixers equipped with an IE3 

motor. These mixers are available in propeller 

diameters from 200-650mm and motor 

output capacities from 0.75-7.5kW. 

1 2 

1 Series MQ, the 

submersible 

sewage pumps 

2 Series MY, the 

submersible 

sewage pumps 

3 MB-series is 

developed for 

heavy-duty 

performance and 

low-maintenance 

operation 

4 Mixers of MMRseries 

have a 

built-in IE3 motor 

Tsurumi design its products aimed at 

reducing maintenance costs in pump 

stations and wastewater treatment 

plants. The inclusion of IE3 motors is 

a way in which it is working to reduce 

overall energy consumption and 

contribute to a more sustainable 

future. 

3 

4 

Our products can reduce 

maintenance costs in pump 

stations and wastewater 

treatment plants, all while 

contributing to a more 

sustainable future. 

Bobby Ng 

General Manager of Tsurumi Avant. 


SWA Chinese New Year luncheon 

17 Jan 2023, Singapore Island Country Club 

NEWSLETTER 

OF THE 

SINGAPORE 

WATER 

ASSOCIATION 

BRINGING 

A NEW VIBRANCY 

TO SINGAPORE’S 

GROWING 

WATER INDUSTRY 

SWA management council ushered in the new spring with a 

Chinese New Year luncheon at Singapore Island Country Club. 

President Chew Men Leong gave an address about new work plans 

and initiatives and wished the council and staff a prosperous rabbit 

year. 

46th Singapore Water 

Industry Nite 

Sponsored by DuPont Water Solutions Singapore 

2 Feb 2023, e2i West Hall 1 and 2 

The 46th Singapore Water Industry Nite was held on 2 Feb 2023 at 

e2i West Hall 1 with a lo-hei session in conjunction with Chinese 

New Year. The networking dinner was sponsored by DuPont Water 

Solutions Singapore. More than 130 guests from PUB, Singapore’s 

National Water Agency and SWA attended this event. 

President Chew gave a sharing on SWA’s intended alliance-foraction 

(AFA) plan for the water sector while PUB’s deputy director, 

Ryan Yuen, shared about the upcoming Singapore International 

Water Week (SIWW) spotlight 2023. The event also introduced the 

new 2023-2024 Young Water Professional committee.

[Technical site visit]: Keppel Marina 

East Desalination Plant (KMEDP) 

11 Jan 2023, KMEDP 

Thirty SWA members visited the KMEDP. Jason Wong, head of 

KMEDP’s water plant and services, gave an overview on the 

energy-efficient direct coupling of ultrafiltration (UF) and reverse 

osmosis (RO) systems. Members gained insights about the new 

energy-efficient systems and technological equipment in this 

desalination plant. 

[Visit]: by the Government of 

Bangladesh and International Financial 

Corporation (IFC) 

13 Jan 2023, Singapore Water Exchange (SgWX) 

To kick off 2023, a four-team delegation from the Government of 

Bangladesh-Gazipur city corporation and IFC visited SgWX on 13 

Jan 2023. This event was hosted by SWA council member, Steve 

Cheong and is supported by PUB. Delegates shared on Bangladesh’s 

water challenges, goals and bidding tender for its city’s upcoming 

sewage treatment plant (STP). The bidding will commence in Q3 

2023. In this session, delegates encouraged SWA’s participation in 

this bidding exercise. 

[Visit]: by the State Industries 

Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu 

(SIPCOT), India 

31 Jan 2023, SgWX 

A team of 18 delegates led by SIPCOT and Singapore-India 

Partnership Office (SIPO) visited SgWX at PUB WaterHub on 

31 Jan 2023. The visit is supported by PUB and hosted by SWA 

council member, Leela Krishna. Twenty-five SWA members 

attended this event. SIPCOT and the Chennai metropolitan water 

supply and sewerage board gave an update on their capability 

development initiatives, shared challenges, pain-points and the 

potential collaboration opportunities in the water sector with SWA 

members. The session was followed by a networking lunch with 

the delegates.

[Visit]: by the Saigon Water Corporation (SAWACO), Vietnam 

7 Feb 2023, SgWX 

A delegation led by SAWACO, Ho Chi Minh City (HCM) visited 

SgWX on 7 Feb 2023. SAWACO is a utility responsible for the water 

supply operations in HCM, with plans to embark on digitisation 

transformation to improve its business processes. They are 

planning for an intelligent water supply system to improve the 

quality of water service in HCM, thus establishing a network 

operation centre (NOC) is a priority for them. 

SWA council member Tse Yau Shing gave a welcome address and 

shared with guests about SWA and what it does for the water 

industry. SAWACO gave an update on its latest development 

initiatives and shared collaboration opportunities in the water 

sector with SWA members. The session was followed by a 

networking session with the delegates. 

UPCOMING SWA ACTIVITIES 

[Complimentary webinar]: Bridging 

Austria and Singapore market with 

opportunities 

Co-organised with Austria embassy and companies 

15 Mar 2023, Webex 

SWA and Austrian Commercial Trade Commissioner at the 

Austrian Embassy in Singapore are co-organising a complimentary 

webinar on 15 Mar 2023, Wednesday, SGT 4pm-5:30pm. This 

event is supported by PUB. This webinar is designed to provide an 

overview of the importance of managing water and wastewater 

in various industries by learning about the advances in water and 

wastewater management. Hear from experts about successful 

wastewater management programmes and discover ways to 

improve companies’ wastewater management practices.

UPCOMING SWA ACTIVITIES 

[Physical event]: BLUE Taichi Day 

12 Mar 2023, 100 plus Promenade @Sports Hub 

In conjunction with Singapore 

World Water Day 2023, SWA and 

PUB are co-organising a taichi 

workout event to raise awareness 

and support towards water 

sustainability. 

that can improve balance, flexibility, 

and overall physical and mental 

well-being. It is beneficial for older 

adults, people with chronic health 

conditions, and those with stressrelated 

health issues. 

Taichi is good for people of all ages 

and fitness levels, as it is a lowimpact 

and gentle form of exercise 

Remember to dress in blue that day 

to redeem a free goodie bag worth 

S$20. 

[Singapore Pavilion]: 

IE Expo China 2023 (IFAT China 2023) 

19-21 Apr 2023, Shanghai New International 

Expo Centre (SNIEC) 

This event focuses on circular economy 

and climate change with the arrival of 

the ‘double carbon era’ caused by the 

demand for green technologies supported 

by the Chinese government and global 

enterprises. For over 20 years, IE Expo China 

has offered a business and networking 

platform for Chinese and international 

professionals in the environmental 

sector for environmental technology and 

industrial innovation in Asia. 

For more information, contact: 

kenny@swa.org.sg. 

SWA WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS 

(joined from November 2022-January 2023) 

ORDINARY 

1. Delta Marine Consultants Singapore Pte Ltd 

ASSOCIATE 

1. Accudyne Industries Asia Pte Ltd 

2. CTP Environment Asia Pacific Pte Ltd 

3. Atera Water Pte Ltd 

INDIVIDUAL & YWP 

1. Lo Kar Lock 

2. Eileen Tan Chen Huey 

3. Brandon Lee Chuan Yee 

4. Shawn Seah 

2023 EVENTS CALENDAR 

We look forward to your continuous support in 2023. Download 

SWA events calendar at https://www.swa.org.sg/wp-content/ 

uploads/2022/08/Events-Calendar-2023.V6.pdf. 

For further queries, please contact SWA at T: 65150812 or 

enquiry@swa.org.sg. To stay connected on the latest updates 

on SWA, visit https://www.swa.org.sg, follow us on LinkedIn, 

Facebook, Telegram and Instagram. 

INTERESTED TO JOIN SWA? 

SWA welcomes 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 

IZAR RDC MOTION 

makes touring easy 

German industrial machinery 

manufacturer Diehl Metering’s 

new IZAR RDC Motion is a radio 

receiver designed for walk-by or 

drive-by mobile readings, collecting 

data from meters, modules and 

sensors and transferring them to 

its software, IZAR@Mobile 2. An 

evolution of IZAR Receiver, its radio 

performance allows mobile readings 

to be carried out at speeds of up to 

50km/h, and offers high reception 

capacity even in dense urban areas, 

improving the efficiency of mobile 

readings. 

Once data is transferred to the 

IZAR@Mobile 2 software, meter 

read-outs are displayed on the 

map, alarms are listed and can be 

displayed with user-defined colour 

codes. Data is ready to be exported 

to IZAR Plus Portal / IZAR@Net 

software for further processing. 

This allows data collection from 

consumption meters, accurate 

billing with relevant data, and 

automation of some timeconsuming 

routines. 

IZAR RDC Motion 

IZAR RDC Motion also facilitates 

migration scenario of installations 

to C1 radio mode, without losing 

any data from meters operating in 

the T1 mode, due to its backward 

compatibility. 

As a radio receiver designed for walk-by or drive-by 

mobile meter reading, IZAR RDC executes a meter 

reading tour which received data is transmitted via 

Bluetooth to its software 


ON OUR RADAR 

NEW IN-LINE PUMPS 

for building services 

applications 

At this year’s ISH trade fair in Frankfurt 

on 13-17 Mar 2023, German pump 

manufacturer company KSB is 

showcasing a new type series of fully 

integrated inline pump for non-drinking 

water and heating, ventilation, and 

air conditioning (HVAC) applications. 

When developing EtaLine Pro type 

series, the developers focused on 

extremely low energy consumption 

and the economical use of materials. 

By using a hydraulic system designed 

for high speeds, the developers 

achieved a compact design. With 

increased output per size, the new 

pumps require up to 44% less 

aluminium, 49% less grey cast iron 

and 68% less magnetic steel sheet, 

and 73% less copper, compared to 

conventional units. 

The magnets used in the motors 

are classic ferrite magnets, so they 

do not contain any rare earths, 

which cause environmental damage 

when extracted. The motor rating 

ranges from 0.8-2.6kW. With their 

voltage range of 380-480 volts at 

50/60Hz, the pump sets can be used 

worldwide. The international product 

certifications such as CE, UKCA and 

UR/UL also contribute to this. 

The new units offer planning reliability 

as they have several pump functions, 

such as dynamic control, sensor-less 

control and multiple pump operation, 

as well as heat quantity measurement. 

These intelligent functions allow 

adjustments to be made to the 

operation or operating points even 

after the pumps have been installed. 

The pumps adjust their flow rate 

and head based on an algorithm, 

moving the operating point along a 

programmed control curve. Due to 

various digital interfaces, integration 

into modern building management 

systems is possible. 

With only five hydraulic system sizes, 

the quiet operating close-coupled 

pumps cover a broad selection range. 

Their maximum flow rate is 63.6m 3 /hr 

with the maximum discharge head 

possible being 42.9m. Standardised 

mechanical seals and a reduced variety 

of components, combined with an 

extensive global service network, can 

ensure rapid availability of spare parts 

when needed. 

The pumps and the mechanical seals 

are designed for operating pressures 

up to 16 bar. As standard, the pumps 

are fitted with mechanical seals 

selected for a maximum operating 

temperature of 120°C, depending on 

the application and the fluid handled. A 

cathodic e-coating of the cast casings 

provide corrosion protection. 

The new EtaLine 

Pro series, fully 

developed integrated 

in-line water pumps 


ON OUR RADAR 

EMERSON’S NON- 

CONTACTING RADAR 

TRANSMITTERS 

improve efficiency 

in water utility 

applications 

Rosemount 1208 Level and Flow 

Transmitter Series reportedly 

surpass ease-of-use and 

measurement performance of 

ultrasonic and hydrostatic devices 

Emerson has introduced the Rosemount 

1208 Level and Flow Transmitter Series 

non-contacting radar transmitters to help 

increase the operational efficiency of 

water, wastewater and process industry 

utility applications. The performance of 

the 1208 Series reportedly surpasses that 

of ultrasonic and hydrostatic devices by 

delivering accurate level and open channel 

flow measurements, enabling organisations 

to increase the efficiency of operations and 

achieve environmental compliance. 

Operators in the water and wastewater, food 

and beverage, chemical and other process 

industries often deploy ultrasonic and 

hydrostatic devices for water monitoring 

applications when radar transmitters 

are considered too expensive, bulky or 

complex. The Rosemount 1208 is a new 

alternative, featuring 80GHz fast-sweep 

frequency modulated continuous wave 

(FMCW) technology on a single electronic 

chip, which delivers reliable measurement 

within a compact and cost-effective device 

ideal for applications with space constraints 

or compliance requirements, such as water 

applications. 

According to Emerson, unlike ultrasonic 

and hydrostatic devices, the measurement 

accuracy and reliability of the Rosemount 1208 

line is unaffected by most process conditions, 

including condensation and variations in 

pressure, temperature and density. By using 

fast-sweep FMCW technology and advanced 

algorithms, the new transmitter family can 

collect up to 40 times more information than 

legacy radar devices. This provides level 

measurement accuracy of ±0.08in (2mm) at a 

range of 15m, helping organisations optimise 

processes and comply with environmental 

requirements. In addition, the non-contacting 

design has no moving parts or calibration 

requirements, creating a maintenance-free 

device that minimises manual procedures and 

delivers long-term performance and reliability. 

The transmitter is available in two models, 

offering different communication protocols 

and approvals. The Rosemount 1208A is the 

first radar transmitter, as claimed by Emerson, 

designed for water and process industry utility 

applications to offer IO-Link connectivity 

as part of its hybrid communication options 

that also include three-wire 4-20mA and 

switch outputs. IO-Link connectivity reduces 

installation complexity, enables simple 

integration into high-level automation 

networks, and provides access to process 

insights that can enhance operational 

performance. It further reduces complexity by 

enabling remote configuration and monitoring. 

The Rosemount 1208C offers two-wire 

4-20mA and HART communication options, 

providing access to advanced diagnostics. 

This supports predictive maintenance and 

more effective troubleshooting, leading to 

reduced downtime and improved operational 

efficiency. Hazardous area approval 

enables use in areas where an explosive 

gas atmosphere could occur during normal 

operation. 

Felix Johansson, associate solutions manager 

for Emerson’s radar level business, said, 

“Emerson’s advanced radar technology is 

simple to order, install, operate and maintain. 

Designed for these applications, it provides 

a step-change increase in measurement 

performance and process visibility to help 

operators maximise the potential of their 

plant.” 


ON OUR RADAR 

OVARRO LAUNCHES 

FULLY MANAGED 

fixed network leakage service 

With all elements 

combined, the 

service can 

accurately identify 

POIs on behalf of 

water companies 

A new end-to-end leakage reduction 

service has been launched by 

technology company Ovarro, as the 

water sector moves forward with wider 

implementation of as-a-service models 

to improve efficiency. 

LeakNavigator is the UK’s first fully 

managed, fixed network leakage service 

that can identify points of interest (POIs) 

on behalf of water companies. The 

leak-locating model comprises 

advanced acoustic data loggers, 

cutting-edge cloud-based software and 

Ovarro’s inhouse leakage expertise. 

The service can also alert field 

technicians directly, so they can head 

straight to site with high confidence 

that a leak will be found, thereby 

reducing the need for inhouse data 

analysis. 

LeakNavigator has undergone 

successful trials with UK water 

companies, recording a combined 

performance increase of 20-25% in 

total leaks found, plus a 30% reduction 

in lost field time through false positives 

and a POI-to-leak conversion rate of 

over 85%. 

As-a-service models are subscriptionbased 

applications, with infrastructure 

that is entirely managed and 

maintained by an external supplier. 

These services allow companies to 

focus on their core responsibility of 

water system management and leave 

the data analysis to external specialists. 

Matthew Hawkridge, Ovarro’s CTO, 

presented LeakNavigator at world 

water-tech innovation summit in 

London, UK, on 21-22 Feb 2023. 

He said, “Regulators and customers are 

continuing to push water companies 

to cut leakage and their expectations 

will only increase. While acoustic fixed 

networks — which are permanently in 

place to pinpoint leaks by monitoring 

the sound of water escaping from pipes 

— are bringing major improvements, 


ON OUR RADAR 

the sector has at times struggled with 

the correct placement of acoustic 

loggers. 

The service can also 

apply to existing 

Enigma logger fleets 

already installed 

“For remote loggers to achieve the best 

possible results, they need to be placed 

in optimum locations across a network. 

But establishing precisely where these 

spots are is no easy task and requires 

specialist expertise. 

“If loggers are not placed appropriately, 

location data could be compromised 

and water company analysts have an 

even harder job of pinpointing leaks. 

This means leak detection teams could 

be spending valuable time and money 

trying to identify leaks in the wrong 

place.” 

Ben Crabtree, Ovarro’s product 

line director for analytics, added, 

“LeakNavigator solves this challenge 

by taking complete ownership of 

the data analysis and leak detection 

process, working in collaboration with 

water companies, with results-driven 

accountability. 

“This consultative approach is already 

enhancing performance of acoustic 

fixed networks, including high accuracy 

POIs, high operability and good 

conversion rates. These outcomes are 

allowing leakage teams to focus their 

attention on fixing, not monitoring, the 

problem, which will help them achieve 

their leakage targets and ultimately 

secure future water supplies.” 

The LeakNavigator package uses 

acoustic loggers from the Enigma 

range, which are installed following 

an assessment of a water company’s 

district metered area (DMA), 

undertaken by Ovarro’s leakage 

analysts. This process establishes 

suitable equipment to install, the unit 

numbers required and the locations for 

optimum efficiency. 

Once the loggers are in operation, 

Ovarro’s teams undertake ongoing 

data analysis, sending POIs directly 

to water company field technicians 

via a mobile app. The captured data, 

which also supports maintenance 

targeting, is processed and presented 

to customers in a dashboard. 

Smart approaches to leakage 

detection are expected by regulator 

Ofwat, which said in its price review 

2024 (PR24) final methodology, 

published on 13 Dec 2022: “Innovation 

will be key. On leakage, for example, 

companies will be rewarded if they can 

set and deliver aggressive reductions. 

We expect companies to embrace the 

opportunities to improve performance 

through smart technology and better 

use of data.” 

Hawkridge said: “As-a-service models 

are now being embraced by the water 

sector, with companies finally moving 

away from legacy systems. Allowing 

specialists to take the lead enables 

water companies to focus attention 

on their customer, shareholders and 

regulator commitments far more 

effectively.” 

Ovarro’s CTO, 

Matthew Hawkridge 


SNEAK PEEK 

OVERCOMING GLOBAL 

INDUSTRY CHALLENGES: 

Water Philippines 2023 

Water Philippines is an international water supply, sanitation, industrial 

wastewater treatment, and purification event. After its two-year hiatus, the 

Philippines’ water technology B2B event is set to take its comeback on 22-24 Mar 

2023 at SMX Convention Centre, Pasay city, Metro Manila, Philippines. 

The conference will hold discussions with water industry professionals about water 

challenges and solutions in the Philippines and across South East Asia 

Water Philippines gives a platform for greater cooperation between the 

Philippines and the international water community 

Now in its sixth edition, the event 

aims to bring water and wastewater 

industry professionals and 

specialists in one venue to discuss 

the emerging concerns of all sectors 

of the water industry. With over 300 

exhibiting brands and companies 

from seven participating countries, 

Water Philippines is expected to 

gather over 10,000 trade visitors 

from 36 different countries within the 

three-day event, co-locating with 

PhilEnergy. Both events will highlight 

water and energy technologies, 

innovations, and solutions in an 

expanded four-hall exhibition area. 

This serves as a business platform for 

trade professionals, decision-makers, 

business owners, and government 

representatives from different parts of 

the globe to network, discuss solutions 

and create business opportunities. 

Water Philippines is supported by 

Philippine Water Works (PWWA), 

the Philippine Society of Sanitary 

Engineers (PSSE), and the 

Philippine Integrated Society of 

Master Plumbers (PISMAP). PWWA 

conference will cover the theme of 

‘Overcoming Global Challenges 

in Water and Wastewater’, with 

the goal of strengthening water 

security in the Philippines. More 

than 50 technical seminars from 

these exhibiting companies will 

showcase presentations on 

their products, technologies and 

innovation. 


WHAT’S NEXT 

EVENTS CALENDAR 


MARCH 

21 – 23 Mar 

Water Korea 2023 

Seoul, South Korea 

22 – 24 Mar 

Water Philippines 

Manila, Philippines 

APRIL 

18 – 20 Apr 

WQA Convention & Exposition 

Las Vegas, USA 

19 – 21 Apr 

IE Expo 

Shanghai, China 

MAY 

8 – 10 May 

Global Water Summit 

Berlin, Germany 

10 – 12 May 

OzWater 

Sydney, Australia 

JUNE 

4 – 6 Jun 

Singapore International Water 

Week (SIWW) Spotlight 2023 

Singapore 

5 – 7 Jun 

Aquatech China 

Shanghai, China 

28 – 30 Jun 

IE Expo Chengdu 

Chengdu, China 

JULY 

5 – 7 Jul 

IndoWater Expo & Forum 

Jakarta, Indonesia 

AUGUST 

30 Aug – 1 Sep 

ThaiWater 

Bangkok, Thailand 

30 Aug – 1 Sep 

Pumps & Valves Asia 

Bangkok, Thailand 

SEPTEMBER 

14 – 16 Sep 

Water & Wastewater Expo 

Binh Duong, Vietnam 

OCTOBER 

11 – 13 Oct 

VietWater 

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam 

NOVEMBER 

14 – 16 Nov 

Enlit Asia 

Jakarta, Indonesia 

2024 

JANUARY 

25 – 28 Jan 

WWETT 

Indiana, USA 

31 Jan - 2 Feb 

Interaqua 2024 

Tokyo, Japan 

FEBRUARY 

20 – 21 Feb 

World Water-Tech Innovation 

Summit 

London, UK 

APRIL 

16 – 18 Apr 

World Future Energy Summit 

Abu Dhabi, UAE 

MAY 

13 – 17 May 

IFAT Munich 

Munich, Germany 

18 – 24 May 

10th World Water Forum 

Bali, Indonesia 

JUNE 

10 – 14 Jun 

ACHEMA 

Frankfurt, Germany 

18 – 22 Jun 

SIWW 

Singapore 


ADVERTISERS’ INDEX 

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS 

ADVERTISER 

PAGE 

CLA-VAL 9 

ENERGY RECOVERY 47 

GUANGDONG LIANSU TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD 

OBC 

HARBIN FIRSTLINE ENVIRONMENT TECHNOLOGY CO.,LTD 57 

INDOWATER 2023 27 

LACROIX SOFREL 51 

SEKO UK LTD 1 

TSURUMI SINGAPORE PTE LTD 7 

VEGA INSTRUMENTS (SEA) PTE LTD 

IBC 

WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA’S HOUSE AD 64 

WATER & WASTEWATER EXPO 

IFC 

WATER PHILIPPINES 5 

FOLLOW US 

@waterwastewaterasia 


VEGA Instruments (SEA) Pte Ltd 

25 International Business Park 

#04-52 German Centre, Singapore 609916 

Tel: +65 65640531 Fax: +65 65675213 

email: sales.sg@vega.com Website: https://www.vega.com/en-sg

Water & Wastewater Asia March/April 2023

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?