Water & Wastewater Asia I N C O R P O R AT I N G T H E O F F I C I A L N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E S I N G A P O R E WAT E R A S S O C I AT I O N
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020
Water for Dragons Solving Water Challenges From IT to OT, and navigating the in-between “Wrap, trap and zap” kills superbugs in wastewater
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Mining needs clean water such as groundwater. In water-scarce areas, this is a challenge. The Quebrodo Blanca mine is in the Atacama desert, one of the driest places in the world. To use the Pacific Ocean as a water source to save local groundwater for human use, a 765-kilometer water supply pipeline is built to connect
the mine with the company's port, which hosts a desalination plant. For this ambitious task, it needs reliable technology. ANDRITZ supplied pro cess pumps and centrifuges for brine treatment mode of specially resistant duplex steel to ensure highest effi ciencies, a long service life and, highly economic plant operation.
ENGINEERED SUCCESS ANDRITZ AG/ p: +43 316 6902-2509 / pumps@ondritz.com / ondritz.com/pumps
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8 CONTENTS 04
Editor’s Note
53
SWA Newsletter
63
What’s Next?
64
Index of Advertisers
5 MINUTES WITH 14
Solving water challenges
18
From strength to strength
IN THE FIELD
22
22
Water for dragons
24
Rural villages in Bankura to receive 100% water supply with new bulk water supply scheme
28
Non-Revenue Water: A case study of Dhaka’s water supply system
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
58
61
49
ON OUR RADAR
FOCUS 31
What is activated carbon filtration?
33
Israel leads world in water recycling
36
Harnessing the power of data to solve global water challenges
VIEWPOINT 40
Can Singapore’s NEWater spark a wastewater revolution in China?
44
Nine dragons rule the waters: Closing the loop on China’s water pollution
57
New Linko Cloud Service for streamlining FOG management & compliance
58
“Wrap, trap and zap” kills superbugs in wastewater
59
ABB’s new analytics and AI software optimise operations in demanding market conditions
60
Syrinix launches next-generation pipeline network analysis platform
61
SNEAK PEEK
HOTSEAT 49
From IT to OT, and navigating the in-between
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
FROM THE EDITOR
Standing as one At Water & Wastewater Asia, we’re hitting our fifth month in working from home while the world continues to grapple with the pandemic. In this new normal, we strive to strike a balance between work and play along with juggling personal challenges such as taking care of a toddler! In this issue, we explore how organisations in the water and wastewater industry strike a balance in taking on COVID-19 while providing clean and safe water to residentials and commercials.
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY PABLO SINGAPORE Publisher
Senior Editor
In Dhaka, Bangladesh, growth trend shows that the population will grow from 12.5 million to 25 million by 2025 (p.28). Hence, there is an urgent need to alleviate pressure on the existing aquifer and explore more suitable or sustainable sources to supplement the current water supply. For example, demand management is an important concept for water supplies in any large city to assist in optimising the use of scarce water resource. With Cla-Val an expert in this area, the company was tapped on to develop positive savings in water loss and pipe break frequency.
Pang Yanrong yanrong@pabloasia.com
Assistant Editor
Natalie Chew natalie@pabloasia.com
Business Development Manager
YanJun Pang yanjun@pabloasia.com
Graphic Designer
Edwin De Souza edwin@pabloasia.com
PANG YANRONG Senior Editor
For instance, in Bankura, India, its existing water network consisted of asbestos cement pipes that had a long history of leaks and repairs (p.24). Bentley software was utilised to design water distribution network and improve the water conditions in rural Bankura.
William Pang williampang@pabloasia.com
Circulation Manager
PABLO BEIJING General Manager
PABLO SHANGHAI Editor
Shu Ai Ling circulation@pabloasia.com
Ellen Gao pablobeijing@163.com
Sharon Wu pabloshanghai@163.net
For the Komodo National Park in Indonesia, water supply comes through a water tank coming in from the mainland, which led to high cost and complicated logistics. Hence, OSMOSUN® desalination was brought in as the first seawater solar desalination installation without battery in the island of Papagarang. This allows better access to drinking water at more affordable price.
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 www.waterwastewaterasia.com
And there’s DuPont, a global leader in sustainable separation and purification technology. In 2019, the company completed four acquisitions to increase access to products and technologies needed to meet global customers’ current and future water and wastewater challenges. The acquisitions now see the company extending a helping hand to local hospitals and providing them with the needed gears to stay safe.
Company Registration No: 200001473N Singapore MICA (P) No: 073/09/2020
Year 2020 has been a tough ride. But by staying together as one, we’ll be able to overcome the challenges that are set before us. Cheers,
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
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Water & Wastewater Asia is the official publication of the Singapore Water Association
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
July / August 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
6 THE NEWS
Painting with bacteria could revolutionise wastewater treatment RESEARCHERS from the University of Surrey investigated and improved the properties of biocoatings, which consist of a polymeric layer that encapsulate bacteria. When inside the coating, the bacteria do not grow or divide, but they can still perform useful functions, such as absorbing toxins or carbon dioxide. Although other researchers have previously manufactured biocoatings, the bacteria did not stay alive for long, which limited their use. It is necessary for biocoatings to have a permeable structure to allow water and nutrients to enter and keep the bacteria alive, and to allow byproducts to escape. To improve the eectiveness of using bacteria in the field of waste management and in the production of biomass and biofuel gases, the Surrey researchers
sought to resolve the issue of permeability in biocoatings, key to the survival of the bacteria within. They used halloysite, which consists of natural low-cost and microscopic tubes of clay, previously used as a reinforcement for plastic materials. The tiny halloysite tubes created channels in the biocoating to raise the permeability. Using a specially adapted resazurin reduction assay, the researchers found that bacteria encapsulated in halloysite biocoatings were statistically more likely to stay viable compared to bacteria in the ordinary biocoatings. They determined that a coating made up of 29% halloysite had the best combination of good mechanical strength and high permeability.
Importantly, fluorescence microscopy determined that the bacteria remained viable and metabolically active for extended periods of time. In the future, viable bacteria could be used to clean polluted water by removing harmful chemicals. This research was funded by a Research Project Grant from The Leverhulme Trust. The research was conducted by Dr Phil Chen (University of Surrey), Simone Krings (University of Surrey) and in collaboration with Joshua Booth (University of Warwick) and Professor Stefan Bon (University of Warwick). WWA
Photo credit: Getty Images
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
THE NEWS 7
SUEZ acquires Lanxess reverse osmosis membrane portfolio SUEZ has signed an agreement to purchase the Reverse Osmosis (RO) membrane portfolio from specialty chemical company LANXESS. The membrane will become part of the company’s Water Technologies & Solutions product portfolio and further enhances the business’ ability to help customers address water treatment challenges. The acquisition falls in line with SUEZ’s strategy to grow and invest in the industrial water market. The deal will allow the company to deploy complementary RO technology in adjacent and growing sectors, and to increase global production of membranes.
raw materials, and production facility located in Bitterfeld, Germany, along with the expected transition of its channel distributors and production employees directly connected to the membrane line. Yuvbir Singh, CEO of Water Technologies & Solutions BU, said, “As customers today expand their need for brackish water membranes, this RO product line allows us to quickly and effectively expand our product portfolio to meet that need. The Lanxess RO membrane portfolio is very complementary to our existing RO offering. We are very excited to bring this membrane to our customers and grow in new ways around the world.” The agreement to purchase the Lanxess RO product line includes the membranes,
With this acquisition, SUEZ will: • scale up its RO product solutions to meet broader and emerging water treatment needs, • expand its international RO membrane production capabilities and expertise to help meet growing global demand, and • grow its customer base with new channel partner distributor relationships. The deal is expected to be completed in the coming months, following consultation with the relevant workers’ council. WWA
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
8 THE NEWS
PUB’s Choa Chu Kang Waterworks is Global Water Awards 2020 ‘Water Project of the Year’ NATIONAL water agency PUB’s newly upgraded Choa Chu Kang Waterworks (CCKWW) that houses the largest ceramic membrane system in the world has been named ‘Water Project of the Year’ at the Global Water Awards 2020, a year after its opening in August 2019. This adds another feather to the cap and is a testament to PUB’s commitment to continuous innovation and technology adoption. This is PUB’s third consecutive win at the prestigious annual Global Water Awards, established by Global Water Intelligence (GWI) since 2006. In 2019, PUB-owned Tuas Desalination Plant was conferred ‘Desalination Plant of the Year’; and Ulu Pandan Wastewater Treatment Demonstration Plant was named ‘Water/ Wastewater Project of the Year’ in 2018. This year’s results were announced online. The Global Water Awards recognise the most important achievements in the water industry and honour initiatives and companies in the water, wastewater and desalination sectors that are moving the industry forward through improved operating performance, innovative technology adoption and sustainable financial models. The ‘Water Project of the Year’ Award recognises projects deploying innovative technology to optimise its physical or environmental footprint. The three other nominees in the category are: Montevina Water Treatment Plant Upgrade in USA, Putatan 2 Drinking Water Plant in the Philippines, and the Tai Po Water Treatment Works Expansion in Hong Kong.
Photo credited to PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency
upgrade in 2016 to enhance the robustness of its water treatment processes by deploying cutting-edge ceramic membrane technology. The upgraded plant comprises a large scale 40mgd ceramic membrane system, with ozone-biological activated (Ozone-BAC) carbon filters added to strengthen the disinfection and treatment process. With this system in place, the plant can carry out advanced treatment of raw water and better able to tackle the negative effects of climate change and an increasingly urbanised catchment on our raw water quality.
SINGAPORE’S MOST ADVANCED WATER TREATMENT FACILITY
Ceramic membranes are more energyefficient while occupying a smaller footprint. They are also more cost-efficient with a longer lifespan of 20 years as compared to polymeric membranes, which have to be replaced about every five years. Most importantly, water loss is reduced significantly from 5% to 1% with the use of ceramic membranes.
CCKWW, built in two phases in 1975 and 1981, is one of Singapore’s oldest water treatment plants and the second largest with a total capacity of up to 80 million gallons per day (mgd), enough to fill about 145 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The plant underwent an extensive three-year
“Our challenge in Singapore is to treat economically, to drinking water standards, the runoff in what we believe is the most urbanised catchment in the world. The deployment of ceramic membranes in Choa Chu Kang Waterworks, at scale and
currently the largest in the world, makes this almost a breeze. The success of ceramic membranes and other advanced treatment technologies in CCKWW are, of course, the result of years of trial and research. We are happy to have helped push the envelope in water treatment and are most grateful for the recognition,” said Mr Ng Joo Hee, chief executive, PUB. “The Global Water Awards recognise the most important achievements in the international water industry, and reward those initiatives in the water, wastewater and desalination sectors that are moving the industry forward. I would like to congratulate Singapore’s Choa Chu Kang Waterworks, winner of the ‘Water Project of the Year 2020’ – for ushering in a new era for water treatment as the largest ceramic membrane treatment facility in the world. This is testament to Singapore’s unrelenting efforts for greater resource optimisation in its small island-state, and PUB’s continuous R&D efforts to optimise both the physical and environmental footprint of its facilities in the most cost-efficient manner,” said Mr Christopher Gasson, publisher of Global Water Intelligence. WWA
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
THE NEWS 9
Vietwater 2020 postponed, announces new dates INFORMA MARKETS in Vietnam has announced the organisation’s decision to reschedule Vietwater 2020. The exhibition and trade show was due to take place in November this year, but has been pushed back to 10-12 November 2021 at the Saigon Exhibition and Conference Center (SECC). In a statement released to the media, Informa Markets said, “We believe the new dates will allow more time for normality and confidence to return to the marketplace and provide all-around better conditions for exhibitors and visitors to engage.
and qualified trade buyers to make event participation a huge success.
Our sole focus remains to provide an event of enhanced quality, with more exhibitors
In the meantime, we will be launching additional communications and digital
opportunities to engage Vietnam’s water supply, wastewater and environment industry, and to keep the industry up to date leading up to our 2021 event date.” WWA
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
10 THE NEWS
The original Chopper Pump is here to stay He continued, “We have also used these units on overseas projects in hot climates to handle aeration, anoxic tanks and sewage. There have been no problems, despite ambient temperatures that are consistently above 40oC. The AirJets also help reduce odour issues by keeping the tanks fresh during the near 24/7 operation”.
IN 1950, Landia’s Christian Oelgaard invented the Chopper Pump. Seventy years on, the design principle has remained unchanged; a unique external cutting (knife) system at the inlet that stops the Landia Chopper Pump from becoming blocked. Originally created to chop straw in liquid animal manure that often causes stoppages and problems, the Landia Chopper Pump has since been installed worldwide – typically in those hard-to-handle applications where solids bring less sturdier pumps to a halt. One of those very successful overseas installations has been for the aeration and wastewater system at a major poultry processor in Saudi Arabia. With the addition of a venturi nozzle, the Landia Chopper Pump becomes the AirJet aerator - serving an effluent treatment plant utilising MBR technology that treats wastewater from the poultry and rendering plants (c. 6,000m3/ day). Made with cast iron casings, plus stainless-steel impellers and shafts, the AirJets keep wastewater aerated and mixed in two 800m3 balance tanks prior to Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF). In the two 130m3 DAF sludge tanks, AirJets keep the tanks’ contents fresh and homogenised prior to further treatment by a tricanter centrifuge.
Much closer to home in Cornwall, Landia AirJets were also introduced during the upgrade of Dairy Crest’s wastewater treatment process in Davidstow, home to the much-loved cheddar.
Landia Chopper Pumps in Saudi Arabia
AirJets are also utilised for two 150m3 biological sludge tanks, aerating and mixing to provide homogenous composition to sludge dewatering equipment. Furthermore, AirJets are also installed in anoxic tanks for mixing purposes, as well as in the sewage treatment plant. The upgrade for this processor in Saudi has been managed by MSA Environmental, a leading independent environmental consultancy based in Wiltshire that operates within the food, drink and dairy sectors. Jerad O’Pray, director at MSA Environmental, commented, “Not for the first time, the Landia Chopper Pump (here in the form of its AirJet model) has delivered very good performance, as well being extremely robust and reliable. To suit the size of the large balance tanks (2 x 800m3) at the poultry processor, we specified 18.5 kW AirJets as part of our design, whilst 7.5kW motors were best suited elsewhere throughout the plant”.
70 years on and always easy to service - the Landia Chopper Pump
He added, “With our detailed engineering and process design experience we always look to provide our clients with the best possible solutions for the long-term. Landia equipment is a proven piece of kit that we have no hesitation in specifying. Importantly, we always get good back-up from Landia too. They are always keen to hear that their Chopper Pumps are working well and that the customer is happy.”
Initially, four stainless steel AirJets were installed in balance tanks that required thorough mixing. Simon Merchant, Manager for the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WwTP) said, “We first rented a submersible Landia AirJet to put it through its paces and help minimise odour potential in our balancing tank. It proved itself for being robust, reliable and effective. We needed top quality, long lasting equipment with low maintenance. Some major modifications to our balance tank were undertaken, which included the addition of externally-mounted Landia AirJet units. These have been operational for four months, and the early signs are very positive with improved dissolved oxygen levels, reduced H2S levels – and much lower noise levels. In addition, they have proved to be very reliable so far”. In this remarkable 70th anniversary year of the Landia Chopper Pump, its staying power has also been recognised by Cheshire-based FLI CAP Technology, who design and deliver a comprehensive range of process technologies for wastewater treatment. External 11kW Landia AirJets have recently been specified by FLI CAP Technology for two balance tanks (1150m3 and 1800m3) as part of an upgrade to a food factory’s effluent plant. For two rectangular tanks (both 200m3), submersible units from Landia will provide mixing. These 4kW 1000rpm mixers are ideal for smaller tanks. John Hampson, director at FLI CAP Technology, said, “We are not tied to particular makes of equipment or systems, so for the many turnkey projects we work on, we bring the most suitable, cost-effective process to our customers for the long term. For their reliability, performance and longevity, we have always found that pumps, mixers and aerators from Landia work extremely well”. WWA
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
THE NEWS 11
Japanese team wins Stockholm Junior Water Prize 2020 HIROKI MATSUHASHI and TAKUMA MIYAKI from Japan have received the prestigious 2020 Stockholm Junior Water Prize for their innovation to prevent soil erosion. HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden announced the winners during an online award ceremony as part of World Water Week At Home on 25 August. The Stockholm Junior Water Prize is an international competition where students between 15 and 20 present solutions to major water challenges. Hiroki Matsuhashi and Takuma Miyaki have developed a method to control soil runoff and increase food production, using the traditional Japanese soil solidification technology Tataki. “This system is made of only inexpensive natural materials, so it is cheap and eco-friendly. We would like to spread this system to the world and solve water and food problems,” the duo said in a filmed presentation of their project.
The Jury noted, “This year’s winners have proven that simple local solutions can solve water problems in a global context. Through systematic studies the contestants have developed methods to make water conservation and soil management more
achievable. The contestants effectively combined scientific knowledge and experimentation to revolutionise the way water is collected, used, and conserved for agriculture in arid regions.” WWA
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
12 THE NEWS
DuPont Water Solutions launches FilmTec™ Residential Reverse Osmosis Elements on Amazon India DUPONT WATER SOLUTIONS, a business unit of DuPont Safety & Construction, launched FilmTec™ residential reverse osmosis (RO) elements on Amazon in partnership with Onsitego. Onsitego offers an annual maintenance contract (AMC) plan for water purifiers which comes with a service kit consisting of FilmTec™ RO membranes from DuPont and filters from other reputed companies. Customers who buy Onsitego’s water purifier AMC service will receive FilmTec™ RO elements which will be shipped directly to the customer’s residence and an Onsitego engineer will install or replace the RO membrane. The AMC plans are also available at Croma, an Indian retail chain for consumer electronics, and on the Onsitego website, With more than 30 years of experience in water treatment and a proven track record of performance and reliability, DuPont™ FilmTec™ are preferred RO elements for home water treatment systems—and a brand name homeowners count on when it comes to water quality for their families. Onsitego has partnered with DuPont to help make water safer for consumption across Indian households.
FILMTEC™ RESIDENTIAL RO ELEMENTS Homeowners demand clean drinking water — and safe drinking water — that tastes good and can be used for cooking and bathing. Tap water, however, may contain contaminants, such as pesticides and fungicides used in agriculture, organic solvents, trace pharmaceuticals, and heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, and mercury. Reverse osmosis (RO) is among the most effective technologies for removing contaminants and disease-causing bacteria and viruses from drinking water.
Made in the USA and NSF-certified, FilmTec™ RO Elements undergo worldclass quality and process checks to ensure they last longer and operate reliably. Speaking about the partnership, Nanette Hermsen, global marketing director at DuPont Water Solutions said, “It gives us immense gratification to launch FilmTec™ elements in AMC kits online in a strategic partnership with Onsitego today for India consumers. the DuPont FilmTec™ RO brand represents a strong combination of the DuPont brand promise and a 40-year legacy of innovation and technological advancement. India consumers have shown a strong inclination towards highquality products and services, which is why we are very confident about partnering with Onsitego, with their excellent service standards and presence across e-commerce platforms and modern trade stores like Croma and Vijay Sales. With this partnership, RO water purifier owners
can enjoy high-quality products with great service delivered to their doorstep.” DuPont Water Solutions India Business Leader Chrys Fernandes said, “As part of our commitment to help make water safer and more accessible for communities and homes around the world, we are excited about this collaboration. In India, this collaboration gives homeowners the opportunity to experience our trusted and innovative water purification technologies along with Onsitego’s hassle-free and reliable post-purchase services.” WWA
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
THE NEWS 13
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
14 5 MINUTES WITH
Solving water challenges DuPont Water Solutions is a global leader in sustainable separation and purification technology. The company recently completed four acquisitions to increase access to products and technologies needed to meet global customers’ current and future water and wastewater challenges. By Pang Yanrong
I
n 2019, DuPont Water Solutions (DWS) completed the acquisitions of Desalitech, inge GmbH, Memcor®, and OxyMem Limited; adding to its leading portfolio of water purification and separation technologies, including ultrafiltration (UF), reverse osmosis (RO) and ion exchange resins.
Dominic Wang, Regional Commercial Director, Pacific region, DuPont Water Solutions
• inge GmbH: the industry-leading, multibore PES ultrafiltration (UF) technology which complements DWS’ high-flow PVDF membrane technology.
• Memcor® broadens DWS’ solutions membrane bioreactors (MBR), submerged and pressurised UF systems, and other new applications. • Desalitech: the CCRO technology addresses the increasing needs for high water recovery in core market segments such as food and beverage, municipal, microelectronics, power and others. The addition of this technology helps to further reduce the life cycle cost of water, delivering more than 95% recovery and making it easy for end users to operate in small- to
Photo credit: Will Swann
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
5 MINUTES WITH 15 medium-sized systems in industrial and decentralised settings. • OxyMem: advanced membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) technology for the treatment and purification of municipal and industrial wastewater, which bring secondary wastewater treatment to the next level with energy savings and smaller footprints. The four acquisitions aligned DWS’ strategy to be the leading supplier of water technologies while serving the evolving needs of their global customers. With the addition of inge and Memcor portfolios, DWS becomes the leading UF supplier across multiple market segments such as residential, industrial, utility, wastewater and other specialty solutions. And with CCRO from Desalitech, DWS is able to provide customers with options and flexibility to solve water scarcity and purification challenges. Adding the emerging technologies from OxyMem, the company can better support customers who are looking to reduce footprint and energy requirements for secondary wastewater treatment. “Our goal is to increase access to water and wastewater treatment products and technologies needed to meet global customers’ current and future challenges, including the increased need to recycle water while reducing the energy requirements to generate clean water.
We are constantly expanding our technology portfolio of high-quality solutions to help our customers purify, conserve and reuse water,” explained Dominic Wang, regional commercial director for the pacific region, DWS. As a global leader in shaping innovative water technologies, DWS is constantly expanding their technology portfolio of high-quality solutions to help customers solve water challenges around the world. The company is committed in ongoing research and development initiatives to invent and innovate water separation with state-of-the-art technologies. This can be seen in their strong partnerships and collaborations with multi-players for projects such as the Petronas RAPID project in Malaysia. It was a successful partnership with various EPCs (Engineer-procureconstructs) and OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) using DuPont water components including resin in centralised utility water, catalyst in chemical process, de-oiling technologies in process water and FilmTecTM reverse osmosis in wastewater; a good testament of MultiTech offer in process and water separation technologies from DWS.
POTENTIAL OF ASIA PACIFIC
As water scarcity is a serious topic in Asia due to population growth, with 60% of the world’s population in the region; climate change; industrial development and rapid urbanisation, this has led to an increasing need for wastewater recycle and reuse.
“We have successful partnerships in many projects related to wastewater reuse in Asia,” explained Wang. “For instance, in the municipal segment, our products are used by Beenyup Advanced Water Recycling Plant in Perth (Australia); and in the textile segment, we actively working with textile manufacturers to reduce treatment cost for ZLD (zero liquid discharge) wastewater treatment as well as introduce MLD (minimal liquid discharge), which is an alternative to ZLD with an objective to minimise cost and maximize recovery.” In fact, according to Wang, the company sees an increasing trend of seawater desalination in municipal as an alternative water source. “Our seawater ROs have a strong proven record in many desalination plants. This includes Australia’s first largescale municipal desalination plant in Perth,” commented Wang. “Since its commissioning in 2006, the plant operates at a recovery of 45% for the first pass seawater RO and 90% for the second pass brackish water RO. The well-maintained membranes have been operating for over 10 years without replacement and has consistently demonstrated excellent operating performance, reliability, and durability.” In the industrial segment for both water and wastewater, he noted that there’s a shift from CAPEX-driven model to OPEX-
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
16 5 MINUTES WITH
driven mindset as end-users tend to optimise their existing infrastructure in terms of performance and process efficiency or execute brownfield projects. For instance, in the power industry, DWS’ ultrafiltration technology has helped yield 20% reduction in operating costs for GNPower in the Philippines. “The end-user is satisfied with the product performance as well as the positive impacts brought by using FilmTecTM IntegraPacTM UF modules,” explained Wang. “Besides gaining the advantage of lower operating costs, their desalination production went up and there was an improvement in their water footprint. The cost of producing electricity for Bataan is also significantly more affordable.”
TACKLING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
As with every industry and business in the world, DuPont had to overcome the challenges that presented from the pandemic. However, DWS managed to continue its operations safely and in line with the regional guideline as an essential business.
DuPont Water Solutions managed to continue its operations safely during the COVID-19 pandemic and in line with the regional guideline as an essential business. Photo credit: Prasesh Shiwakoti
as maintaining an improved supply and providing virtual training opportunities through our Water and Process Academy,” explained Wang.
The company also understands that the world needs abundant, clean, safe water flowing to homes, businesses, and hospitals to reduce the spread of the virus while promoting recovery and maintaining health, especially during these challenging times.
In addition, DWS co-sponsored with a local brand owner in Vietnam to supply drinking water purifiers and personal protective equipment to five local hospitals with an objective to create a positive impact in the communities that have been directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is on top of partnering with Coca-Cola to sponsor water fountains in Hanoi city, which allows the company to draw on their expertise as an industry leader in water separation - providing clean water to the local residents.
“We have worked hard to ensure that our plants stay open with a focus on delivering our commitments and reducing our lead times. We’re committed in helping our customers navigate new challenges and the new normal presented by COVID-19, such
DWS is also the first water brand partner to assist in preventing the spread of COVID-19 in vulnerable communities through the deployment of hand-washing stations, hygiene and sanitation training as well as community health messaging.
Moving beyond the pandemic, the company is a leading player in advocating wastewater recycle and reuse, as well as close the loop for water usage instead of linear approach, which wastewater will eventually dispose away, as it is not sustainable in long run. To do so, this involves a strong collective effort from multidisciplinary players to advocate general awareness of water conservation among the general public along with educating about circular water economy among industries and partners about reusing and recycling wastewater. This can be done through technological shift, which will enable more effective and efficient water and wastewater treatment systems, said Wang. “We aim to work with multi-players, like equipment manufacturers, end users and other value chain partners in a variety of business models and collaboration modes; solving every water challenge, creating shared value and driving superior performance,” expressed Wang. WWA
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
5 MINUTES WITH 17
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
18 5 MINUTES WITH
Gradiant’s ROi solutions suite the way to go By Natalie Chew Prakash Govindan, COO and Co-Founder of Gradiant
Desalination and industrial wastewater treatment company Gradiant is on the up and up - the company recently announced its securing of 12 new projects across the Asia Pacific (APAC). Water and Wastewater Asia sits down with Gradiant COO and Co-Founder Prakash Govindan to discuss the company’s new endeavours and opinions on industry trends.
T
he first half of this year has been a busy time for Gradiant, having secured 12 new projects in the APAC region. For the company, this represents a multi-fold year-on-year growth in the region, boosting Gradiant’s ability to capitalise on Asia Pacific’s water market, worth US$5bn according to data from Global Water Intelligence (GWI). Said Gradiant COO and co-founder Prakash Govindan, “These projects address complex water challenges in pharmaceuticals, infrastructure, power, FMCG, chemicals, textiles and water supply. The projects range from the production of domestic water from rivers to treatment of highcontamination industrial effluent for reuse, including Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) applications. The end-users include Sinochem, Koppers, Kota Super Thermal Power Plant, and other similar resource-and-environmentalfootprint-conscious organisations.”
Delivered under a Build-Own-Operate service approach and equipment sale business model, the 12 projects have a combined value of over US$250m, and are forecasted to deliver annual revenues of approximately US$25m.
Under the Build-Own-Operate model, Gradiant has serviced industrial clients in the USA, with over US$50m invested in wastewater treatment plants. The company has also aided its clients in maximising the potential of their existing water resources.
Govindan explained the Build-Own-Operate approach, “In many cases, sustainable initiatives such as wastewater treatment and recycling are left on the back burner due to investment costs that apparently do not add to the bottom line of the enduser.
Govindan said, “Every drop of domestic water is likely being used two to three times through processes that enable it to be recovered, recycled, and reused. Gradiant is working towards enabling similar standards for industrial water through an innovationled technological approach.
To help firms overcome this inertia, Gradiant offers a Build-Own-Operate approach where they build the necessary infrastructure on behalf of their customers, and operates them as a service provider. Aside from eliminating/reducing the upfront capital required, this approach also allows Gradiant to focus on performance, enabling it to engage in constant innovation to deliver optimal outcomes.”
Many of Gradiant’s solutions were designed with circularity in mind, leveraging a circular economy approach that enables industries to derive resources from wastewater. This not only delivers economic benefits as these resources may be reused in industrial processes, but also reduces or eliminates the overall amount of waste produced. This limits the drain on finite natural resources, shrinking the overall ecological impact.”
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
5 MINUTES WITH 19 INTRODUCING THE ROI SUITE
To meet the region’s growing demand for desalination and water filtration technologies, Gradiant has also consolidated its membrane innovations into an integrated technology suite: RO Infinity (ROi). Govindan said, “ROi allows the solutions suite to be easily identifiable by prospective adopters of the technology, more effectively communicating the value it could bring to an incremental addressable market of US$500m. The solutions suite currently comprises Gradiant’s patented and successful CounterFlow Reverse Osmosis (CFRO™) process, and will be populated with innovative RO and FO techniques that the company is currently developing.” In the CFRO process, a dilute saline solution is introduced to the product side of the membrane to reduce the osmotic pressure barrier and thereby reduce the required feed pressure. Brine is cascaded through multiple CFRO stages, concentrating it to saturation for disposal or crystallisation while producing a purified product water stream for beneficial reuse. Compared to traditional desalination methods, solutions under the ROi solutions suite are better adapted to overcome barriers present in conventional membrane technologies. “For instance, conventional desalination processes tend to result in high brine volumes while legacy thermal brine concentrators are capital and energy intensive,” said Govindan. “Disposed improperly, brine can severely upend marine ecosystems, impacting marine
A look at the CFRO process
ROi will allow the solutions suite to be easily identifiable by prospective adopters of the technology
life and communities that depend on them for survival. ROi solutions are aimed at maximising recovery rates from municipal and industrial wastewater, working towards establishing a new standard for membrane technologies. Capable of operating within a freshwater recovery rate of more than 99%, these solutions can double the amount of freshwater traditionally produced by conventional processes.” According to research from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis’ (IIASA) Water Program, water scarcity is set to increase in 74%-86% of regions in Asia. The same study also found approximately 40% of Asia’s population to be at risk of facing severe water scarcity by 2050. This, explained Govindan, means that alternative water sources such as seawater and wastewater will be increasingly welcome. “To meet this increased scarcity, membrane desalination both at the coast and inland is being implemented without a clear way to deal with the concentrated brine in some cases,” he elaborated. “ROi technologies will reduce and/ or eliminate the concentrated brine by increasing water recovery. Squeezing every last drop out of the membrane desalination plants is an essential part of solving the issue.”
THE BIG PICTURE
Speaking towards the bigger picture, the 12 new projects are telling of trends in the APAC region’s water and wastewater industry. According to a market report by Meticulous Market Research, the global water and wastewater treatment market is estimated to be US$211.3b by 2025, representing a CAGR of 6.5% from 2019. “The bulk of this growth is expected to be driven by the Asia Pacific, home to a wastewater treatment market worth US$5bn,” said Govindan. “This strong growth can mainly be attributed to exponentially increased pressure on finite water resources that is leading to steadily rising demand for water treatment solutions capable of maximise existing water resources. Driven by the impact of climate change, the recent years have also seen an increasing level of awareness and interest in environmental conservation. Regulations to reduce pollution and drive sustainable growth have become more common, as is public-sector investment in water infrastructure. In South East Asia, ASEAN member states have recognised sustainability as being key to long term growth, and is expected to form a core component of post-pandemic recovery plans. We foresee that these factors will collectively drive demand for effective water and wastewater treatment technologies.” However, the significant upfront investment required when it comes to water and wastewater management solutions stands as a major impediment towards more widespread adoption of such technology. Govindan is confident, though, that this is set to change. “Regulations and growing awareness around the economic benefits that modern treatment solutions can bring are gradually moving the needle in a trend that we anticipate will continue in the long term,” he asserted.
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
20 5 MINUTES WITH
Gradiant’s ROi solutions suite comprises of the company’s CFRO process, populated with RO and FO techniques that are under development
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
5 MINUTES WITH 21
And with demand for such technologies only set to rise, Gradiant is expecting rapid expansion into the APAC and Australian regions - especially since the 12 new projects undertaken by the company have a combined value of US$250m, and are forecasted to deliver annual revenues of approximately US$25m. “Today, Gradiant offers a suite of wastewater management solutions designed to meet an extensive range of business requirements,” said Govindan. “A deeply rooted culture of innovation has catalysed the creation of technologies that constantly push boundaries, and are relatively inexpensive in comparison to the competition. These ensure that Gradiant’s solutions remain relevant to evolving business needs. With offices in major Asian markets such as Singapore, India, and China, Gradiant remains well poised to capitalise on the increasing demand and recognition of the economic and socioeconomic value that water treatment technologies can generate.” Govindan has also teased that the APAC region will likely see some of Gradiant’s biggest opportunities for growth, with the team working hard on opportunities “several times the size of the ones recently announced”. “Gradiant is set to become a market leader in the ‘industrial and complex/ customer water treatment’ space over the next few years; our ability to combine innovation with application in the field is a unique advantage over other companies in this space.” WWA
Alternative water sources such as seawater and wastewater will be increasingly welcome, with water scarcity set to increase in 74%-86% of regions in Asia. Photo credit: Akira Hojo
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
22 IN THE FIELD
Water for dragons For the people of Komodo National Park, drinking water is an expensive commodity. With OSMOSUN®, that’s no longer the case.
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he Komodo National Park (Taman Nasional Komodo) is a national park in Indonesia located within the Lesser Sunda Islands in the border region between the provinces of East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara.
The park was founded in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon, and includes the three larger islands: Komodo, Padar and Rinca, as well as 26 smaller ones, giving a total area of 1733km2. In 1991, the national park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and today the park is also dedicated to protecting other species. For the islands in the Komodo National Park, water supply comes through a water tank coming in from the mainland - this leads to high cost and complicated logistics. This is where OSMOSUN comes in as the first seawater and brackish water solar desalination installation without battery in the island of Papagarang, allowing better access to drinking water at more affordable price.
A look at the OSMOSUN® desalination unit
®
The first OSMOSUN® solar powered desalination plant was installed and operated by Komodo Water, Akuo
Indonesia and Mascara Renewable Water in the Komodo National Park, Eastern Indonesia, and has produced drinking water for the population since June 2019. Moving forward, the system could also provide fresh water and ice to answer the population’s needs.
HOW IT WORKS
Operating without the need for a battery, the photovoltaic desalination technology by reverse osmosis allows for the desalination of brackish water at 3g-7g of salt per litre of water. This water is generally extracted from aquifers through drilling a borehole.
Key features of the OSMOSUN®
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
IN THE FIELD 23
How the OSMOSUN® BW works
For Papagarang, these units dedicated to brackish water produce 5m3 per day of fresh drinking water. OSMOSUN®’s unique technology has been designed for isolated areas, with a concern for maximum simplicity and autonomy provided only by affordable solar energy. Key characteristics of the OSMOSUN®BW desalination units include:
Designed and implemented by Akuo and Mascara, the installation has been integrated locally and is now operated by the community
• Very low specific consumption • Good adaptation to the needs of remote areas • Desalination by solar energy is very respectful of the environment by the absence of CO2 emission • A conversion rate of 75% for brackish water equivalent to 75 litres of fresh water per 100 litres of water pumped. • Maintenance design and monitoring: OSMOSUN® units, fully automatic, guaranteed 20 years of production with very low recurring costs in the most remote areas. Akuo Indonesia and Mascara said in a joint statement, “This first fully replicable pilot project in Indonesia provides drinking water to 500 inhabitants of the island of Papagarang, and leads the way to scale up this innovative and sustainable technology for the water supply in the country.
The OSMOSUN® 7 SW, installed in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
We believe solar desalination without battery is an effective solution to provide water and ice to the numerous remote communities of Indonesia, and is a sustainable and affordable alternative to the current water tank transport.” WWA
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
24 IN THE FIELD
Rural villages in Bankura to receive 100% water supply with new bulk water supply scheme Bentley Software optimises design of water distribution network, improves water conditions in rural Bankura By Teresa Elliot, Industry Marketing Director for Digital Cities and Utilities, Bentley Systems
T
he economy of India is the sixth largest and fastest growing in the world. While urban India is undergoing consistent development, rural India continues to face immense infrastructure challenges. Sixty-five percent of Indians reside in villages, and 80% of these villagers solely rely on groundwater for drinking and sanitation. Out of 122 nations in the world, India is listed as 120th in poor water quality, equating to one million people per year being affected by water-borne illnesses. As a result, rural Indians walk 8km each day on average to fetch clean water. DTK Hydronet Solutions, an advanced water distribution, and storm and sewer network modelling company, was retained by the Public Health and Environmental Engineering Department (PHED) of West Bengal and the Asian Development Bank to provide water distribution services to Bankura. Bankura is an administrative unit within the state of West Bengal, and it is inhabited by many indigenous tribal communities. Currently, these tribes are facing acute drought challenges. Surface water sources are almost dry, and the groundwater is severely contaminated with arsenic and fluoride, making it non-potable. This project covered four blocks of Bankura out of 24, spanning 600 villages and almost one million villagers. Water availability
in this region is currently 20 litres per capita per day, and it is supplied through an existing 100km pipeline network that only supplies water for less than 45 minutes per day. Due to these constraints, approximately 90 people die annually due to water-borne diseases in Bankura. “In order to improve all these conditions, a system had to be designed that will make conjunctive use of ground and surface water, which would at least provide 70 litres per capita per day of water,” said Devashri Karve, water engineering consultant at DTK Hydronet Solutions. “It should be 24/7, continuous, equitable, and sustainable, with a minimum residual height of 12m, dynamic pressure management system, and, most importantly, doorstep delivery of water to all the households of Bankura.”
ANALYSING PRESENT CONDITIONS AND DETERMINING THE OPTIMAL ROUTE Bankura’s existing water network consisted of asbestos cement pipes that had a long history of leaks and repairs. Therefore, DTK Hydronet created a separate hydraulic model to analyse the behaviour of the existing network, and the organisation determined that the network is antiquated and incapable of catering to present and future water demands.
Subsequently, they decided to discard the existing system in its entirety and design a new water distribution network. DTK Hydronet needed to identify the most efficient routing option that would carry the water to the four designated blocks in Bankura. The water sources identified for this project were infiltration galleries in Damodar River and Mukutmanipur Dam. DTK Hydronet chose to use two-stage pumping via a booster station to transport the water from these two sources to the four blocks. In the first stage of pumping, water is pumped from the source to ground-level reservoirs in every block. In the second stage of pumping, water will be pumped from these ground level reservoirs to their respective tanks in those blocks. While this option was not the most inexpensive, DTK Hydronet selected this solution because it was the most reliable given the large expanse of the project and area’s rolling terrain.
UNEVEN LANDSCAPE AND DISPERSED HOMES POSE CHALLENGES
The length of the pumping main network is around 400km. Due to Bankura’s undulating landscape, this network is highly prone to transient pressures. The hilly terrain ranges from 16m in height to 150m in height within a short distance. Therefore, it was a challenge to manage all
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
IN THE FIELD 25 pressures in the system. The mountainous topography also caused the distribution model to be susceptible to high pressures. As a result, DTK Hydronet used pressure reducing valves (PRVs) to dynamically manage these pressures. “By using this, the system would manage pressures during low demand hours and, during high demand hours, it would maintain adequate pressures,” Karve said. Also, due to limited land availability, the utility had already fixed some locations for overhead tanks, so it was a challenge to identify effective operational zones for every location. The population density of Bankura is very low, and the small groups of habitations are scattered across the area. Consequently, district metered area (DMA) demarcation for this project was different than conventional urban DMA demarcations. Separate feeders were provided to all the DMAs, certifying an equitable supply of water to all locations, no matter how far away from the tank location.
WATERGEMS DEVELOPS OPTIMAL HYDRAULIC MODEL
DTK Hydronet used Model Builder, TRex, and LoadBuilder, which are modules that are incorporated within WaterGEMS, to initially develop the hydraulic model. Using these three capabilities within WaterGEMS saved 80% on design time, allowing one person to complete the tasks of five people. As a result, the first model was created in only five days. Additionally, CONNECT Advisor inside WaterGEMS allowed for swift access to all the technical resources, and the Network Navigator feature helped to develop an error-free model. The project team then divided the hydraulic model in multiple scenarios in WaterGEMS, including transmission main and distribution scenarios. Previously, the data had to be manually entered, but with the Scenarios feature in WaterGEMS, DTK could generate an innumerable number of water supply schemes. The project team created more than 30 scenarios for transmission mains pumping schedules and costs, as well as more than 90
scenarios for distribution. The utility had initially set the pumping hours to be 22 hours per day, but DTK Hydronet determined that they could curtail two hours of pumping after implementing the Scenario Energy Cost capability in WaterGEMS. As a result, four hours are now for maintenance purposes and 20 hours are dedicated to pumping.
USING THE SOFTWARE TO ANALYSE NETWORK OPTIONS
DTK Hydronet conducted mass balancing of all 78 tanks to check overflow and emptying conditions at any time of the day, which saved water and tank construction costs. Next, the organisation used the Darwin Designer capability within WaterGEMS for the preliminary designs of the 78 zones. Darwin Designer was used to obtain multiple optimum-cost-design solutions. The organisation came up with a new methodology for using Darwin Designer. They first set the diameters to 100mm and then computed. Post-computing, DTK created queries based on velocity
DTK Hydronet designed a new, expansive water supply system that provides 70 litres per capita per day of water
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
26 IN THE FIELD
Project Summary Organisation: DTK Hydronet Solutions Solution: Water, Wastewater and Stormwater Networks Location: Bankura, West Bengal, India Project Objectives: • To provide a consistent, equitable water supply to 600 habitations in the rural villages of Bankura that is safe to drink. • To increase water supply coverage in the region from 0.027% to 100%. Products Used: WaterGEMS, HAMMER Fast Facts: • Out of 122 nations in the world, India is listed as 120th in poor water quality, equating to one million people per year being affected by water-borne illnesses. • The Public Health and Environmental Engineering Department (PHED) of West Bengal and the Asian Development Bank jointly funded this utility project. • The existing water network comprised concrete asbestos pipes and was completely discarded. ROI: • Using Bentley software cut total project • costs by 16%, saving INR 2b (US$26.7m). • Creating a hydraulic model with WaterGEMS and reviewing innumerable scenarios saved 40% in design costs and 80% in design time.
Together, Bentley Software and DTK Hydronet Solutions have brought a 24/7 water supply to one million villagers in rural India Photo credits to Liz Martin
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
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ranges, giving the team a tentative, telescopic hydraulic model of distribution networks. These networks were then further fine-tuned and optimised as needed. DTK Hydronet conducted a criticality analysis with WaterGEMS to generate reports for operators of isolation step tests and DMA operations. They optimised the number of isolation valves using criticality analysis, and then used PRVs to dynamically manage the pressures. “With the optimal number of isolation valves, we aim to restrict the non-revenue water to 15%,” Karve explained. The rising main was then analysed for different operational alternatives, and the project team exported the rising main model to HAMMER to check and analyse for transience and pipeline failures. Then, DTK used this GIS-integrated model to generate the bill of materials, bill of quantities, and multiple maps. Lastly, the team exported the hydraulic model and sub-model as iModels to facilitate an easy construction
process. Previously, DTK created maps and construction drawings based on data from an Excel spreadsheet. Now, since WaterGEMS is GIS-integrated, DTK created Python scripts to create 350 maps in four days.
BENTLEY SOFTWARE ADVANCES DESIGN AND SAVES COSTS
This project achieved all design, engineering, operations, and environmental objectives. The design and engineering impact included: a single GIS-integrated hydraulic model; adherence to engineering standards for better safety; detailed analysis of every possible alternative; and savings of 40% in design costs and 80% in design time. In addition, cost-effective operations and future provisions for SCADA connectivity were additional benefits of the project. The entire distribution network was designed for minimum cost and maximum pressure benefits. The transmission main was analysed for safety, and the pumps were designed to operate optimally and
profitably. Using Bentley technology saved nine months in design time as the design was completed in one resource month. DTK had estimated that this project would initially cost INR 12b (US$163.5m), but with cost optimisation of pipe diameters, materials, and pumping machineries, they reduced the cost by almost 16%. Five percent of capital was saved on pumping machinery and 11% in capital was saved on pipes.
NEW WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM TO UPGRADE QUALITY OF LIFE
This project provides a continuous, 24/7 water supply to every resident of the designated four blocks within Bankura, improving the standard of living and quality of life for one million villagers in rural India. “Infrastructure is an interface between nature and its people, and such an inspired project will definitely have an impact on the lives of thousands,” Karve said. “With a present coverage of only 0.027%, this project will increase the water supply coverage to 100% by the year 2021. Additionally, the water will be 100% arsenic and fluoride free.” WWA
Teresa Elliott is the industry marketing director for digital cities and utilities at Bentley Systems. She has been in the infrastructure industry for 20 years and has spent most of her career focused on design, geographic information systems, and asset management solutions across various infrastructure segments, including communications, electric, gas and water utilities, transportation, and photogrammetry. She is passionate about telling a customer’s story of how technology helps them enable intelligent information management processes across asset lifecycles. Elliott loves working with customers, industry analysts, and the media on digital transformation topics in infrastructure, helping to improve how we define and communicate the value of BIM, GIS, and operational analytics in support of project delivery and asset performance. Elliott has a Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
28 IN THE FIELD
Photo credit to Akhlas Rahman
Non-Revenue Water: A case study of Dhaka’s water supply system Non-revenue water (NRW) is an important component water system management. NRW is usually the result of pipeline leakage, illegal service connections, water theft and meter inaccuracies. DWASA is entrusted with supply of piped water for Dhaka Metropolitan City, DND area and Narayanganj City Corporation in the south, and Mirpur-Uttarq in the North.
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
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s of June 2014, 75% of Dhaka Metropolitan City was under DWASA water supply coverage, out of which 78% is from groundwater sources tapping through 675 deep tube wells and the remainder is supplied from two major treatment plants at Saidabad and Chadnighat and two smaller plants in Narayangan. The population of Dhaka City is approximately 12.5 million, and growth trends indicate that by the year 2025 the population will be about 25 million.
Project implementation stages are planned as follows: 1. Planning, designing and site surveying, and deployment of manpower 2. Project documentation and site preparation for PRV installation 3. SCADA and RTU programming, configuration and testing 4. Collection of required material, local and offshore purchase 5. Civil and mechanical works for PRV at site 6. Final commissioning, testing and site handover
In order to meet the growing demand, DWASA is installing high capacity water wells tapped into the Dupitalia aquifers however this aquifer is already in a stressed condition.
Completed works so far are supply and installation of 34 sets of 250, 300mm and 500mm 3690 series pressure control valves with CRD34 motorised pilots, X144 flow meters, X143IP series turbines.
The present rate of depletion gives an alarming indication that there is an urgent need to alleviate pressure on the existing aquifer and explore more suitable or sustainable sources to supplement the current water supply.
Their arrangement with Dhaka WASA was for the installation and commissioning of Cla-Val smart valves with centralised SCADA system with the following objectives: • Real time controlling of water supply • Water Rationing between different distribution zones • Monitoring of water budget
The implementation phases are: Phase One • Procurement • RTU and server preparation • Server System Configuration • Permitting
Demand management is an important concept for water supplies in any large city to assist in optimising the use of scarce water resource. In Dhaka it has been identified that it is imperative to develop an immediate, mid- and long-term demand management plan to allow it to supply the needs of domestic, commercial and industrial consumption. NRW is a key element of the plan with approximately 55% of current water production being estimated as being NRW (2001). Reduced levels of NRW can significantly contribute to increased levels of access for the population to safe drinking water. Pivotal to the Demand Management Plan is Cla-Val’s advanced technology, and its local partner System Engineering Ltd’s ability to supply and integrate all elements of smart valve control and SCADA installation and integration. System Engineering Ltd formed in 2000 and is an ISO certified company with 560 staff across the country. Photo credit to Akhlas Rahman
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
30 IN THE FIELD • Real time inlet and outlet pressures • Realtime chamber water level • Realtime power generation from turbine 3. Alarms • Low inlet and outlet pressure • Low flow • Low turbine output voltage • Low battery voltage 4. Reporting and MIS features – SCADA 5. Auto Report Generation • Automatic monthly, weekly, daily or hourly report generation • Auto generated reports 14 vital e-PRV node information • Automatic mailing of daily report to key personnel 6. Logging database • Automatic logging of 22 vital data points at each station • All data logged by event and at oneminute intervals • Using Microsoft SQL server for data security • Logging database is synchronised with back-up server for data security System architecture
Phase Two • Permitting • Site preparation • Installation of Smart PRVs • Commissioning Phase Three • Improvement analysis • Training • Monitoring and feedback
e-PRV Nodes SCADA features 1. Automatic Operation • Remotely change valve setpoint • Dynamically set valve opening in ratio to other valves • Automatic reception of alarms 2. Performance Monitoring • Real time flow rate and total flow (daily/monthly) from SCADA
7. Event logging • All key events, alarms and warnings are logged onto the database • Any event or alarm can be investigated from event logging • All key data is logged at site on controller SD card This project shows how the use of the latest technology, in conjunction with a strong local partner, can develop positive savings in water loss and pipe break frequency. The keys are selecting a strong local partner and a manufacturer who can deliver the very latest in terms of technology. WWA
Network topology of web SCADA
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
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What is activated carbon filtration? The process may have ancient roots, but still plays a role in modern water treatment. By Fluence Corporation
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ctivated carbon filtration is one of the many processes commonly used in water treatment to remove contaminants such as organic materials. Since it also can remove odour-causing contaminants, it’s often used to make drinking water more palatable. The first known carbon filtration devices date back to ancient Minonan Crete, according to a paper by M. Sklivaniotis and A.N. Angelakis’ “Water for Human Consumption through the History.” The water was carried through a 3km aqueduct, and several cone-shaped terra cotta filters filled with charcoal were discovered in the system. Activated carbon filter technology has improved with time, and today the activated carbon market is predicted to grow, with water treatment driving the growth, although the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced some uncertainty in activated carbon market predictions.
The activated carbon granules used in filtration can be reactivated through thermal oxidation, which allows it to be used multiple times
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
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Activated carbon is frequently chosen for potable water applications because it efficiently adsorbs synthetic organic chemicals, PFAS, chlorine, compounds that affect smell and taste, and naturally occurring organic compounds. As pollution and contamination gets worse, particularly in the developing world, activated carbon filtration is poised to grow.
BED FILTRATION Water treatment plant operators have two choices when using granular activated carbon filtration, according to Water Tech Online: Retrofitting an existing multimedia filter — typically a bed filter — by replacing its medium, or installing a new filter. Both methods require calculations of bed depth, water flow, and other factors. Operators must also allow for seasonal changes in water that may mean more frequent backwash is required. Granular activated carbon can be reactivated through thermal oxidation, which allows it to be used multiple times. Granulated activated carbon filtration can be used on its own or paired with other technologies for disinfection or other processes to achieve desired water quality. For example, it can be used with ozone in a treatment known as a biological activated carbon process.
ACTIVATED CARBON FILTRATION AS A STAGE IN TREATMENT
Researchers continue studying the medium, which is still being widely applied in a variety of applications, for instance, activated carbon used with coagulation and filtration for advanced wastewater treatment. A granulated activated carbon unit is most often placed in a water treatment plant after conventional filtration processes, or after a process such as flocculation and sedimentation, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Fluence uses multimedia and activated carbon filtration to remove suspended solids for treating process water in industrial settings, but in many cases, reverse osmosis (RO), like that used in Fluence NIROBOX™ units, removes significantly more contaminants from water than activated carbon filtration. Yet pretreatment with activated carbon filtration can still protect reverse osmosis membranes from premature fouling. Granulated activated carbon filters can also remove specific organic and inorganic substances from the water, including chloride, some heavy metals, tannins, unwanted water disinfection byproducts, toxins created by algae, and trihalomethanes.
ACTIVATED CARBON FILTRATION CASES Although activated carbon filtration has ancient roots, it’s still being used in modern applications:
Activated carbon filtration is one of many treatment technologies used in the village of Hoosick Falls, New York, US, since its water was contaminated by perfluorinated compounds, which are unregulated contaminants. In Florida, US, this type of filter is being applied to remove dieldrin, an insecticide used in the 1960s and 1970s, from local water supplies. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is cleaning up groundwater under an ordnance plant in Nebraska with a granular activated carbon system that includes air stripping and ultraviolet and ozone oxidation stages. In Fountain, Colorado, activated carbon filtration was deployed to clean up so-called “forever chemicals” from firefighting foam used at a U.S. Air Force base. Because the method was not as efficient as hoped, another remediation project on the same aquifer at SecurityWidefield, Colorado, used ion exchange instead. WWA
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Israel leads world in water recycling With a focus on agriculture irrigation, nearly 90% of Israel’s wastewater is now reused. By Fluence Corporation
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rid Israel has historically suffered from water scarcity, but now, it has achieved water security. While Israel’s use of desalination is well known, it is not as well known that the country has also revolutionised its water recycling
Starting in the 2000s, Israel poured more than $750m into centralised water reclamation, adding 37 billion GPY (gallons per year) of water — most of it undergoing tertiary treatment — to its capacity. Photo credit: Shai Pal
system to provide 25% of its water. Gilad Erdan, Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy, said, “Today, nearly 90% of our waste water is recycled. […] That’s around four times higher than
any other country in the world. It is a remarkable achievement and this benefits not only Israel. Israeli companies are helping save water around the world, from Africa to California to India.”
34 FOCUS ISRAEL’S WATER REUSE SYSTEM The water treated for reuse in Israel is predominantly used for agricultural irrigation. About 10% is used for environmental purposes, such as increasing river flow volume and fire suppression. Only 5% percent is discharged into the sea. The centerpiece of Israel’s water reclamation effort is its largest facility, the Shafdan Wastewater Treatment Plant. Cited as a model plant by the United Nations, it treats 97 million GPD (gallons per day) of municipal wastewater from the Tel Aviv area, with a mission of minimising pollution, health risks, and untreated discharges while supplying safe, beneficial effluent. The effluent is given secondary biological and tertiary soil aquifer treatment, and then transported by pipeline to irrigate 60% of the agriculture in the Negev Desert. Starting in the 2000s, Israel poured more than $750m into centralised water reclamation, adding 37 billion GPY (gallons per year) of water — most of it undergoing tertiary treatment — to its capacity. The country now maintains 67 large wastewater treatment facilities, the 10 largest handling more than 56% of the nation’s collected wastewater. Israel’s pipe network is nationwide, connecting different regions and allowing quick distribution of surplus water when needed. The 2010 regulations also, for the first time, included standards for limiting salinity and toxic metal content. Reclaimed water now supports economic growth and makes it easier to weather increasingly lengthy droughts in Israel brought on by climate change.
WORLD LEADER IN WASTEWATER RECYCLING It is generally accepted that if the world does not make significant water management changes, water demand is expected to surpass supply by 40% by 2030. Rectifying the shortfall could cost up to $60b annually for the two following decades, changing everything from the cost of food to geopolitics.
In contrast to Israel’s 87% water reuse rate, the United States’ (US) rate is less than 10%. In light of Israel’s carefully planned, high-quality water reuse and efficient distribution, the US Environmental Protection Agency sought close collaboration Israel in the formation of its 2020 National Water Reuse Action Plan. Israel now has a national water surplus and exports water to its neighbors. Israeli researchers and startups are still working on increasing efficiency. Besides an embrace of water reuse, national policies support smart water management, and research and development within the water sector continues in areas including leak detection and drip irrigation.
DECENTRALISED WATER REUSE While huge, centralised plants can take advantage of economies of scale, smaller, decentralised plants now rival the efficiency of large plants while avoiding the significant risks of overbuilding. Siting plants near the point of use solves many infrastructure issues, including the need to build lengthy, costly pipeline networks. One plant suitable to decentralisation is Fluence’s Smart Packaged Aspiral™, which packs effective, efficient membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) technology into a standard shipping container. Fluence was born of a merger of the US-based RWL Water and the Israeli water treatment company Emefcy. Due to its simultaneous nitrificationdenitrification, MABR produces effluent that meets California’s Title 22 and China’s Class 1A standards for reuse while slashing energy needs. The world is entering what Global Water Intel has called the “golden decade” of wastewater reuse, and Fluence aims to provide sustainable solutions and technologies needed to preserve water resources to turn wastewater into an asset. WWA
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36 FOCUS
Harnessing the power of data to solve global water challenges By Rich Prinster, Strategic Development for Aquatic Informatics
Four key water data management milestones to ensure the sustainability of water.
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ith the global population expected to hit 8.5 billion in the next 10 years, the demand for water is rising inexorably. Many areas of the world are already facing either water shortages or water that’s unsafe for human consumption. When it comes to water scarcity: ● Four billion people live in water-scarce and stressed regions — one billion of whom have no access to safe drinking water. ● Two-thirds of the world population faces water scarcity for at least one month every year. ● The over-pumping of underground aquifers are depleting water tables in many parts of the world, including America, India, and China. ● Dams and lakes across America are drying up from drought and overuse. ● Droughts and natural disasters cut off access to potable and sanitary water anywhere in the world — Haiti is still known as a “pipeless” nation, after the catastrophic earthquake in 2010. When it comes to water pollution: ● Globally, there are almost one million deaths per year from waterborne diseases. ● Twenty-one million Americans are getting water from systems that violate health standards. ● Thirty three major US cities have skirted water quality testing, the worst among them being Flint, Michigan; Toledo, Ohio; Charleston, West Virginia; and the Colorado River basin.
The bottom line: if we remain on the same path, the world is facing a 40% shortfall in freshwater resources by 2030. So, it’s no surprise that the World Economic Forum ranked the water crisis in the top five of global risks for the eighth consecutive year. While the supply of water cannot be increased — we can’t control how much rain falls — there are ways we can manage it better to reduce waste and contamination. The UN General Assembly launched the Water Action Decade 2018-2028 to create urgency and encourage action in transforming how we manage our water. Each of the four workstreams outlined in the Action Plan Resolution rely on data quality, data management and knowledge sharing to address water challenges. While the action plan is straightforward, the sheer magnitude of our water problems can be daunting. To avoid analysis paralysis and apply the UN’s action plan to realworld problems, governments, utilities, and industries that manage and use water should strive towards four water data milestones:
1. Water data consolidation to break down data silos 2. Water data analysis to turn raw data into actionable insights 3. Internal knowledge sharing across organizations, government departments, and international bodies 4. External knowledge sharing with industry and the public to educate, inform, and encourage respect for our most important resource
WATER DATA CONSOLIDATION
The first milestone is to break down some of the data silos that currently exist. Many government agencies are entrenched in legacy systems which can hinder progress. While many have been automating data collection in several areas for some time, few are examining the data sources alongside one another to connect the dots and uncover real insights. Understanding the relationships between the consolidated water data sources is powerful. It can unveil insights we would never have found otherwise and offer correlations that we can use to test new hypotheses about the cause and effect of different water activity.
UN’s Water Action Plan Resolution 1. Facilitating access to knowledge and the exchange of good practices 2. Improving knowledge generation and dissemination, including new information relevant to water-related SDGs 3. Pursuing advocacy, networking, and promoting partnerships and action 4. Strengthening communication actions for implementation of the water-related goals
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Source: United Nations
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WaterTrax enables water treatment plants to acquire, process, model and publish high-quality data and streamline compliance by sharing with stakeholders
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38 FOCUS For example, we might detect a spike in water temperature from one set of data and an increased level of chlorophyll in another set. Alone, these trends may not raise an alarm but when read together, they indicate signs of agricultural runoff pollution that can cause harmful algal blooms.
If that were the case, Excel would work. But, regulations change, interpretations change, and having a software platform that keeps up with that saves time and improves compliance,” said Sarah Griffith, Laboratory and Industrial Pretreatment's manager at SD1.
● Environmental agencies may ask questions to find solutions in extreme weather scenarios
When it comes to data consolidation, organizations can start small and chip away at the problem, breaking down data silos one by one to showcase the benefits in real-world scenarios.
SD1 allows different teams to gain value from consolidated data. For even greater benefits, data consolidation should occur not just cross-functionally, but also at a state, national level, and international level. This would involve alignment in the procurement of water data analysis platform tools and the collaboration between various IT and data science teams to build out the sufficient teams and processes.
Case in Point: The City of Riverside is a perfect example of a utility provider that maximized their use of data to gain powerful insights and subsequent operational efficiencies. Riverside Public Utilities (RPU) has been providing water and electricity to 70,000 customers since 1895. The utility is proactive in tackling challenges head on and data plays a central role in how it meets those challenges.
WATER DATA ANALYSIS
Water utilities can struggle to get real value from the data at their disposal. IT teams often lack insight into the use cases that would help them justify the allocation of resources to water data projects and departments and teams don’t know what they don’t know.
RPU implemented WaterTrax to consolidate and automate water quality sample data transfers from the laboratories. Today, the system integrates with their internal business intelligence tool, OSISoft PI System (a vehicle used for centralizing data sourced from other business units including SCADA), Esri GIS, and Asset Management/Work Order System (UWAM).
So where can organisations start? Firstly, IT teams should collaborate with managers across the organisation who can ask the right questions of the data. These questions should map back to the goals of the organization: ● Water utilities may ask questions to ensure safe drinking water for citizens ● Water purveyors may ask questions to understand water loss within the system
The integration enables RPU to view current data from systems that were previously siloed and isolated. This integration has provided the utility with a more holistic view of their distribution system samples, treatment plant process control samples and groundwater well samples. Data is visualised in team dashboards and has had a significant impact on the operations team, helping them improve the efficiency of water quality management.
Case in Point: Sanitation District No. 1 (SD1) manages wastewater and stormwater and has kept its rivers clean for over 70 years. Various departments work together to clean 37 million gallons of water per day. They conduct an average of 40,000 analyses, oversee inspections of 55 industrial users and 200 food service establishments, that also require collection of FOG data and permitting. SD1 breaks down silos with Linko, a software tool that consolidates data across all teams to create efficiencies and ensure better water management across the region. For example, daily lab results sync with compliance data to alert SD1 of possible compliance issues; when regulations update, they can automatically change them across their consolidated system; and state reporting across all events easily. “At the end of the day, if you aren’t familiar with pretreatment, you would think that it’s just comparing a number against the limit.
Good data creates demand for good information. In other words, once you know what you can know, you will want to know more.
City of Orlando shares geographical rainfall intensities with crews for maintenance checks on storm water drains and the public to gain insight on areas to avoid during these events
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FOCUS 39 “The API integration has really improved our ability to quickly make decisions based on real time data. The advantage of combining information from SCADA, UWAM, and WaterTrax gives us the big picture in one place and allows us to improve performance and operational efficiency,” said Robin Glenney, administrator, Water Quality, Riverside Public Utilities.
INTERNAL KNOWLEDGE SHARING Data consolidation and analysis will bring an era of water transformation. Today, the biggest water users are power plants, farmers, and water utilities. Sharing data will help us identify the industries and communities that use water well, and those that don’t. This knowledge sharing can go a long way to establishing best practices and forming helpful water regulations.
External Knowledge Sharing According to a World Bank study, the projected economic impact of water scarcity is estimated to be as much as 6% negative GDP in certain regions by 2050. To solve a global problem, we need global collaboration. The only way we can solve our water problems and avoid these shockwaves is by harnessing our data. Today, however, only 45% of government data is clean, accurate, and in a usable format to glean real insights.
If organisations can’t get a handle on the data soon, they run the risk of falling further and further behind as the rate of technological change increases. “If we can connect all water data, we can proactively predict issues, and ultimately protect life. By sharing this data with the public, with regulators, and with international bodies, we can raise awareness and drive real change,” said Edward Quilty, CEO of Aquatic Informatics. WWA
Case in Point: The State of Wyoming has great insight into how their water is being used. They use this data to make smart decisions about conservation, about permit approval or revocation, and about innovation. They monitor continuous recording devices in over 400 streams, reservoirs, and canals, and operate numerous other continuous recording stations in cooperation with the USGS, the National Weather Service, and other federal and state agencies. All water data is collected, reduced, and compiled using AQUARIUS software to consolidate all the disparate data so they can process, visualise, and manage their water data in one dashboard. The state can now ask questions of the data like: ● How much water is available? ● How much is being used and by whom? ● How much additional water is being used for agriculture? ● How much additional water could be taken out of the system? This helps them make better decisions about current water permits. “We are now sharing data with our users in realtime, helping them as well as us make better management decisions. Before we implemented AQUARIUS, that was not possible,” said Loren Smith, superintendent, Water Division, Wyoming State Engineer's Office.
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The Linko Online Dashboard provides at a glance compliance information which can be configured by end users through the drag and drop widget interface
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Can Singapore’s NEWater spark a wastewater revolution in China? By Ailing J. Bressman This article was originally published in Wilson Center’s New Security Beat. https://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2020/03/singapores-newater-spark-wastewater-revolution-china/
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hina is one of the “thirstiest” countries in the world with a per capita water availability a quarter of the United States. With population, pollution, and water shortages growing unabatedly, reclaimed water (e.g., treating wastewater to drinking water standards)
could be the answer to China’s water insecurity. In China, extensive research in the 1980s into water reclamation and urban investments supporting infrastructure in the 2000s sparked production capacity in the country to rise from 63 billion gallons a day to 236 billion gallons per day between 2009
to 2015. Today, however, reclaimed water is a mere drop in the bucket meeting less than 1% of total urban water use. China could look to the tiny Southeast Asian citystate of Singapore to learn how it tapped reclaimed water to turn its water-scarce tiny island into a high-tech hydrohub.
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VIEWPOINT 41 A HIGH-TECH HYDROHUB As one of the world’s most densely populated small countries, Singapore squeezes 5.7 million people into 278 square miles—an island about the same size as Chicago with twice the population and no natural aquifers. Since its independence from Malaysia in 1965, the Singaporean government has devised an innovative approach to securing a reliable water supply called the “Four National Taps,” in which the city-state: • Tap 1: Imports 50% of its water from neighboring Johor, Malaysia at a low price, but must pay heavily to treat it. • Tap 2: Produces reclaimed wastewater, dubbed NEWater, satisfying up to 40% of Singapore’s current water demand. • Tap 3: Desalinates water that could satisfy up to 25% of Singapore’s water demand but is not a favoured source due to the high costs to run the energyintensive technology.
• Tap 4: Catches storm water in reservoirs to make up the gaps left by the other three. NEWater is the heart of Singapore’s water sustainability plan and is projected to meet up to 55% of the city’s water needs by 2060, relieving the dependence on water imports from Malaysia. While the thought of drinking wastewater from the tap can alarm consumers, Singapore’s advanced wastewater recycling exceeds U.S. EPA and WHO water quality guidelines. NEWater offers a promising water security solution for China and other water insecure countries if they adopt not only just the technology, but also the three pillars that have made it a success in Singapore: 1. Strong Political Will: In its quest for waste security, Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first prime minister and founding father, stated that “every other policy has to bend at the knees for our water survival.” In 1972, when America was shaping the Clean
Water Act, Lee Kuan Yew oversaw the launch of Singapore’s Water Master Plan, the blueprint for the city’s water resource development and water reuse. Singapore became one of the few countries in the world with a dedicated water department in 2001, called the Public Utilities Board (PUB). PUB was instrumental in facilitating the implementation and expansion of the critical NEWater system. 2. Private Partnerships and Public Engagement: In 2003, when PUB awarded a contract for a desalination plant, it opted to use a public-private partnership (PPP) in which a private company constructs and then operates the project. The efficiency and cost-saving in the desalination plant led the Public Utilities Board to also use a PPP to contract its fourth NEWater plant in 2005 to the company Keppel Seghers, which claims the plant has the capacity to produce up to a third of the city’s NEWater supply.
Photo credit: Public Utilities Board, Singapore
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The NEWater treatment process Photo credit: Public Utilities Board, Singapore
Public buy-in matters, too. Thus, PUB created the futuristic NEWater Visitor Center, to serve as the focal point for community engagement and educational talks and activities for students and grassroots organisations throughout Singapore. The Singapore government also has arranged for members of their media to visit overseas water recycling projects and local plants for demonstration. The Singapore Every Drop Counts website notably features engaging videos and even a graphic novel about the Four Taps and NEWater.
3. Quality Assurance: With lives at stake, there is little room for error. Therefore, NEWater uses a multi-safety barrier approach to ensure quality through: • Source control. Singapore implemented controls on the disposal of hazardous substances and does routine scientific testing to detect water contamination upstream. • Comprehensive wastewater treatment. NEWater plants use state-of-the-art reverse osmosis filtration membranes to treat the wastewater and constantly check the water quality to verify system operation. Finally, the
treated wastewater is stored in reservoirs to provide time for natural processes to further reclaim the water. • Internal and external audits. Audit panels, of local and overseas experts, regularly review plant performance and water quality data from source to faucet, and everything in between.
US TOILET-TO-TAP LESSONS While not as extensive as in Singapore, today about four million US residents in Atlanta, El Paso, Dallas, Southern California, and Northern Virginia get some
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treatment. Moreover, since 2018 the national government’s one-two punch of streamlining water governance responsibilities and passing the comprehensive Water Ten Plan have strengthened water pollution control efforts. Nevertheless, many Chinese cities are still water stressed and struggle to keep up with growing populations. Furthermore, only 10% of wastewater was reclaimed in 2014. Asian water expert Asit K. Biswas notes that strong and well-coordinated water governance and polices were key to NEWater’s success. Thus, Beijing and other large Chinese cities could close the water gap following Singapore’s model if they can get the supporting policies and education outreach right. Removing all of the pollutants from wastewater to make it safe to drink, however, requires high technology, trained operators, and regulatory oversight, not to mention the energyintensive high-pressure pumps to push water through the membranes. While China’s mega-cities have the resources to build and run this infrastructure, smaller cities and rural areas do not.
of their drinking water from treated sewage. To overcome the “yuck factor” and build trust among their customers, water systems invest in public information campaigns. Treatment plants must also be prepared to cut off the tap if a new contaminant sneaks through the multiple layers of treatment and quality control. This happened in the Orange County Water District when an emerging contaminant, NDMA, found its way into the recycled water. Rather than settle for a statement that NDMA is not regulated, the water district worked to eliminate the contaminant.
They were rewarded for their efforts with two awards for leadership and innovation in water reuse. Cities have tapped reclaimed water to deal with drought, but need to be careful not to create other problems. For example, diverting treated wastewater back into the drinking water systems can rob streams, wildlife and downstream users of the water that they depend on.
CHINA REACHING A WATERSHED MOMENT Over the past twenty years, Chinese cities have significantly increased wastewater
“Care must be taken to match the water management capacity with the needs of the country,” says Dr. Karen Mancl, Water Specialist at The Ohio State University. “Smaller cities and rural China can begin with using low technology lagoon systems to treat and disinfect wastewater before reuse for irrigation or industrial uses as they build the capacity to handle water scarcity.” WWA
Ailing J. Bressman was a Project Engineer for a water infrastructure company in China, and recently moved to the USA; she received a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from the National University of Singapore, where she also coordinated outreach efforts on behalf of the Singapore Public Utilities Board and National Environment Agency.
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Photo credits: Ivan Bandura
Nine dragons rule the waters: Closing the loop on China’s water pollution By Karen Mancl & Richard Liu
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This article originally appeared on New Security Beat. https://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2020/08/dragons-rule-waters-closing-loop-chinas-water-pollution-report-launch/
he Chinese government is fighting a war on pollution on multiple fronts to protect its air, water, and soil. Despite passage of the stringent Water Ten Plan in 2015, water quality still has not met
anticipated targets in one-third of the country. But one Chinese pollution control success story was Beijing’s investments in municipal wastewater treatment plants in the run up to the 2008 Olympics.
In 2001, when Beijing was chosen to host the 2008 Summer Olympics, untreated wastewater and agricultural runoff had turned many of China’s rivers black and large lakes green with toxic algae blooms.
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China’s wastewater policy timeline created from “Closing the Loop on Wastewater in China,” designed by Kathy Butterfield
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Strikingly, municipal wastewater treatment rates across the country rose from 22% to 70% between 2001 and 2008. By investing in pollution control, Beijing prepared for the international exposure the Olympics bring and managed to limit air and water pollution before the Olympic Games began. Yet Beijing’s 2008 environmental success was not complete. Despite wastewater treatment regulations, nearly 80% of China’s sludge went untreated, polluting soil and water and making it a growing source of methane emissions—a potent greenhouse gas. China’s mountains of municipal and industrial sludge and lack of rural wastewater treatment sparked Chinese President Xi Jinping to declare wastewater a major part of his “war on pollution” in 2018. Treating wastewater and sludge can be expensive. Former Wilson Center Schwarzman Fellow Danielle Neighbour has authored a new InsightOut report “Closing the Loop” detailing how China can learn from New York, Washington DC, and Singapore by tapping three marketable resources from sludge to advance its wastewater and carbon reduction targets. Specifically, Chinese wastewater plants can: (1) capture methane to generate low-carbon power, (2) treat sludge digestate to make compost, and (3) recycle the wastewater to meet multiple municipal and industrial water needs.
METHANE AND DIGESTATE: LOWCOST SOLUTIONS More than 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide, methane is an abundant greenhouse gas that contributes more than one-third of today’s anthropogenic climate warming. The wastewater sector accounts for 10% of global methane emissions, and China is responsible for one-quarter of these emissions. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) can capture methane through anaerobic digestion (AD)—where microorganisms break down organic material in sludge in a digester tank. Methane is a natural gas and can be burned to generate power. Since wastewater treatment plants account for an average of 30% to 40% of a
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city’s total electricity use, generating power from methane for on-site use can benefit energy-intensive wastewater treatment plants. All 14 wastewater treatment plants in New York City capture wastewater methane using anaerobic digestion. At Newton Creek, the largest treatment facility in New York City, methane will soon be converted into pipelinequality renewable natural gas (RNG) to be purchased and processed by National Grid. The project will eventually produce enough RNG to heat 5,200 homes and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 90,000 MtCO2 equivalent (akin to removing 19,000 cars from the road). Digestate (a.k.a. biosolids) produced in the AD process can be further dried and treated to be sold as organic compost, preventing the potentially toxic solids from being dumped into landfills and waterways. Rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, digestate provides nutrients for soil. The fertiliser also mitigates greenhouse gas emissions. Using digestate has a notable climate benefit—after two years of biosolids application, digestate-applied soil absorbs carbon at a rate between 37% and 84% more than degraded urban soils, according to a Virginia Tech study. Washington DC’s Blue Plains Treatment Plant, the largest advanced wastewater treatment system in the world, disinfects biosolids and produces high-quality fertiliser used in Washington DC, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia sold under the brand name Bloom. Its customers include landscapers, farmers, and homeowners. Even the National Park Service uses Bloom as fertiliser on the National Mall.
RECYCLED WASTEWATER: QUENCHING THIRSTY CITIES Recycled wastewater provides an alternative tap for a water-scarce China, as it can recharge aquifers, irrigate agriculture, and supply water to local industries. China’s available per capita water supply is one-fourth the world’s average yet China only reclaims approximately 4% of its wastewater.
For a successful recycled water story, the Chinese should look no further than Singapore. Singapore’s Public Utilities Board has branded its reuse water as NEWater, currently supplying 40% of Singapore’s water needs to reduce their reliance on purchased water from Malaysia. Treated via microfiltration, RO, and UV disinfection, NEWater supplies both potable water for drinking and washing as well as non-potable water for industrial usage.
CLIMATE RESILIENCY Like many cities in the United States, during extreme rain and hurricanes many of China’s combined sewer systems and wastewater treatment infrastructure release sewage that subsequently floods streets and contaminates drinking water sources. To increase the climate resiliency of wastewater systems, Chinese cities can follow New York City’s lead by implementing green infrastructure. Through recent sustainability and resiliency plans, New York City is utilising natural catchment areas (like rain gardens), expanded park space, and street trees, as well as permeable pavements, to reduce the amount of stormwater entering drains. Because more than 70% of NYC’s land area is covered by impervious surfaces, the NYC Department of Environmental Protection has sought to prevent paving natural drainage corridors through the Bluebelt programme. In place since the 1990s, the Bluebelt programme maintains and expands natural stormwater conveyors, like streams and wetlands. These efforts are comparable to China’s Sponge City initiative that the central government launched in 2015 to build out green infrastructure to reduce urban flood risks.
POTENTIAL FOR A CLOSED-LOOP FUTURE While Chinese cities can profit from methane capture, digestate use, water recycling, and measures to increase climate resiliency, economic challenges make implementation
difficult. China’s treatment plants often operate at loss and managers are hesitant to invest in long return-on-investment projects. Additionally, finding customers for wastewater byproducts is difficult in China’s economic model. Beijing policymakers could set higher water prices and increase subsidies to raise capital for water utilities to implement methane capture. Cities can also leverage existing policies to create demand for wastewater methane, digestate, and recycled water, enabling China’s wastewater sector to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, remediate soil, and increase water security. The economic and political challenges to make any of these changes are significant. However, China’s imperative to wastewater reform is clear: landfills are overflowing, freshwater resources are being depleted, and air, soil, and water pollution are worsening. While wastewater currently contributes to these problems, it can also serve as the solution. As eyes turn to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, China’s environment will once again be open for international inspection. The successes and shortcomings of the “war on pollution” will be evident. WWA Karen Mancl is a Professor of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering at The Ohio State University and Director of the OSU Soil Environment Technology Learning Lab. In 2020, she has been working as a research assistant in the Woodrow Wilson’s China Environment Forum. She holds a PhD in Water Resources from Iowa State University and an MA in East Asian Studies and an MA in Public Policy from Ohio State University. Richard Liu was a China Environment Forum research intern in the fall of 2019 and is currently a research intern with the Wilson Center’s Serious Games Initiative. He studies economics at Indiana University. Sources: Atmospheric Environment, Congressional Research Service, DC Water, Frontiers of Sustainable Food, Global Methane Initiative, Global Water Forum, Journal of Environmental Sciences, Land Use Policy, NASA, New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Olympic News, Politico, Reuters, Singapore’s National Water Agency, South China Morning Post, U.S. EPA, World Bank, Xinhua News Agency
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From IT to OT, and navigating the in-between By Natalie Chew
For water utilities and operators, the digital landscape is fraught with potential hazards. Water and Wastewater Asia speaks to Claroty’s Eddie Stefanescu to learn more about what industry players can do to even the playing field.
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n 2015, the USA’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a report detailing how the nation’s water grid was vulnerable to attacks by hackers. This is, of course, no surprise to water utilities today, which have in recent years become ever-increasingly reliant on modern technology and the Internet to operate their networks. These digital, virtual tools can help to increase reliability and lower labour costs, but provide one more thing for utilities to worry about - potential cyberattacks. According to Claroty’s regional vice president of Business (Asia Pacific & Japan), Eddie Stefanescu, water utilities are especially vulnerable during global crises such at the current COVID-19 pandemic. “At the start of the pandemic, organisations found themselves rapidly pivoting to a largely remote workforce, which can make it difficult to keep track of remote access activity,” he commented. “Over the past decade, we have seen a proliferation of internet-connected operational technology (OT), especially industrial control systems (ICS), as part of a broader trend of digital transformation in the water utilities sector and beyond. While this trend brings important benefits such as automation, monitoring and analytics, it is also increasing the possibility of cyberattacks, since breaches in an IT system can spread to the OT systems, and vice versa. Threat actors may take advantage of such periods of uncertainty to launch cyberattacks, which compounds the need to be vigilant, and to safeguard our water and wastewater networks.”
In one such example, Israel’s Water Authority and National Cyber-Directorate (INCD) reported a cyberattack in April this year, which attempted to target the Water Authority’s command and control systems. These systems manage wastewater treatment plants, pumping stations and sewage infrastructure. A Financial Times report later claimed that the hackers had gained access to some of Israel’s water treatment systems and tried altering water chlorine levels before being detected and stopped. If the attack had been successful and water chlorine levels had been adjusted, attackers could have caused mild poisoning to the local population served by the affected treatment facility. Stefanescu said, “The Israeli authorities later reported that the incident appeared to be coordinated, but fortunately no damage had occurred other than limited disruptions in local water distribution systems. If, for example, the attackers had successfully tampered with the control systems and say, had added too much chlorine to the national water supply, it may have led to devastating consequences. The recency of this attack, and its potential for widespread harm, serves as an important reminder to us to keep water and wastewater infrastructure cyber-safe.” More recently, officials from the Water Authority have reported two more cyberattacks on Israel’s water management facilities in June, which were unsuccessful in causing damage to the targeted organisations.
Eddie Stefanescu, Regional VP Business – Asia Pacific & Japan, Claroty
IT VS. OT
One important factor in properly securing water utilities is in differentiating IT and OT assets. Stefanescu explained, “IT assets, such as computers and communication devices, are designed for interconnection. Correspondingly, IT security is a mature field, with several decades of development to protect devices from digital threats. On the other hand, OT assets, which include sensors and control systems for pumping stations, water treatment plants and more, were not designed to be connected, but rather to work in isolation, thus remote attacks on such assets are not a concern. Furthermore, while IT networks use standardised protocols, OT networks typically use proprietary protocols, which are largely unrecognisable by IT security tools.”
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In April this year, Israel reported a cyberattack that could have resulted in damaging consequences for the country’s utilities Photo credit: Adi Goldstein
Stefanescu also said that organisations are realising the importance of securing their OT networks, thanks to an increase in connecting OT devices to IT systems and the internet. OT assets have a long life cycle of several years or more, and their underlying operating systems tend to be more dated compared to IT assets which are routinely updated and replaced. This makes them particularly vulnerable to attacks that arise from IT issues, as the OT system could contain software loopholes that have not been patched. Another difference Stefanescu pointed out between IT and OT assets was that
they have different priorities when it comes to security: With IT, confidentiality is more important than availability, whereas with OT it is the exact opposite and most organisations are unable to afford downtime in their OT systems. For operations such as water utilities, OT downtime could mean bringing the regional or national water supply to a halt. “Remote access solutions designed for IT are often agent-based and/or use jump servers to connect to OT networks,” he continued. “Agents require OT downtime, while jump servers expand the attack surface by perforating the firewall and
increasing unsecured connectivity between IT and OT.” Expanding on this point, he elaborated that organisations need a remote access solution that can secure and control remote OT access without the risk of downtime or impeding workflows, especially since “IT solutions are not designed to cater for the priorities of OT, and therefore cannot meet these needs.” It’s in the necessitation of meeting these needs that OT asset visibility comes into play: Stefanescu has likened it to “seeing” into the OT environment, and knowing
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what assets are existent in the network as well as the function they serve. “To secure OT assets, it is important to understand the granular configuration information for each asset, how the assets are communicating across the network, and the specific details about the applicationlevel process automation ‘conversations’ that are occurring,” he said. “When it comes to water utilities, it encompasses an entire network of pipelines, pumping stations, water treatment plants, and storage and distribution systems across a geographical area. As water
infrastructure often grows in tandem with local population and economic growth, this can lead to inconsistent asset documentation and a lack of full visibility across the OT environment. This means that potential threats and vulnerabilities can go undetected.”
“ONUS ON OPERATORS”
In a worst-case scenario, remote facilities may be compromised. “In the event of a system infection or breach, organisations should immediately reset every password across the entire OT system or systems, especially those
dealing with chemical control. If it is not possible to change the passwords for certain systems, they should be disconnected from the internet,” Stefanescu advised. Of course, prevention is still better than cure - and Stefanescu emphasised that the onus is on operators to make sure the utilities’ control software is regularly updated. “Routine password changes are important – and as surprising as it may seem, many industrial control devices are not protected by passwords, which leaves them extremely vulnerable.
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52 HOTSEAT maintenance and gather operational data - if any authorised party’s systems were to be infected with malware, or if their access credentials were stolen, this could compromise the systems, switches and controllers. The company also had no way of ensuring that only authorised parties were accessing appropriate systems and making agreed-upon changes.
According to Stefanescu, the onus is on operators to make sure software is regularly updated Photo credit: methodshop
Another important part of attack prevention is the use of a cybersecurity solution that is tailored to the needs of OT. A comprehensive solution should offer full visibility into OT assets, detect threats swiftly without false positives, identify vulnerabilities in assets, as well as evaluate and mitigate threats in real time.”
OT and IT systems and workflows, and an unmatched signal-to-noise ratio enable the platform to reduce the complexity of implementing fundamental security controls, fulfilling audit and compliance requirements, and protecting OT assets and networks from internal and external cyber threats.”
This is where cybersecurity company Claroty comes in, bridging the gap between IT and OT environments. The company offers an OT cybersecurity platform that deploys rapidly and seamlessly integrates with existing IT security infrastructure.
CLAROTY: A CASE STUDY
More so than other companies offering OT cybersecurity solutions, Claroty focuses on visibility into the OT environment. The Claroty Platform uses unmatched protocol coverage, scanning, segmentation, and secure remote access capabilities to grant complete visibility across all three OT dimensions critical to risk reduction: assets, network sessions, and processes.
The company was tasked with assessing and improving security across their expansive and growing OT environment, which includes hundreds of miles of pipeline and more than 20 physically dispersed water facilities such as pumping stations, water treatment plants, and storage and distribution systems.
“The Clarity Platform simplifies OT security,” said Stefanescu. “This eliminates the burden of complex deployments, steep learning curves and unfamiliar tools that operators often face. Developed specifically to protect OT environments within enterprises and critical infrastructure, the platform provides comprehensive OT asset and network visibility, segmentation, vulnerability management, threat detection, risk assessment, and secure remote access capabilities—all within a single, agentless solution. Rapid deployability, a robust API and integrations ecosystem compatible with both
Stefanescu shared that Claroty had previously worked with a US-based water utilities provider, which had been in the middle of upgrading its IT infrastructure and security architecture at the time.
In fact, while working with the provider, Claroty identified three key challenges for the project: 1. Lack of asset visibility: A large physical footprint, combined with the company’s rapidly growing infrastructure to support population and business growth in the region, resulted in inconsistent documentation of OT assets and lack of full visibility into the OT environment. 2. Remote, unmanned facilities: Many of the company’s pumping stations and other facilities were unmanned. Employees and third-party vendors remotely accessed these systems to perform
3. Compliance with new regulations: Under America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA), utilities that provide drinking water must conduct risk and resilience assessments and revise emergency response plans. These changes required a detailed understanding of the OT network in order to meet the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) deadline in 2020. By deploying the Claroty Platform, Stefanescu explained, the company was able to greatly improve its operational security. “Firstly, the company’s IT security, network and OT teams were able to gain full visibility and immediate profiling of all assets across the company’s expansive OT environment. With granular details of all assets, sessions, processes, and corresponding risk levels, they could now identify threats and vulnerabilities in the OT network to mitigate risk and assure continued operations of critical processes. Next, they were able to secure remote access to OT assets. Security teams have granular control, the ability to audit access, and additional levels of security, such as password vaulting. Unauthorised access is immediately blocked, and unusual network activity triggers an alert to the team.” The company also ensured its compliance to the AWIA mandate by the deadline given to them, and was able to optimise its IT security, network, and OT teams. Stefanescu concluded, “The Claroty Platform gave them the tools needed to conduct the appropriate risk and resilience assessment. It also integrated with the company’s ecosystem of OT and IT systems and workflows, allowing all teams to use the solution to strengthen security. This lowered the total cost of ownership while maximising return on investment.” WWA
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
SWA WEBINAR:
Dialogue with World Bank & IFC, Assistance & Financing for the Water Sector 7th July 2020, Complimentary, Cisco Webex
NEWSLETTER OF THE SINGAPORE WATER ASSOCIATION BRINGING A NEW VIBRANCY TO SINGAPORE’S GROWING WATER INDUSTRY
The impact of the pandemic has been seriously felt in many parts of the world, especially in developing countries. The World Bank Group is acƟng quickly to step up support as countries respond to the COVID-19 crisis, including the risk of global recession. The webinar provided an in-depth understanding of the World Bank’s UƟlity Liquidity Facility, its regional focus and work programme and product range of IFC. Find out more at www.swa.org.sg/swatch.
SWA WEBINAR:
Post COVID Recovery: Embracing Sustainable Water SoluƟons in Asia 16th July 2020, Complimentary, Zoom
The webinar aƩracted over 200 aƩendees including Ministry of UƟliƟes, Ministry of Public Works and Housing of Indonesia, Department of IrrigaƟon and Drainage, Rural Water Supply Department (JBALB), local and regional Water Operators and many more. Download from www.swa.org.sg/swatch.
SWA WEBINAR:
The Water Market in South East Asia 5th August 2020, Complimentary, Cisco Webex
More than 100 parƟcipants aƩended the webinar on “The Water Market in South East Asia” co-organised by SWA and LVI Associates. AƩendees learnt about how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacƟng the water market in South East Asia. What is the next direcƟon for the water market? As well as “What is hot in the water market in South East Asia?” Mr Pravi Bansal from Amane Advisors shared his invaluable insights in the South East Asian Region while Ms Kayleigh Regan from LVI Associates moderated the session.
UPCOMING SWA ACTIVITIES SWA WEBINAR SERIES
September and October 2020
Date 22nd September 2020
Time 4pm to 5.30pm
Agenda Unlocking the potenƟal of wastewater with the Royal Danish Embassy
6th October 2020
10am to 11am
PUB BIM e-Checker IniƟaƟve
More informaƟon on the webinars will be populated nearer to the event date. Please visit www.swa.org.sg for updates.
SWA Virtual Site Visit
September and October 2020 Date 18th September 2020
Time 10am to 11am
Agenda The Experimental Power Grid Center (EPGC)
22nd October 2020
10am to 11am
PUB Ulu Pandan Plant
29th October 2020
10am to 11am
PUB Choa Chu Kang Waterworks
More informaƟon on the webinars will be populated nearer to the event date. Please visit www.swa.org.sg for updates.
SWA WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS (joined in June and July 2020) ORDINARY MEMBERS • Badger Meter Asia • Sinohydro CorporaƟon Limited (Singapore Branch)
ASSOCIATE MEMBERS • Chong Lee Leong Seng Co Ltd • Crystal Clear Environmental Pte Ltd • Riventa Ltd (UK) • Haskoning Singapore Pte Ltd
PUBLISH YOUR ANNOUNCEMENTS OR ADVERTISEMENT
Members, who have any press releases or corporate announcements to share with the public, kindly contact the SWA secretariat at enquiry@swa.org.sg. SWA reserves the right to edit the submiƩed text.
INTERESTED TO JOIN SWA?
We welcome all organisaƟons who are acƟvely involved and interested in the water and wastewater industry to join the Singapore Water AssociaƟon as either Ordinary, Associate, InsƟtuƟonal or Individual member. Sign up at hƩps://www.swa.org.sg/membership/sign-up-online
ON OUR RADAR 57
New Linko cloud service for streamlining FOG management & compliance
A
quatic Informatics has launched a new web-based version of Linko to automate cumbersome tasks and ensure compliance for the management of fats, oils, and grease (FOG).
Eric Dorgelo, chief technology officer for Aquatic Informatics, said, “This new platform gives customers a proven FOG data management solution, with all the benefits of cloud-based software, making it easy to work from anywhere. It’s simple to use and uniform across any connected device; data integrity is maintained with the latest security and it’s more scalable so we can efficiently act on customer feedback with behind-the-scenes updates which is extremely valuable in an industry with ongoing changes in customer needs and regulations.”
CENTRALISED DATA FOSTERS COMPLIANCE Linko has been helping compliance inspectors and programme managers to easily utilise their data before, during, and after facility visits, for over 20 years. Linko ensures regulatory requirements are met and tracks Food Service Establishments (FSEs) compliance giving programme administrators clear visibility into a city’s FOG programme and centralised access to FSE details like compliance
history and cleaning schedules. Linko’s new solution automatically determines non-compliance by analysing inspection results and other data to prioritise facilities that require the most attention.
AUTOMATION ENABLES PROACTIVE FOG PROGRAMMES Linko automates time-consuming tasks including scheduling, data entry, and violation notifications, freeing up inspectors to focus on high risk areas before they become a problem. Customisable intelligent inspection forms perform calculations and even
assess a facilities risk to ensure nothing gets missed during an inspection. Email features make it simple to share inspection forms and results with FSEs, improving transparency and relations with establishments by giving them accurate actionable data. Linko’s new SaaS solution offers a simple, scalable model designed to empower organisations to quickly set up a FOG programme or easily extend existing programme capabilities. WWA
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
58 ON OUR RADAR
“Wrap, trap and zap” kills superbugs in wastewater
A
shield of graphene helps particles destroy antibiotic-resistant bacteria and free-floating antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater treatment plants, researchers report. The researchers have worked toward quenching antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” since first finding them in wastewater treatment plants in 2013. Their new work introduces microspheres wrapped in graphene oxide as a potential solution. “Superbugs are known to breed in wastewater treatment plants and release extracellular antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) when they are killed as the effluent is disinfected,” said Pedro Alvarez, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, of chemistry, of materials science and nanoengineering, of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and director of the Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment at Rice University. “These ARGs are then discharged and may transform indigenous bacteria in the receiving environment, which become resistome reservoirs. Our innovation would minimise the discharge of extracellular ARGs, and thus mitigate dissemination of antibiotic resistance from wastewater treatment plants.” The researchers showed their spheres— cores of bismuth, oxygen, and carbon wrapped with nitrogen-doped graphene oxide—inactivated multi-drug-resistant Escherichia coli bacteria and degraded plasmid-encoded antibiotic-resistant genes in secondary wastewater effluent.
The graphene-wrapped spheres kill nasties in effluent by producing three times the
Antibiotic resistance genes (eARG) released by inactivated antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) in the vicinity of photocatalytic sites on the spheres facilitates their degradation Photo credit: Alvarez Research Group/Rice University
amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as compared to the spheres alone. The spheres themselves are photocatalysts that produce ROS when exposed to light. Lab tests showed that wrapping the spheres minimised the ability of ROS scavengers to curtail their ability to disinfect the solution. The researchers say nitrogen-doping the shells increases their ability to capture bacteria, giving the catalytic spheres more time to kill them. The enhanced particles then immediately capture and degrade the resistant genes released by the dead bacteria before they contaminate the effluent. “Wrapping improved bacterial affinity for the microspheres through enhanced hydrophobic interaction between the bacterial surface and the shell,” said co-lead author Pingfeng Yu, a postdoctoral research associate at Rice’s Brown School of Engineering.
“This mitigated ROS dilution and scavenging by background constituents and facilitated immediate capture and degradation of the released ARGs.” Because the wrapped spheres are large enough to be filtered out of the disinfected effluent, it’s possible to reuse them, Yu said. Tests showed the photocatalytic activity of the spheres remained relatively stable, with no significant decrease in activity after 10 cycles—significantly better than the cycle lifetime of the same spheres minus the wrap. The research appears in the journal Water Research. Additional coauthors are from Tongji University in Shanghai and Yale University. The National Science Foundation, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the National Key R&D Program of China supported the work. WWA
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
ON OUR RADAR 59
ABB’s new analytics and AI software optimise operations in demanding market conditions
T
he ABB Ability™ Genix Industrial Analytics and AI Suite is a scalable advanced analytics platform with prebuilt, easy-to-use applications and services. It collects, contextualises and converts operational, engineering and information technology data into actionable insights that help industries improve operations, optimise asset management and streamline business processes safely and sustainably.
Analyst studies suggest that industrial companies typically are able to use only 20%¹ of the data generated, which severely limits their ability to apply data analytics meaningfully. ABB’s new solution operates as a digital data convergence point where streams of information from diverse sources across the plant and enterprise are put into context through a unified analytics model. Application of artificial intelligence on this data produces meaningful insights for prediction and optimisation that improve business performance.
The ABB Ability™ Genix Industrial Analytics and AI Suite is a scalable advanced analytics platform with pre-built, easy-to-use applications and services
“We believe that the place to start a data analytics journey in the process, energy and hybrid industries is by building on the existing digital technology – the automation that controls the production processes,” said Peter Terwiesch, president of ABB Industrial Automation. “We see a huge opportunity for our customers to use their data from operations better, by combining it with engineering and information technology data for multi-dimensional decision making. This new approach will help our customers make literally billions of better decisions.”
Scalable from plant to enterprise, ABB Ability™ Genix supports a variety of deployments including cloud, hybrid and on-premise. ABB Ability™ Genix leverages Microsoft Azure for integrated cloud connectivity and services through ABB’s strategic partnership with Microsoft.
ABB Ability™ Genix is composed of a data analytics platform and applications, supplemented by ABB services, that help customers decide which assets, processes and risk profiles can be improved, and assists customers in designing and applying those analytics. Featuring a library of applications, customers can subscribe to a variety of analytics on demand, as business needs dictate, speeding up the traditional process of requesting and scheduling support from suppliers.
“ABB Ability™ Genix helps asset-intensive producers with complex processes to make timely and accurate decisions through deep analytics and optimisation across the plant and enterprise.
“The ABB Ability™ Genix Suite brings unique value by unlocking the combined power of diverse data, domain knowledge, technology and AI,” said Rajesh Ramachandran, chief digital officer for ABB Industrial Automation.
We have designed this modular and flexible suite so that customers at different stages in their digitalisation journey can adopt ABB Ability™ Genix to accelerate business outcomes while protecting existing investments.”
A key component of ABB Ability™ Genix is the ABB Ability™ Edgenius Operations Data Manager that connects, collects, and analyzes operational technology data at the point of production. ABB Ability™ Edgenius uses data generated by operational technology such as DCS and devices to produce analytics that improve production processes and asset utilisation. ABB Ability™ Edgenius can be deployed on its own, or integrated with ABB Ability™ Genix so that operational data is combined with other data for strategic business analytics. “There is great value in data generated by automation that controls real-time production,” said Bernhard Eschermann, chief technology officer for ABB Industrial Automation. “With ABB Ability™ Edgenius, we can pull data from these real-time control systems and make it available to predict issues and prescribe actions that help us use assets better and fine-tune production processes.” WWA References: ¹ARC Advisory Group
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
60 ON OUR RADAR
Syrinix launches next-generation pipeline network analysis platform
S
yrinix has launched the nextgeneration version of RADAR, its cloud-based water and wastewater network data analysis platform. RADAR analyses data collected from installed PIPEMINDER monitoring devices, and then displays and notifies utilities in a format that is both user-customisable and easy-to-digest. The new RADAR platform has been developed to deliver network intelligence with a streamlined interface that is simpler, faster and more intuitive. Featuring zone alarms that notify a high or low pressure breach, elevation options for plotting total head pressures, automated triangulation of major events and pattern recognition so users can easily focus on key events, the new platform provides even deeper network insights to save time, increase operational efficiency and build resilience by reducing disruptive pipeline leaks and bursts.
improvements to the platform, originally launched in 2014, that continue to enhance the RADAR user experience. The new multi-zone alarms alert the utility when a minimum network pressure level is breached, automatically switching to more frequent data updates so customers can address network issues in real time. While previous versions of RADAR identified that a transient had occurred, the new triangulation feature now automatically pinpoints the location of major transients so network events, like bursts, can be found more quickly. The innovative pattern recognition feature compares and classifies transient waveforms against a standard set of reference transients specific to that network. By classifying similar shapes into actions, like a pump stop or pump start, RADAR determines which events are typical
and those that are unusual or abnormal and need urgent attention. This advanced level of intelligence empowers users to focus on the uncommon network events, saving time and money. “We are very excited to offer a new version of RADAR that was designed with features that are improving the customer experience,” said Syrinix CEO James Dunning. “Our utility partners around the world can access deeper network intelligence instantly with customised warnings and alerts in an easy, intuitive platform. Comprehensive remote monitoring that is easily accessible, even from home, prioritises worker safety and data visibility that is more aligned than ever with today’s changing utility workforce and working environment. It’s pipeline monitoring for a new world.” WWA
“This new version of RADAR is a great evolution of the existing functionality provided by Syrinix,” commented Richard Fielding, Smart Water systems engineer, Anglian Water. “Some of the new features that have proved to be particularly useful are the ability to save elevation data and plot total head pressures, zone alarms to manage alerts, and dial up regimes to maximise battery life whilst reducing falsepositive insight alerts. “Navigation remains intuitive and the user experience of the app is the best I’ve seen. RADAR will enable our analysts to work more efficiently, improve insight generation and reduce operational maintenance requirements of our fleet of devices.” Listening to clients like Anglian Water led Syrinix to develop groundbreaking
A look at the new RADAR platform
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
SNEAK PEEK 61
Diving deeper with Imagine H2O Asia’s 2020 cohort The first of a series with Imagine H2O Asia aims at showcasing their 2020 companies! With a number of startups from the cohort focusing on South Asia as a key market for deployment, this article spotlights four promising entrepreneurial solutions tackling the region’s water issues: AquAffirm, SmartTerra, Fluid Robotics and Satsure.
W
ith an estimated 50 million people in Bangladesh exposed to arsenic-contaminated water, the need for faster and more accurate testing has never been more pronounced. AquAffirm, a UK-based startup tackling arsenic detection, has developed a patented web-enabled digital field test for arsenic. With GPS functionality and full web connectivity, governments, NGOs and private well owners will be equipped with the data necessary to analyse and detect arsenic hotspots.
financial resources needed for maintenance or investment in new connections. On top of that, data on water loss is often underutilised and siloed, hampering improvement efforts to raise effiency. Gokul Krishna, founder of SmartTera, shared how he first came to realise these problems. “I started visiting municipalities, speaking with operators and documenting the challenges facing water utilities. The first thing I noticed was that there was no dedicated water engineering or managerial department in these organisations,” he said.
“The networks were being run with mostly rules of thumb and from employee memory. Without monitoring or central control for operations and maintenance, last mile distribution was both inadequate and expensive. Rationing, a common practice witnessed in many cities I visited, simply compounded the challenges further as cities send officials out to turn on or turn off communal taps. I began to ask, how could we tackle urban India’s intermittent drinking water supply issue without being able to monitor and measure where the water is going?”
This strip-based biosensor technology uses a proprietary enzyme, and is reminiscent of the familiar home diabetes test now widely used around the world. With both lab and field tests completed, AquAffirm is preparing for a major launch of their test kits in partnership with UNICEF and Bangladesh’s Department of Public Health Engineer in 2021, with plans to expand into India, China and Vietnam. AquAffirm Founder David Sarphie commented, “A key highlight has been the enthusiasm and interest with which our trips have been greeted by the local villagers where we have been working. In particular, the children always appear excited to see what we are doing and to learn more; they seem already very knowledgeable about the general arsenic problems there.” Just next door, utilities in cities across India are facing new challenges in meeting the water supply needs of their residents. Water leaks and unbilled water use are straining
An estimated 50 million people in Bangladesh are exposed to arsenic-contaminated water
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
62 SNEAK PEEK importance of these solutions are only bound to heighten as Indian cities continue to grow. At the same time, Fluid Robotics is also helping to boost employment and training opportunities — a recent initiative hires engineers from Mumbai’s Industrial Training Institute, where approximately 50 fresh graduates are assigned shortterm projects with the company.
A closer look at Fluid Robotic’s rover
SmartTerra’s AquaCity tool is working to change that— designed to digitise workflows and unify collected data, the tool also provides AI-enabled decisionmaking and real-time guidance for utility operators. A pilot with a South Indian city demonstrated an opportunity to capture 3% revenue by identifying apparent losses, including metering inaccuracies. As SmartTerra scales its solution further, cities stand to unlock more opportunities to build financial and water resilience.
On the other hand, Fluid Robotics is a startup tackling another form of nonrevenue water: physical losses. Using robotics to map and inspect sewer pipelines, the company identified 20+ MLD of water leaks during their first pilot in Mumbai. The company can help utilities recover costs, but also mitigate untreated wastewater flowing into the city’s waterways. Up to 650+ MLD of untreated wastewater has been intercepted and diverted away from water bodies, and the
A fourth Imagine H2O Asia startup is taking a different approach, empowering governments to make smarter decisions from space. Satsure utilises satellite imagery, weather forecasting data and insitu sensors to enable real-time monitoring and predictive analytics for agriculture and water resource management. As water stressed communities in South and South East Asia grow, Satsure’s tools provide deeper visibility and insight into these changing climate conditions in order to drive new improvements on the ground. Currently, approximately 50 million hectares are monitored weekly on various projects including but not limited to irrigation analysis, water quality and crop cutting, as well as sustainable fishery. WWA
About Imagine H2O Asia Led by Imagine H2O, the global water innovation accelerator, Imagine H2O Asia is a Singapore-based, virtual startup program that empowers entrepreneurs to develop and deploy solutions to solve the region’s water resource challenges. Participating startups benefit from virtual and in-country accelerator activities, pilot funding resources, investor introductions as well as access to a dedicated customer network of South East Asia utilities and businesses for deployment opportunities. The programme is open to Singaporebased and international water technology entrepreneurs. Imagine H2O Asia is supported by Enterprise Singapore, SUEZ, ADB Ventures, and PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency. Fluid Robotics’ rover put to work
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
SEPTEMBER 2020
DECEMBER 2020
JUNE 2021
Taiwan International Water Week 24 to 26 September Taipei, Taiwan
MyanWater 2020 10 to 12 December Yangon, Myanmar
Singapore International Water Week 2020 20 to 24 June Singapore
OCTOBER 2020
2021 JANUARY 2021
Pumps & Valves Asia 2020 23 to 26 September Bangkok, Thailand
InterAqua Tokyo 2021 9 to 11 December Tokyo, Japan
WEFTEC 2020 5 to 9 October Virtual Event
WFES Water 2021 18 to 20 January Abu Dhabi, UAE
Bentley Systems Year in Infrastructure 2020 20 to 21 October Virtual Event
LANKAWATER’20 21 to 23 January Colombo, Sri Lanka
LAOWATER’20 15 to 17 October Vientiane, Laos
World Water-Tech Innovation Summit 2021 23 to 24 February
FEBRUARY 2021
CAMWATER’20 22 to 24 October Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Green World Asia 18 to 19 November Singapore
Asia Water 2020 30 November to 2 December Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Indo Water Expo & Forum 2020 21 to 23 July Jakarta, Indonesia
AUGUST 2021 LANKAWATER’20 05 to 07 August Colombo, Sri Lanka
OCTOBER 2021
London, United Kingdom
MARCH 2021
NOVEMBER 2021
APRIL 2021
Indo Water Expo & Forum 2020 25 to 27 November Jakarta, Indonesia
JULY 2021
Myanmar Water 2020 20 to 22 October Yangon, Myanmar
Enlit Asia (formerly known as Asian Utility Week 2020) 23 to 25 March Jakarta, Indonesia
NOVEMBER 2020
LAOWATER’21 17 to 19 June Vientiane, Laos
IE expo 20 to 22 April Shanghai, China
VietWater (Ho Chi Minh) 2021 11 to 13 November Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
2022 MAY 2022
IFAT Munich 2020 30 May – 2 June Munich, Germany
MAY 2021
IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition 2020 9 to 14 May Copenhagen, Denmark
September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
Scan to download eBook WWA September/October 2020
Index of Advertisers Advertisers
ANDRITZ AG - PUMPS DIEHL METERING DUPONT
Page
IFC 7 OBC
Advertisers
Page
OVARRO CONNECTING TECHNOLOGIES
1
SINGAPORE WATER EXCHANGE (PUB)
17
TSURUMI MANUFACTURING CO., LTD
IBC
GUANGDONG LESSO TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD 13
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA
HARBIN FIRSTLINE ENVIRONMENT TECHNNOLOGY CO., LTD 11
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA - WEBINAR
5
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September / October 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com
