SIWW Spawns a New Company, Connections, Research
Participants at Singapore's International Water Week (SIWW) conference and exhibition on June 22-26 took the opportunity to launch a new company, review achievements, sign a research memorandum, and award a scholarship, among other things.
North Holland Water Supply Launches PWN Technologies
PWN, the water supply utility for North Holland, on June 21 launched a new international company to make its technology, operational expertise, and advanced water treatment solution designs available to water companies all over the world for the provision of pure, clean water.
PWN has provided technology and services beyond its native Holland in many other European countries, as well as in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, also providing emergency water services following catastrophes like the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.
The company has nurtured strong partnerships with renowned companies in the water sector like Trojan for UV applications, Metawater on the membrane front, and Black & Veatch. Black & Veatch has partnered with PWN on a number of leading-edge projects worldwide, including Singapore, Brisbane and Minneapolis. It is giving strategic advice on the set-up of the new company, and also works with PWN technologists in the development of ceramic membranes.
From highly advanced individual components to fully packaged turnkey units, PWN Technologies offers a full range of treatment options for drinking water and industrial water supply. PWN Technologies have been tried and tested at full scale in the company's own treatment facilities.
"We are confident that there will be a lot of demand in the marketplace for PWN expertise", said Pieter Spohr, the new company's chief executive officer. "Our technologies address some of the most pressing needs in both developed and developing countries when it comes to providing safe, pure water. They are scalable, easy to operate, have a small footprint, and consume very low amounts of energy and other finite resources."
Norit Underlines Its Connection
Norit is extending its Asia Pacific operations in Singapore to underline its indefinite connection with the region.
Norit Nijhuis supplied seven vertical pumps for the pumping station of the Marina Barrage in Singapore.
Norit X-Flow will be supplying ultrafiltration membranes in combination with standardized UF skids to the Doha North Sewage Treatment Works Project in Qatar. The company received the order from Keppel Seghers, a member of the Infrastructure Division of Keppel Corporation.
The Doha project will be the largest UF-based wastewater reuse project in the world. The new facility will produce high quality water, meeting the 4-log virus removal level, which meets the highest public safety standard.
Siemens Highlights R&D Products, Activities
Siemens Water Technologies featured new product line additions, a result of recent R&D efforts, which expand the company's water, wastewater, and high purity product portfolio in the oil and gas, municipal, and industrial markets:
- Siemens polishing reverse osmosis (RO) water treatment system;
- IonRight system for high-purity water and the new Ionpure VNX-HH lectrodeionization (EDI) module; and
- Totally Integrated Automation solution concept designed to enhance productivity, flexibility, and efficiency throughout the entire water plant and production lifecycle.
The company also featured some of its key installations in the region, including the Changi Water Reclamation and Changi NEWater plants, which were started up in various phases during the last several weeks. "Our activities on the Changi plants with Singapore's PUB, as well as Sembcorp, illustrate the latest in technology and sustainable water treatment solutions," said Chuck Gordon, president and chief executive officer of the company.
The Changi Water Reclamation Plant, part of Singapore's Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS), begins operation this month. The Water Reclamation Plant, which treats water for discharge to the environment or as feed for Singapore's NEWater plants, is the cornerstone of the first phase of the DTSS. This facility features odor control and primary and secondary wastewater treatment equipment from Siemens Water Technologies. The multi-stage scrubber equipment controls odors at the influent pumping station. Siemens provided nearly 50,000 Dual Air fine bubble and Wide Band coarse bubble diffuser systems to aerate wastewater for secondary treatment. Siemens also provided 484 chain and scraper mechanisms for 48 stacked clarifiers, which treat the wastewater to high quality with a reduced footprint. The plant helps reclaim more than 800,000 m3/day of wastewater.
The Changi NEWater Plant, located on top of the Changi Water Reclamation Plant, started up its first phase in May with a production capacity of 69,000 m3/day; the total production capacity will be 228,000 m3/day when the plant is completed in May 2010. Siemens Water Technologies supplied seven Memcor CP membrane filtration systems for the NEWater plant. The footprint and weight were critical to the overall design of the membrane filtration systems, since they had to be installed on the roof of the existing Changi Water Reclamation Plant. Long-term operating costs and energy efficiency were also key considerations for Sembcorp, the plant operator.
Parties Sign MOU for Membrane Separation Research
Dutch Technology Foundation (STW) and Hyflux Limited signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly fund and execute an STW Research Partnership Program on advanced membrane separation technologies.
The MOU was signed by Hyflux Group Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer Sam Ong and the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) Area Director Linnie MacKenzie on behalf of STW. The MOU was signed during a media event and witnessed by Hyflux's Group Chief Executive Officer Olivia Lum and PUB Singapore Chief Executive Mr Khoo Teng Chye.
The program aims to stimulate more effective cooperation between academia and industry to create technological breakthroughs in inorganic membrane separation technologies that can accommodate applications with extreme temperatures, pressures, and pH values. The program's broad direction will be set with industry input, and universities will be invited to submit doctorate and post-doctorate proposals in an open tender. These proposals will be jointly evaluated by qualified representatives of STW and Hyflux. Work will be carried out on selected proposals in both university and industrial laboratories in a practical environment under the guidance of university professors and industry staff. The first collaboration of its kind for Hyflux, the Program is expected to draw the best academic researchers in the Netherlands.
Administered by a team made up of representatives from a cluster of Dutch universities, Hyflux's inorganic membrane R&D and technology commercialization teams, the program is expected to last between two to four years. The budget of EUR 3 million will be co-funded equally by STW and Hyflux.
CH2M Hill Awards Engineering Scholarship
CH2M Hill awarded a scholarship to Kenneth Quah Jin Hui for the pursuit of a master's degree in environmental engineering at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). He will participate in the NEWRI Environmental MS (NEMS) Program, a 12-month full-time course comprising of a summer term (9 weeks) at Stanford and the remaining duration at NTU.
The comprehensive scholarship covers full-time course fees, a monthly stipend and on-the-job training with the firm during term breaks, for a year. On successful completion of the master's degree program, the scholarship winner will fulfill two-years of employment with CH2M Hill.
'By helping a qualified student earn his or her master's in environmental engineering, as well as by providing real-life experience at the company, CH2M Hill can help protect and preserve the environment further and encourage young engineers to do the same," said Bob Baily, business group president
CH2M Hill's Singapore office serves as the company's ASEAN and India regional headquarters. Some of the projects the company has been involved in are the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System, the Changi Water Reclamation Plant, four NEWater plants, the Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Waters Program, as well as the PowerSeraya Seawater Reverse Osmosis plant.
GE and NUS Launch Water Technology Center
Executives from GE and the National University of Singapore (NUS) celebrated the opening of the new NUS-GE Singapore Water Technology Center.
The two companies are investing US$100 million (SGD$15 million) in the center, which will develop technologies and solutions to meet the demand from customers in various industry segments, including power generation.
The center will house GE scientists and engineers who will develop new solutions for low-energy seawater desalination, water reclamation, and more efficient water reuse.
The focus of the center will be on solving some of the most pertinent water challenges, including alleviating the increasing water stress found in many parts of the world, including regions in China, India, and the Middle East.