- NeWater Facility in Singapore
The Singapore Water Reclamation Study (NEWater Study) was initiated in 1998 as a joint initiative between the Public Utilities Board (PUB) and the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR). The primary objective of the joint initiative was to determine the suitability of using NEWater as a source of raw water to supplement Singapore’s water supply. NEWater is treated used water that has undergone stringent purification and treatment process using advanced dual-membrane (microfiltration and reverse osmosis) and ultraviolet technologies. NEWater could be mixed and blended with reservoir water and then undergo conventional water treatment to produce drinking water (a procedure known as Planned Indirect Potable Use or Planned IPU).
Planned IPU as a source of water supply is not new. It has been practised in several parts of the United States for more than 20 years. At Water Factory 21, Orange County Water District, Southern California, high quality water reclaimed from treated used water has been injected into ground water since 1976.. [more...]
Water reclamation is a growing trend in the U.S. and around the world. In the U.S., there are several other water reclamation projects that are now being planned or under construction. Two of them are at Gwinnett near Atlanta, Georgia and at Scottsdale near Phoenix, Arizona.
Bottled for consumption
In 2001, PUB embarked on a new initiatives to increase water supply from unconventional sources for non-potable use. The use of NEWater for wafer fabrication processes, non-potable applications in manufacturing processes as well as air-con cooling towers in commercial buildings would free large amount of potable water for other potable purposes.
The reuse of treated used water is not new. In countries with long river systems, upstream communities use the water and discharge the used water after treatment back into the river. Successive downstream communities then reuse the water several times, before the river finally flows into the sea. Until recently, the constraint to greater recycling was cost. This is falling rapidly. New technology is producing superior filters and membranes, and this is significantly reducing the cost of microfiltration and reverse osmosis. It has become economically attractive to recycle used water on a large scale.
NEWater is supplied mainly for non-potable industrial and commercial uses in wafer fabrication plants, electronics factories and power generation plants. It is also used in the air-conditioning cooling systems of commercial and institutional complexes. In addition, NEWater supplements Singapore’s potable water supply via IPU. In February 2003, PUB started pumping 2mgd of NEWater into reservoirs for indirect potable use. It aims to increase this progressively to 10mgd or an estimated 2.5% of total potable water consumption by 2011. [more...]
OPPORTUNITY
This technology could be transferred to the Global South where clean drinking water is in shortage. And as a developed country, Singapore could take leadership in bringing clean drinking water to these countries which at the same time benefits Singapore’s image and influence with this use of soft power.
Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_transfer
http://www.pub.gov.sg/newater/Pages/default.aspx
http://coolinsights.blogspot.com/2007/05/newaters-nice-and-neat.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEWater
