Water & Wastewater Asia NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2020 www.waterwastewaterasia.com

Aiding Mongolia The art of making intelligent decisions Fruitful endeavours PUB Singapore harnesses smart technology to fuel its asset renewal programme

04 48 63 64 16 18 19 22 24 27 30 32 34

Editor’s Note SWA Newsletter What’s Next?

Advertisers’ Index

IN THE FIELD

Pilot studies on the treatment of river water using coagulation-UF membrane filtration and direct UF membrane filtration Aiding Mongolia WaterGEMS prioritises Manila water facilities for disaster resiliency and contingency plan The art of making intelligent decisions

FOCUS

PUB Singapore harnesses smart technology to fuel its asset renewal programme Industrial water reuse set to grow Fruitful endeavours Why water is key to unlocking a circular economy between utilities & industries Seven sins against local water management

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

36 40 42 44 46 52 53 54 56 58 60 61

VIEWPOINT

Sustainable technology for on-site wastewater solutions Stretching your dollar with flexible water treatment options Five signs your water treatment system needs refreshing

HOTSEAT

JKMATIC: Providing the right technology

Gradiant Boleh!

ON OUR RADAR Tsurumi debuts the KTZ-series 22kW

Easy configuration with new 80 GHz compact radar transmitters for level measurement Sustainable food producer introduces NZ’s first KDS sludge dewatering technology to cost-efficiently reduce waste and environmental footprint LACROIX Sofrel introduces SOFREL YDRIX High hydrolysis resistance with plenty of extras New UltraPure advances competitive edge for biotech and pharma SNEAK PEEK

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

FROM THE EDITOR

WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY PABLO SINGAPORE Publisher

Senior Editor

Natalie Chew natalie@pabloasia.com

Business Development Manager

YanJun Pang yanjun@pabloasia.com

Graphic Designer

Edwin De Souza edwin@pabloasia.com

With a blink of an eye, we’re now on the last issue of the year.

But while the going gets tough, the tough gets going. The industry has remained resilient in times of tough economy and health.

For instance, physical shows have turned virtual in order to continue providing solutions to users (p.8). Growth is also happening as seen with Gradiant acquisition of Sigma Water Malaysia (p.9) and Hach’s with Arachem’s water quality business (p.11). This is on top of UK-India memorandum of understanding (MOU) to boost trade in the water sector (p.10) as well as the MOU between PILLER and Memsift (p.12) to combine both companies’ efforts and expertise.

Then there’s Cla-Val helping to rehabilitate Ulanbataars Water supply in Mongolia (p.18) and Bentley Systems stepping in to assist Manila Water in the Philippines in reducing their losses (p.19).

Despite a gloomy year, with many countries still on lockdown there are still fun moments too. The National University of Singapore (NUS) has discovered a novel usage for the pineapple by converting its leaves into ultra-light, biodegradable aerogels (p.30). There’s also a listicle on the seven sins against local water management (p.34).

So while this year has not exactly been ideal, there were still good moments. And we’re looking to taking on 2021 with much gusto!

So stay safe, everybody.

Oh, and please do not forget to check out Water & Wastewater Asia’s new logo and website (p.6)!

Cheers,

Pang Yanrong yanrong@pabloasia.com

Assistant Editor

PANG YANRONG Senior Editor

2020 has been a year of many major events – from the bushfires in Australia, the impeachment trial of US President Donald Trump, at the time of writing, the US drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani to the current raging pandemic – it’s been a rough ride.

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

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November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

6 THE NEWS

Water & Wastewater Asia unveils new logo, revamps website WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA, the trade professional’s go-to for expert sources of industry information, recently launched its new corporate brand identity, redesigned logo, and website.

These changes come at a time when the company is evolving and diversifying its service offerings to the industry.

Designed to work effortlessly across digital and physical channels, the new logo brings forth the image of waves moving across the water’s surface, reflecting the water

and wastewater industry’s dynamism and constant change.

To date, Water & Wastewater Asia’s logo has been primarily blue and white – the new logo incorporates blue colour gradients, transitioning from dark to light blue, and signifying movement and change.

The newly-redesigned website allows for ease of navigation, with a layout structured to provide a seamless user experience.

A new “Virtual Exhibition” page has also been added, to cater to the increasingly

digital landscape that trade shows and exhibitions now need to navigate. With this new addition, Water & Wastewater Asia displays how it is primed to bring industry professionals everything they need to stay at the forefront of the industry’s innovations.

The changeover to the new brand design is expected to be completed by the end of 2020.

Visit Water & Wastewater Asia’s website (https://waterwastewaterasia.com) for daily industry news and updates!

DuPont’s OxyMem wins “Breakthrough Technology Company of the Year” at Global Water Summit OXYMEM, a recent acquisition by DuPont, was recently named the “Breakthrough Technology Company of the Year” by the Global Water Awards for its innovative Membrane Aerated Biofilm Reactor (MABR) technology for the treatment and purification of municipal and industrial wastewater.

Named one of the most impressive commercial breakthroughs into the global water technology market in 2019, OxyMem’s drop-in MABR modules intensify the biological process on existing wastewater treatment plants, increasing treatment capacity with minimal energy consumption.

Rather than expanding existing wastewater treatment plants, MABR offers a cost-effective way to retrofit and upgrade activated sludge plants to meet tightening effluent standards and to cater for population growth.

OxyMem, a recent acquisition by DuPont, won the “Breakthrough Technology Company of the Year” by the Global Water Awards. Photo credit: Global Water Awards’ website

Once in place, MABR delivers oxygen to the established biofilm via millions of gas permeable membrane fibres; a mechanism capable of using up to 75% less energy than traditional bubble aeration.

In older plants, OxyMem’s MABR may also improve sludge settlement and generate less waste biosolids, reducing the cost and effort of removal from site.

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

THE NEWS 7

Bentley Systems announces winners of Year in Infrastructure 2020 Awards Bentley Systems, Incorporated, the infrastructure engineering software company, has announced the winners of the Year in Infrastructure 2020 Awards. The annual awards programme honours the extraordinary work of Bentley users advancing design, construction, and operations of infrastructure throughout the world.

Sixteen independent jury panels selected the 57 finalists from over 400 nominations submitted by more than 330 organisations from more than 60 countries.

Bentley Systems acknowledged 19 Year in Infrastructure 2020 Awards winners and 14 Special Recognition awardees on October 21 during the Year in Infrastructure 2020 Conference, held virtually for the first time.

The Year in Infrastructure 2020 Special Recognition awardees for the water categories are: Water and Wastewater Treatment Plants Hatch Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plant Outfall Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Water, Wastewater, and Stormwater Networks DTK Hydronet Solutions Digital Water Network Engineering & Asset Management of Dibrugarh Water Supply Project Dibrugarh, Assam, India

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

8 THE NEWS

ASIAWATER goes virtual INFORMA MARKETS, the organiser of ASIAWATER, has officially announced that the event will go on as a virtual event from 30 November to 2 December 2020.

ASIAWATER 2020 was originally scheduled to take place at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) in Malaysia as a hybrid event, combining both physical and virtual exhibition and conference in one event, but the COVID-19 situation has meant that organisers have to remove the physical aspect of the event.

The decision was made considering the latest development of the COVID-19 situation in Malaysia, as well as the government’s decision to implement the Recovery Movement Control Order until 31 December 2020. The uncertainties currently posed by the global pandemic and the subsequent travel control measures have disrupted most business activities and restrained the participation of international exhibitors and visitors to the physical event.

ASIAWATER 2020 Virtual Event is aimed at keeping the water and wastewater industry in Malaysia and across South East Asia connected with their leading exhibiting brands, assisting industry players and

manufacturers to collaborate, share best practices, and adopt a cost-effective method in growing their businesses digitally. Running concurrently with the virtual exhibition will be ASIAWATER’s Conference & Seminars, which will also be held virtually during the ASIAWATER 2020 Virtual Event.

“With the recent global pandemic, businesses around the globe have been badly affected due to travel restrictions and other business uncertainties, which directly inhibits business dealings and face-to-face interactions. In the meanwhile, adapting to the new norm of digitisation, ASIAWATER 2020 is proud to debut our virtual event this year to ensure our stakeholders can conduct business and continue the industry conversation.

Our virtual event is one of ASIAWATER’s many digital solutions designed to facilitate businesses for our customers,” said Mr Gerard Leeuwenburgh, country general manager of Informa Markets in Malaysia.

for both exhibitors and visitors to connect in a non-restricted virtual space. Customised exhibition booths and structures are available across the platform, where visitors can conveniently visit and browse the exhibitor’s offerings.

ASIAWATER 2020 Virtual Event platform will be kept running 24 hours a day for the span of the three days, to keep exhibitors and visitors from different parts of the world and time zones connected.

In addition, the virtual exhibition includes an interactive online business matching platform where buyers can engage in a meaningful real-time conversation and information sharing with all the exhibitors through a one-on-one session in a live chatroom.

ASIAWATER 2020 Virtual Exhibition is expected to draw more than 1,000 quality virtual trade visitors along with some 100 participating companies.

The virtual event is designed to replicate the appearance of a live event, creating a virtual presence of exhibiting brands to ensure a realistic and immersive experience

ASIAWATER 2020 will be a virtual event. Photo credit: ASIAWATER’s website

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

THE NEWS 9

Gradiant acquires Sigma Water (Malaysia) as part of South East Asia growth strategy GRADIANT, an international end-to-end water solutions provider, has acquired Malaysia-based Sigma Water Engineering (M) Sdn Bhd to expand its regional operations throughout South East Asia and provide support to its project achievements in Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Sigma Water Engineering, based in Selangor, Malaysia, is an industrial water and wastewater treatment company with repeated success in delivering industrial water treatment systems in food and beverage, oil and gas, glove manufacturing, and other various water intensive industries.

Additionally, Sigma Water has a strong manufacturing front with a fabrication and chemical storage facility also based in Malaysia along with established relationships with both global and local customers, contractors, and other resources supplying Gradiant with further reach and experience throughout the region.

The combination of Gradiant’s award-winning technologies and strong financing capabilities alongside Sigma Water’s project delivery and O&M expertise presents the South East Asian water market with a new and significantly improved suite of sustainable and cost-effective solutions to water treatment.

Gradiant will integrate its brine concentration product suite utilizing its proprietary Carrier Gas Extraction CGE™ and RO Infinity ROi™ systems with Sigma Water’s engineering and execution abilities to better serve regional customers across different sectors. These customers will also benefit from the new asset performance management services that will manage plants remotely and on-site.

“This acquisition solidifies Gradiant as the premier choice for complex wastewater treatment in the South East Asian water market. Sigma Water has the experience, the manufacturing scale, and the reputable network bolstering Gradiant’s presence throughout the region and improving upon our customer offerings.

Our collective approach will increase freshwater recovery, reduce harmful wastewater volumes to zero or minimum liquid discharge (ZLD/MLD), improve asset performance and improve overall lifecycle costs for our customers. This means better for our environment and better for our customers – a true win-win,” said Prakash Govindan, co-founder and COO of Gradiant.

This announcement comes off the back of a strong year for Gradiant, which recently announced that it won 12 projects in H1 2020 across Asia Pacific, ranging from the production of domestic water from rivers to treatment of high-contamination industrial effluent for reuse, including ZLD applications.

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

10 THE NEWS

UK-India water MoU offers “great boost” to trade BRITISH Water Chief Executive Lila Thompson says a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreed between India and the UK’s leading water sector trade association will “bring a great boost” to trading relationships between the two countries.

Thompson’s comments came at the IndiaUK Water Partnership Forum, a virtual event which took place on 22 September 2020.

The collaborative agreement has been signed by British Water, cGanga - a thinktank set up by the Indian Government’s Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation (Jal Shakti) - and the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG). With some $200 billion of investment planned for the Indian water market, the MoU has been formalised to make it easier for the UK water industry to participate in the opportunities and for Indian companies to access global markets.

Thompson said that India’s Environmental Technology Verification programme is a particularly useful channel for UK technology companies seeking to enter the Indian market.

“A number of companies, including British Water members, have already been selected for work on the Clean Ganges Programme and are already in the process of rolling out their pilots and demonstration projects,” she said.

India’s Secretary of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Upendra Prasad Singh, gave a keynote address to delegates. He explained the vast challenges faced by the country, which includes bringing drinking water and sanitation to every household. The ambitious 2024 deadline for the drinking water mission (Jal Jeewan) means making 1.1 million connections each day.

“We can’t afford to fail,” he said, outlining the two key components for the Ministry which are civil management of water and wastewater and ensuring greater flow in all

The new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreed between India and the UK’s leading water sector trade association will “bring a great boost” to trading relationships between the two countries

river basins. “We have always welcomed any kind of cooperation, technical or otherwise, from other countries and we have tried to remove any entry barriers for companies from other countries so that we get best technologies and best of their practices.”

opportunities in the Indian water sector.”

The MOU was facilitated by British Water’s International Forum and international manager, Karolina Perét alongside British Water international business mentor for India and Asia, Jas Sohl.

Secretary Singh also explained how by streamlining the design, construction and operation of new infrastructure, the Government aimed to raise the standard of project delivery and operation.

Speaking after the event, Perét said, “After many months of planning and collaboration, I am thrilled this important MoU has been signed. British Water has a long history of organising business development visits to India, and this partnership will open many more doors for our members, who have a depth of experience and expertise. We look forward to working with cGanga to help deliver critical transformation of water and wastewater services in India.”

Dr Vinod Tare, founding head of cGanga, told the Forum that the Indian Government has to deliver and needs to bring the very best know-how, technology and best practice from around the world and to “develop a unique blend of experience from developed and developing world approaches.”

Finance and investment were also major themes of the Forum, which saw participation from the City of London Corporation (CLC) and the London Stock Exchange.

In her inaugural address, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Gaitri Issar Kumar, said, “The UK is at cutting edge of innovation in the water sector and is also the leading green finance hub of the world – there are today tremendous business and investment

Next steps for the collaboration include further briefings on cGanga and other project opportunities and the exploration of UK participation at the India Water Impact Summit. The UK will play to host the Indian Government and industry with planned site visits to see water technology and engineering innovations in action.

The partners will also work together to shine a spotlight on water at COP26 the 26th United Nations climate change conference - which takes place in Glasgow, Scotland from 1 November 2020.

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

THE NEWS 11

Hach acquires Arachem’s Water Quality business, expands training centre in Malaysia HACH COMPANY, a subsidiary of Danaher Corporation based in Loveland, Colorado, USA, has recently acquired the Environment, Process and Service divisions of Arachem, a specialised supplier of laboratory and online analysers for water and wastewater based in Malaysia. The acquisition expands Hach’s direct presence in Malaysia, while strengthening their ability to ensure water quality across Asia.

The business, which will be called Hach Malaysia, will offer water quality expertise, support and service. Hach Malaysia will also house a robust technical training centre that will serve customers and associates across the Asia-Pacific region. Hach Malaysia will support growth initiatives for businesses across Danaher’s Water Quality Platform including Trojan Technologies, OTT Hydromet and SeaBird Scientific. Hach Malaysia further increases the analytics and treatment capabilities of these businesses and their expertise to solve tough water challenges that impact health and infrastructure around the world.

“This acquisition is an important moment in our global growth and water leadership

because it gives us added training capabilities in the Asian region, which means more people who are equipped to tackle tough water issues,” said Sahil Sansi, general manager of Hach Malaysia.

improvement guides growth while keeping operations and decisions smart, innovative and anchored to the voice of customers.

“We’ve built a trusted partnership with Arachem over the past several years, “This acquisition allows us so we are looking forward to to deepen our presence in a strengthening and building fast-growing region where on that collaboration.

Hach’s acquisition of the the issue of water quality Environment, Process and Malaysia is one of the Service divisions of Arachem will only continue to gain leading geographies for sees the company expanding significance. Arachem has its presence in Malaysia, while Hach within the Asian strengthening their ability to an exceptionally talented region, with Arachem ensure water quality across Asia team and has built a strong being one of Hach’s reputation and customer relationships, top distributors globally,” said Hermes which gives us the foundation to provide Gonzalez, president of Hach. deep expertise through technical support and exceptional customer service.”

“Strong market dynamics in South East

GROWTH STRATEGY Hach and Danaher have a strong track record of integrating acquisitions, improving businesses, expanding innovation and offering new products to customers. A focus on continuous

Asia make it the right time to deepen our direct presence in the region in terms of selling to customers, enhancing service capability and building a strong technical training centre. Arachem is the ideal partner to achieve these goals.”

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

12 THE NEWS

PILLER signs MOU with Memsift

Customised PILLER MVR Blower solutions

PILLER, a German-based blowers & compressors manufacturer, recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Singaporean industrial liquid-waste treatment company Memsift Innovations – this MOU promises to combine both companies’ efforts and expertise, creating a new benchmark for industrial liquid-waste treatment and zero liquid discharge (ZLD).

Jeff Choong, regional sales engineer for Piller SEA Pte Ltd, said, “PILLER and Memsift joined hands in cooperation in order to combine efforts and expertise, setting a new benchmark for industrial liquid-waste treatment and ZLD. Being the technological leader in MVR blower technology, Piller Blowers & Compressors is always striving for innovations and futureoriented projects. Blowers from PILLER are used as a core element in a wide range of wastewater applications.

Our latest development, the PILLER VapoFan, a compact and modular MVR blower, is the

perfect fit to Memsift’s system: The Blower is specifically designed for low flow rates (200kg/hr to 5000kg/hr of steam) – an excellent solution for the low flow brine treatment.

This matches Memsift’s innovative thermal membrane process, used for ZLD, treating industrial waste water with highest efficiency.”

Located in Singapore, Piller SEA Pte Ltd covers the sales areas of South East Asia, Oceania, Taiwan, Australia and South Korea.

PILLER offers centrifugal MVR Blowers since the 1980s, which are applied in various industries such as dairy, petrochemical, chemical and beverage processing. Through their continuous improvement programme, PILLER has developed a new solution for low flow MVR applications - the VapoFan series.

This series of MVR Blowers offers advanced performance with improved reliability in a compact modular equipment offering.

The VapoFan series is a complete system

consisting of a vertically arranged blower, a high-speed motor and a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD). The system convinces with its compact and modular design, resulting in lower cost and shorter delivery, as well as with perfectly matched blower and motor for mass flows from 200kg/hr to 5,000kg/hr. These features match with Memsift’s current focus.

PILLER and Memsift will work together in developing a prototype industrial liquidwaste treatment system by integrating PILLER’s VapoFan into Memsift’s TS-30 ZLD System.

“Memsift will be responsible for the technology of the system in general, while PILLER provides the solution for vapour compression within that system,” said Choong. “Our blower will thus be important for overall energy efficiency. Memsift’s system is currently in the development phase, and they are optimistic to launch it in the market in 2021.”

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

THE NEWS 13

For Memsift, the partnership will allow them to tap into German technology and the expertise to demonstrate a low-temperature liquid-waste treatment system that will reduce energy consumption by up to 90% when compared to conventional liquid-waste incineration methods.

For PILLER, working with Memsift will open new doors of opportunity. “With this new partnership, PILLER again proves its innovative strength and customer orientation,” said Choong. “The project implemented by Memsift addresses the waste disposal cost issues for many industrial companies. This means a huge step in wastewater industry, offering a solution to recover waste energy and reducing CO2 emissions.”

PILLER will work with Memsift to develop a prototype industrial liquid-waste treatment system

“As one of the technological leading centrifugal MVR blower manufacturers, we are acting internationally – providing customised high-performance blowers and compressors for the process industry.

Besides offering high-performance blowers, PILLER uses MVR technology for heat

recovery; as an Industrial Heat Pump.

Against the backdrop of rising energy prices, generating or recovering steam is an attractive option in many industries and countries. Extreme reductions in energy consumption and costs can be achieved by implementing our solution.”

He added, “The collaboration with Memsift shows the demand in low flow ZLD treatment and unites that with reliable, efficient vapour compression solutions – as environmentally-friendly solutions. With the increasing awareness in wastewater treatment, energy recovery and CO2 emission all over the world, we look ahead to a lot of opportunities – even for the South East Asian region.”

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

14 THE NEWS

Cerahelix names William Paulus CEO CERAHELIX, INC., an organisation involved in the development and manufacture of disruptive ceramic nanofiltration membrane products, has announced the appointment of William (Bill) Paulus as chief executive officer.

ceramic nanofiltration as a powerful solution for a wide array of applications,” said Paulus.

Paulus brings more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing and global operations to his position. Prior to becoming part of the Cerahelix team, he was vice president of Global Operations at Celgard, a global leader in the development and manufacturing of high-performance membrane separators, where he also served as vice president of Product Development and director of intellectual property and corporate strategy.

Paulus, who joined Cerahelix in January as chief operating officer, will oversee the company’s plans to accelerate growth and firmly establish its leadership in the growing market for ceramic nanofiltration to solve often complex filtration and separation challenges.

Manufactured using the company’s patented thin-film and DNA templating technology, Cerahelix ceramic nanofiltration membranes represents the next generation in filtration and separation technology.

They are being used by a growing number of companies to address their filtration, treatment and separation requirements.

“At Cerahelix, our goal is to help customers solve their filtration and separation challenges and “At Cerahelix, our goal is to help customers improve process efficiency by leveraging the solve their filtration and separation challenges power of ceramic nanofiltration. I am grateful and improve process efficiency by leveraging for the confidence that has been placed in me, the power of ceramic nanofiltration. I am and look forward to helping the company grow grateful for the confidence that has been and also advance the use ceramic nanofiltration placed in me, and look forward to helping as a powerful solution for a wide array of the company grow and also advance the use applications,” said Paulus.

William Paulus, newly-appointed CEO of Cerahelix

Organisational changes in Grundfos to improve customer proximity and fuel innovation Grundfos recently announced the next step in their global transformation to strengthen its position as one of the world’s leading water technology companies, pioneering solutions to the world’s water and climate challenges and improving quality of life for people.

The company is responding to trends in changing customer needs by reorganising for simplicity and speed, and by investing significantly into innovation and digital capabilities.

For instance, it is organising its sales, marketing, technology and operations functions to serve four different customer segments: Commercial Building Services, Domestic Building Services, Industry, and

Water Utility. This creates a more customer centric structure, where the whole value chain is focused on meeting customers’ unique needs.

Even though the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on markets globally in the first half of 2020, Grundfos is making these changes from a position of strength.

Jens Moberg, chairman of the Holding Board of Directors, said, “Our strong performance allows us to make these changes from a position of strength. Now is the right time for us to make the changes to put our strategy into action.”

This transformation results in a reduction of approximately 600 employees worldwide.

In line with its values, Grundfos will treat its employees with the utmost respect and provide them with support.

Moberg expressed, “It will be very sad to see some of our colleagues leave us at this pivotal time, and I would like to thank everyone for their hard work and loyalty. We will make sure to care for them as they have cared for us and our customers during their time with Grundfos.”

“Since the birth of the business back in 1945 we have changed many times to ensure our success. Now is no different, we are taking these important moves to proactively put our strategy in to action and better fulfil our purpose.”

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

THE NEWS 15

Veolia wins $183 million contract and contributes to drinking water access in Sri Lanka BY winning a €156 million ($183 million) contract from the Sri Lankan National Water Supply and Drainage Board, Veolia, through its subsidiaries OTV and SADE, will help provide access to water on a large scale in the Greater Matale area.

plants in the region along with 12 service reservoirs, five pumping stations and more 430km of transmission and distribution pipes. This system will ensure drinking water quality and secure supply for more than 350,000 people.

Located in Sri Lanka’s Central Province, some 150 kilometres from the capital, Colombo, Greater Matale is a predominantly agricultural region. Veolia, through its subsidiary OTV, has just been appointed project manager for the construction of five new water treatment

Clarification, settling and filtration, the Matale (30,000m3/d), Ambanganga (18,000m3/d), Ukuwela, Udatenna and Rattotta (9,000m3/d each) water treatment plants will incorporate the Veolia solutions and technology that best suit local conditions. Another Veolia subsidiary,

SADE will act as subcontractor to design and build the 433km transmission and distribution network.

This contract was made possible with the support of local French government services through a financial scheme combining export credit from a syndicate of banks (CACIB, Natixis, Unicredit and BNP Paribas), with a guarantee from the French Ministry of Finance and a local commercial loan from HNB bank and treasury bonds.

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

16 IN THE FIELD

Pilot studies on the treatment of river water using coagulation-UF membrane filtration and direct UF membrane filtration

T

oday, major water purification methods used municipal and industrial water treatment facilities consist of a combination of coagulation and flocculation, sedimentation, rapid sand filtration, and disinfection. Membrane filtration using microfiltration (MF) or ultrafiltration (UF) membranes have also been recognised as suitable alternatives to rapid sand filtration, due to the ability of MF and UF membranes to remove particles, bacteria, and protozoa.

Recently, Japanese water treatment company Kuraray conducted pilot-scale tests for river water treatment using the FG module, which is applicable to high-turbidity water - this was to evaluate the water quality, and examine the stability of UF membrane filtration without pre-treatment.

KURARAY’S FG MODULE The FG module is an outside-in, dead-end type UF membrane module, which consists of hydrophilic Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) hollow fibre membranes with an effective surface membrane area of 40m2. One end of the hollow fibre membranes is potted by polyurethane resin. The hollow fibres at opposite side are sealed separately. The oneend-free structure enables particle removal easily during backwashing and air scrubbing.

have a higher pure water permeability as compared to other MF and UF membranes.

A combination of the one end free structure, the centre distributor, and the high-flux hollow fibre membrane, enables operation with higher flux for higher turbidity water.

THE EXPERIMENT River water was taken by a submerged pump and fed to the 1-m3 reaction tank and mixed with chemicals. Backwashing and air scrubbing were performed periodically. After stopping the filtration, compressed air was fed to the filtrate side pipe for backwashing.

The FG module was periodically maintained by automatic chemical cleaning (ACC) to avoid bacterial growth and coagulant fouling.

The experiment sought to record and analyse the pressure of feed water and filtration, feed water temperature, filtrate flow rate, raw water turbidity, and filtrate turbidity, by using pressure sensors, resistance thermometer sensors, electromagnetic flow meters, and turbidity meters. The tests were conducted at two different locations in Vietnam - the Da river, and the Lo river.

Kuraray’s FG module consists of PVDF hollow fibre membranes with an effective surface membrane area of 40m2

The element has a piping structure called centre distributor with holes on its surface.

Water and the air can be fed through the centre distributor so that the particles on the hollow fibres especially around the potting side and the centre of the element are removed easily.

The hollow fibre membrane has fine pores on the outside (which act as a filtration layer) and bigger pores on the inside (acting as the support layer), which are continuously connected and gradually widening. This allows for the hollow fibre membrane to

Water samples taken from the Lo and Da rivers during the experiment conducted

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

IN THE FIELD 17

TMP range for CIP recorded during the operation

How the FG module works

EXPERIMENT RESULTS

CONCLUSIONS DRAWN

Tests conducted using surface water from the Da river showed that the colour, turbidity, iron, and aluminium from raw river water did not meet Vietnamese drinking water quality standards, but water samples collected from the UF membrane filtrate met the same standard across all parameters. The team concluded that a combination of coagulation and UF membrane filtration with disinfection as a post-treatment would be applicable for drinking water production.

The tests conducted to test the effectiveness of UF membrane filtration for river water were carried out with and without coagulation as a pre-treatment test – the tests that used the UF membrane were found to produce water that met Vietnamese drinking water quality standards.

This indicated to the team that this method of water treatment could be used to avoid coagulation and/or sedimentation as pre-treatment steps.

In addition to this finding, the filtration flux of the tests conducted also found that the flux was higher than reported reference values, indicating that the number of modules required for water treatment plants could be reduced with the usage of Kuraray’s FG modules.

For the Lo river, the team found that samples taken from the river contained colours and levels of turbidity, iron, aluminium, and arsenic that did not meet Vietnamese drinking water quality standards. With the UF membrane, all samples were found to be well below restrictions implemented by Vietnamese drinking water quality standards, with the exception of colour (which was close to the standard value of 15 TCU).

The colour could be removed through a combination of coagulation and UF membrane filtration, which were found to effectively remove humic substances in the river water.

Tests were conducted on the Lo and Da rivers in Vietnam using Kuraray’s FG modules

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

18 IN THE FIELD

Aiding Mongolia Climate change and rapid urbanisation are threatening fragile water resources in Mongolia where more than half the inhabitants have no access to clean water, according to a report released by the Mongolia Water Authority and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

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n Mongolia, surface water is covered by ice for about half the year, hence, groundwater becomes the primary source of water for major urban areas, and it’s expected that climate change will affect these resources throughout the country in the coming years.

These effects have been compounded by rapid urbanisation, reducing the availability of water for both domestic and industrial use. The population has grown from 896,000 in 2005 to a projected 1.7 million by 2030. This situation is particularly serious in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar where nearly 40% of the population resides.

Climate change and rapid urbanisation are threatening fragile water resources in Mongolia where more than half the inhabitants have no access to clean water, according to a report released by the Mongolia Water Authority and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Globally, Mongolia is one of the 60 countries with limited water resources. The total water consumption is approximately 540 million cubic metres per year, and over 80% is consumed by the industrial and agricultural sectors, leaving 20% for domestic use. If this status quo continues, the country will not be able to provide sustainable water resources for its population. In Ulaanbaatar, the daily consumption is only about 5-10 litres per capita per day and very few are connected to the city’s water distribution network.

Currently, water in the city is being withdrawn faster than the rate of discharge and groundwater tables have shown a marked decline in the past 50 years. The temperature increase in the last 20 years has gone up by 2.14°C and dry desert area has increased by 21% in the last 20 years. Changes to dry and harsh winters and hot dry summers are reducing river flows and ground water tables.

UNEP (United Nations Environmental Programme) has identified increased investment and rehabilitation of existing water supply networks as a key component of improving the management of water supply utilities.

In 2017, a major rehabilitation of Ulanbataars Water supply was instigated and critical to that was the application of Cla-Val’s range of automatic control valves.

In 2017, a major rehabilitation of Ulanbataars Water supply was instigated and critical to that was the application of Cla-Val’s range of automatic control valves

Model 340 series rate of flow control valves from 150mm through 500mm and 360-02 series pressure control valves from 200mm through 400mm were installed into the network to able remote control of both flows and pressures across the network.

With the technology from Cla-Val, Ulanbataar forwards to another 25 years of trouble-free performance

Ten existing 25-year-old Cla-Val 90 series valves were fitted with the latest generation of ClaVal’s 34 series actuated pilot controls and 117 series of position transmitters to enable these long serving valves to be upgraded to the latest technology.

The application of the flow control valves enabled the city to obtain a much more even distribution of flow throughout the network while the CRDHS 34 actuated pilot allowed them to alter the flow set points, particularly during times of high demand such as the spring festival.

Control of pressure dramatically reduced NRW (non-revenue water) and line break frequency.

And with the usage of CRD34 pilots, it allowed the city the ability to manipulate the pressure at times of high demand. With this latest technology, the city forwards to another 25 years of trouble-free performance from their Cla-Val automatic control valves.

All images are credited to Cla-Val.

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

IN THE FIELD 19

WaterGEMS prioritises Manila water facilities for disaster resiliency and contingency plan Utility’s masterplan reduces potential losses by $380m using WaterGEMS

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ocated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines experiences frequent earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and typhoons that cause catastrophic losses.

Manila Water Company, Inc., prepared a Natural Calamity Risk Resiliency and Mitigation Masterplan to ensure that there is a reliable water supply in the event of a natural disaster for the service area covering the East Zone of Metro Manila (the National Capital Region) and Rizal Province.

Modelling with WaterGEMS illustrated what would happen if one or more interconnected supply systems shut down and which facilities would cause the most losses if they were operating at less than full capacity.

The results helped Manila Water prioritise resiliency measures and contingency plans for more than 100 facilities, reducing potential losses by $380m compared to $520m without such measures.

ASSETS AT RISK Manila Water operates the concession to provide water treatment, water distribution, sewerage, and sanitation services to the eastern side of Metropolitan Manila, where there are more than six million residential, commercial, and industrial customers. The concession encompasses 24 cities and municipalities in a 1,400-square-kilometre area. Manila Water has a mandate to provide customers with an uninterrupted water supply that complies with national drinking water standards. Manila Water aims to maintain reliable water service during natural disasters, when it is essential for sanitation, hygiene, and preservation of life.

The Philippines are threatened by an average of 20 typhoons every year, with 10 making landfall and five reaching superstorm proportions. In 2009, the deadliest season in decades, Typhoon Ketsana left more than 670 dead and $237m in damages. The country also suffers at least one destructive earthquake each year. When the magnitude 7.6 Samar earthquake struck in 2012, it displaced more than one million people and destroyed extensive infrastructure, leaving critical facilities inoperable and disrupting water service. Government hazard assessments predict that the next catastrophic earthquake could cause as many as 34,000 fatalities and disrupt access to drinking water for months.

To assess preparedness for such a calamity, Manila Water conducted a Resiliency and Business Interruption (RBI) study to determine which of its facilities would be the most vulnerable. The RBI study confirmed that the utility would suffer significant damage to dams, water transmission and distribution pipelines, treatment plants, reservoirs, pump stations, and other facilities. Damage assessments indicated that it would take $520m to restore service.

The utility concluded that it could not afford to lose these critical facilities and that it would take too long to restore them to full operational capacity. The RBI study suggested high-priority facilities that would need to be made more resilient to minimise damage. Lower priority facilities would require contingency plans in case of

their loss. The objective was to mitigate the adverse effects of a natural disaster, ensure a reliable water supply during such calamities, and accomplish these objectives for the most economical cost. Savings would not only benefit the private utility and its public partners but also be passed on to customers in the form of lower tariffs.

MASTERPLAN FOR RESILIENCY Manila Water undertook a rigorous process to optimise the masterplan for improving resiliency and mitigating risk at its more than 100 facilities. WaterGEMS, Bentley’s water distribution analysis and design software, was used to build a model and simulate operations of the entire water supply system. The model incorporated data from internal and external sources, including ground elevations, demand loading and patterns, pipe profiles, and other parameters. Various WaterGEMS capabilities used for model building, such as automated elevation and demand assignment node allocation, helped Manila Water create an accurate hydraulic model efficiently.

Simulating operations under various scenarios revealed the effects of losing one or more components of the water system, illustrating how interconnected systems would react if one or more systems shut down. The what-if scenarios included assessing options for evacuation centre locations, network segmentation, water storage capacities, and other variables. The results allowed Manila Water to identify and prioritise critical facilities with confidence.

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

20 IN THE FIELD For example, if damage to a primary water main would cause loss of pressure, WaterGEMS calculated how much water could be supplied from alternate sources and for how long. This indicated which facilities would have the highest impact on water availability and so required resiliency measures.

The modelling also helped the utility to make contingency plans in case of catastrophic

losses. The simulations identified the best locations for underground emergency reservoirs to supply evacuation centres and other population centres, if connecting systems were damaged. The masterplan also prioritised facilities whose failure would cause further damage, such as a dam that would cause a catastrophic release of water if it failed.

PUBLIC-PRIVATE COLLABORATION Throughout the study and planning process, Manila Water collaborated with local government units and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

This ensured that the utility’s masterplan was aligned with each government agency’s plan for emergency response.

The WaterGEMS model helped the agencies select the most suitable location for the location of evacuation sites: the visuals created by an overlay of pressure and flow profiles generated by WaterGEMS, on a GIS-based map helped to envision the water supply in relation to population centres.

Then, Manila Water used WaterGEMS to ensure these sites would have a secure and reliable water supply in case of a catastrophic event. WaterGEMS produced project cost calculations, supporting documentation, and detailed reports for review by all stakeholders. The plans made clear the risk associated with taking no action, and the rewards of taking measures to ensure access to potable water under different contingencies. The model not only prioritised capital expenditures by criticality of facilities, but also prevented unnecessary expenditures on non-critical facilities. In short, the study helped to determine where to expend resources most economically for the greatest benefit. These were results that stakeholders could embrace.

AFFORDABLE RISK REDUCTION According to final RBI study projections, applying the resiliency and contingency measures to the prioritised facilities would decrease damages during a catastrophic event by $380m. The WaterGEMS simulations demonstrated that the proposed measures would significantly reduce property damage and business interruption in Metro Manila and Rizal Province. More importantly, the plan would ensure a stable water supply for Manila Water’s customers.

A resiliency and business interruption (RBI) study conducted by Manila Water indicated which facilities would be most vulnerable to calamities

Rather than settle for the initial projections, which estimated a recovery cost of $520m paid largely through tariffs, Manila Water found a viable, economical way to minimise damages and provide reliable water service

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

IN THE FIELD 21

Bentley’s WaterGEMS software was able to model and simulate operations of the entire water supply system during a calamity. The RBI study and master planning process provided Manila Water with the information required to make prudent decisions. The masterplan’s financial viability gave the utility’s partners and stakeholders confidence that, for a minimal investment, life-saving results could be achieved.

Diogenes Adelbert Voltaire B. Evangelista, Water System analysis and planning engineer, Manila Water Company, Inc., said, “Mitigation of the adverse effects of a natural calamity is a race against time. Bentley’s WaterGEMS helped Manila Water minimise the amount of its investment while maximising the resiliency and contingency of its facilities. Both were highly beneficial to the customers it serves. Without this capability, the masterplan would be completed and optimised later rather than sooner.”

Project Summary Organisation Manila Water Company, Inc. Solution Water Networks Location National Capital Region, Rizal Province, Philippines Project Objectives • Mitigate the adverse effects of natural disasters on Manila Water customers in the National Capital Region and Rizal Province.

• Ensure that there is a reliable water supply during such calamities at an economical cost.

• Prioritise resiliency measures and contingency plans for more than 100 facilities.

Products used WaterGEMS, Bentley Map Fast facts • WaterGEMS’ criticality analysis helped to prioritise the rehabilitation of facilities.

• Hydraulic simulations helped to locate evacuation sites near secure and reliable water supplies.

• The simulations identified locations for underground emergency reservoirs near population centres.

ROI • Initial estimates predicted it would cost $520m to restore water service after a calamity.

• Estimates based on WaterGEMS simulations reduced the cost to restore reliable water service by $380m.

• The masterplan saved $30m in insurance costs through the end of Manila Water’s concession period.

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

22 IN THE FIELD

Advanced analytic solutions used to implement state-wide monitoring programme to improve system reliability and prolong the life of infrastructure assets

Air Selangor serves a population of 11 million residents and manages over 6200km of trunk mains, ranging from 300mm up to 2200mm, in Selangor — with much of the pipeline located in remote areas of the state

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ir Selangor is a large water distribution company owned by the Malaysian state of Selangor. The public utility serves a population of 11 million residents and manages over 6,200km of trunk mains, ranging from 300mm up to 2,200mm with much of the pipeline located in remote areas of the state.

As a national water company making efforts to cost-effectively manage its network, Air Selangor wanted to reduce its high rate of non-revenue water loss (NRW), which in 2017 stood at 31.5%.

Air Selangor had concerns about its ageing infrastructure and took a proactive approach to reduce leaks and bursts — identify the causes of pressure surges to mitigate the damaging transients that could reduce the lifespan of its pipes. By identifying leaks before they become serious bursts, repairs can be made without line shutdown or disrupting water supply to the local community.

CHALLENGE In the past, Air Selangor used a variety of techniques to identify leaks and bursts.

However, there was still a need for quicker response to minimise the runtime of leaks or bursts and the disruption caused.

Historically, the utility faced a long runtime of leaks before discovery, often due to the remote geographical location of its trunk main network. Furthermore, pressure transients were known to be an issue within the network, but without information of their sources or cause.

Air Selangor also noticed that leaks often recurred in the same pipes shortly after repairs, causing concern and harming the utility’s reputation. The utility actively sought innovative ideas for continuous monitoring to identify leaks and pressure surges earlier, reduce NRW and improve customer relations.

SOLUTION Turning to Xylem, a long-term, state-wide monitoring programme was developed to understand their trunk main system while lowering volumes of water lost. To do so, Xylem’s Decision Intelligence approach was used, which includes LeakView™ and SurgeView™, two complementary real-time monitoring solutions well suited to help Air Selangor prevent premature asset failure across the system.

Xylem’s LeakView™ platform in Malaysia combines and analyses analytics from two major leak detection methodologies — pressure transients and hydrophones — to help utilities localise pipe bursts within minutes and detect slowly growing leaks.

This automated process, which is supervised by analysts in a 24/7 monitoring environment, simplifies the analysis, visualisation and interpretation of massive quantities of data and helps repair crews prioritise their response.

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IN THE FIELD 23

Xylem’s SurgeView™ transient pressure monitoring platform is a non-invasive and cost-effective way to monitor water networks for the presence of damaging pressure surges. Through its inline detection of pressure transients, the solution helps determine the source of these events and identifies pipes under stress with high likelihood of leakage. This early warning helps manage damaging pressure variations and mitigate the risks associated with premature pipe failure; prolonging the effective life of infrastructure assets.

OUTCOME The monitoring programme started in 2018 with 660 sensors successfully deployed in the first year and 70 major leaks and bursts identified and repaired through close collaboration with Air Selangor. The programme continues today, with ongoing installation of new sensors brought into operation daily (900 sensors deployed and counting*).

The Air Selangor–Xylem analytic team identifies about three leaks per week, with more than 120 found to date* along with continuous monitoring for further leaks on the same pipe — helping Air Selangor reach its NRW targets and a stark improvement from traditional methods where the same pipe may not be revisited for months or years.

Data from high resolution pressure and acoustic sensors have enabled important insights into the operation of the network and the nature and distribution of leaks on the trunk mains. In addition, the transient pressure monitoring has identified operational issues related to pump changeovers, allowing Air Selangor to implement interventions to prevent premature failure of assets across their system.

That’s the power of decision intelligence.

Xylem’s SurgeView™ transient pressure monitoring is a non-invasive way to monitor water networks for the presence of damaged pressure surges

Programme highlights • State–wide monitoring programme — the first of its kind in Malaysia • Continuous remote monitoring solution used to detect bursts and harmful pressure transients, reducing the runtime of leaks to days instead of months and years • High resolution pressure and acoustic sensors enable greater understanding about the nature and distribution of bursts on the trunk mains

*As of July 2019

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

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Echologics field specialists gathering acoustic properties of a pipe segment using a LeakFinderST correlator

PUB Singapore harnesses smart technology to fuel its asset renewal programme

By Mark Nicol, Echologics Senior Director of Sales & Operations, International for Mueller Water Products

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UB, Singapore’s national water agency manages a potable water network of 5,500km of mains that deliver water to 1.5 million customer accounts. Regular asset renewal and maintenance is one of PUB’s key focus areas to strengthen network resilience by anticipating and responding to leaks and damage with minimal disruption to their operations.

PUB has been implementing an ongoing pipeline replacement programme since the 1980s, with an objective to reduce the leakage rate and maintain a level of less than six leaks every 100km per year.

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

FOCUS 25 In recent years, PUB has adopted a pre-emptive leak management approach to proactively replace older or leak-prone pipes under the Pipe Renewal Programme. For this project, PUB used pipe condition assessment technology and data analytics to determine the health status of the pipes to prioritise pipe replacement efforts for cast iron (CI) mains, which are generally more prone to leak failure.

Echologics engaged SUEZ, whose Netscan analytics software has been proven to work well with ePulse through prior collaborations in France.

calculates the percentage of wall thickness loss by drawing comparison of the measured thickness to the design thickness of the pipe.

A multi-staged approach, combining condition-driven asset management (CDAM) and asset management desktop models (AMDM) was put into effect for this project.

PUB identified 450km of CI mains across Singapore that were between 100mm and 400mm in diameter, for leak failure risk analysis. The objective was to determine the risk of failure of these selected mains, formulate a replacement plan based on a geographic scope and risk level for pipeline prioritisation, and eventually replace all CI mains.

Following an open bid, PUB appointed Echologics® to develop a prioritisation plan

Echologics and SUEZ engineers began the process by collecting physical, operational and environmental data. A series of statistical methodologies were applied to determine the likelihood of failure (LoF) and identify pipe clusters for pipe condition assessment. The selection and assessment of 80km of mains was divided into three phases to increase the likelihood of surveyed pipes that best represent each cluster and the network as a whole. At this juncture, ePulse was deployed.

While some assessment approaches rely on excavating and examining a small section of pipe, ePulse takes a different approach, employing acoustics to establish the actual condition of an entire pipe segment. Completely non-invasive and using existing valves or fire hydrants as contact points, assessments are completed above ground with no impact on the network.

through a combination of desktop study and field data capture on 80km of the CI network using its proprietary non-intrusive and nondestructive pipe condition assessment tool, ePulse®. To assist with the desktop model,

ePulse combines acoustic data measured in the field with information about a pipe’s construction to determine its current structural wall thickness. The technology

As an added benefit, ePulse is also able to detect and pinpoint existing leaks while conducting field measurements.

The position of the leak is then determined based on the time delay of the noise reaching each sensor and the distance between sensor points. This unparalleled benefit allows the assessment cost to be offset by the savings inherent in leakage reduction.

Figure 1: Project Cycle Breakdown

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Figure 2: SUEZ Netscan user interface, focuses on network characteristics and leak history

With the help of Netscan, the ePulse data was extrapolated to the remainder of the CI mains, which in turn generated a specific value for each pipe segment to interpret the likelihood of failure, and subsequently, the risk of failure.

Netscan is an innovative asset management tool based on a collaborative web platform that maximises the benefits of pipe investment plans. It uses advanced modelling and predictive analysis to prioritise pipe renewal.

In order to determine the LoF, SUEZ employed a linear extension of the Yule model. The parametric nature of this model used eight years of historic burst data for rounds of calibration and validation, which was combined with various other parameters, before arriving at a LoF forecast.

Concurrently, a consequence of failure (CoF) model was developed with PUB’s water supply network team to identify CoF criteria and its associated weighting. Thereafter, an individual CoF score for each pipe segment was computed and attributed to the model.

Finally, the consequence of failure was converted to a likelihood of failure threshold, used to determine the risk of failure.

Figure 3: Remaining service life per pipe degradation

Of the 80km of CI pipeline tested using ePulse, the field crew identified approximately half had lost more than 30% of its original wall thickness. This data was then extrapolated to the entire 450km data set, and likelihood of failure analysis was performed. By integrating the result gathered with the consequence of failure, the crew was able to determine which pipe segments had exceeded its risk threshold, and therefore needed to be replaced.

PUB was able to use the results to develop a comprehensive pipe replacement programme over the next five years. A significant percentage of the original CI network planned for replacement were able to be deferred as the pipes were still in good condition.

The project also revealed five potential Point of Interest (POI) within the surveyed network, with the use of LeakFinderST® correlators. The field engineers made recommendations for a follow-up investigation to be carried out to confirm the leak presence.

A failure risk analysis, which combines CDAM and AMDM, proves to be an extremely effective tool when it comes to determining asset renewal and replacement needs. The seamless integration of technologies - ePulse and Netscan, has empowered PUB to make informed decisions on its underground pipe network, enabling continued provision of a reliable and sustainable water supply to its customers now and into the future.

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

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According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), water demand in manufacturing is only expected to increase.

By Natalie Chew

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he topic of water reuse is not a new one, in the age of climate change and an increased scramble for limited resources. Even now, trends point toward more and more industries seeing water reuse as an essential part of their operations, and the OECD predicts that water demand in manufacturing is expected to increase by 400% by 2050.

Water & Wastewater Asia (WWA) talks to Eric Lai, business managing director for industry, Grundfos China, to find out more about these changing trends and how the industry will likely accommodate them.

WWA: What can you tell us about the trends in industrial water reuse?

LAI: Increasingly, industry players are recognising that their operations will only get more water intensive as we move into the future - water reuse, and subsequently wastewater treatment, will play an integral role for the future of our water security.

We foresee digitalisation playing a key part in taking industrial water reuse to the next level. This is because as industries evolve, wastewater produced becomes increasingly complex. For example, the growth of the electronics industry now poses new challenges when it comes to treating wastewater, because they contain compounds and contaminants that have never been in industrial wastewater before, such as exotic metals.

As a result of these challenges, wastewater treatment will become increasingly

Eric Lai, Business Managing Director for Industry, Grundfos China

complicated, and in turn demand greater manpower and accuracy to adequately manage the entire process. This translates to opportunities for greater digitalisation and automation throughout the operations – through metering devices, tracking devices and automated analytical procedures.

WWA: What are some of the benefits of industrial water reuse?

LAI: For certain industries, reusing wastewater can benefit them economically by supporting a circular economy. Wastewater and its discharged sludge contain a great number of valuable resources such as nitrogen, phosphorus, energy, and other nutrients that can be recovered and reused, achieving the overall objective of resource efficiency.

By treating used water back to a usable

quality and then feeding it back into a company’s water cycle, its operations will essentially be closer to moving away from its reliance on one-time use and shifting towards a more sustainable method of handling water.

WWA: What are some challenges that might arise from industry players adopting water reuse for sustainable cooling?

LAI: Industrial cooling towers have special needs and requirements to the water they use. If the water does not fulfil the requirements in terms of chemical and biological parameters, the operation can be costly, ineffective and, in case of high biological contamination, even dangerous.

Because of its original pollutants, when water is reused, the potential for biological regrowth is extremely high, even if the treatment is tightly controlled. Water

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

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Water used for temperature control in cooling towers is one of the most suitable applications for water reuse

conditioning plays an important role in reuse because of this.

WWA: You mentioned water conditioning - how does the quality of water used in cooling towers differ from other standards of treated water?

LAI: Water used for temperature control in cooling towers is one of the most suitable applications for water reuse, as it requires a relatively low quality of water.

However, a certain level of quality needs to be maintained with the water used as accumulation of sludge can cause the eventual growth of biofilm, which can negatively impact the overall efficiency of the cooling system.

This is because biofilms can contain sulphite-reducing or iron-depositing bacteria that destroy steel, wreaking havoc on water cooling system pipes.

This microbiological corrosion is 10 to 1,000 times quicker to develop and 10 to 100 times more aggressive than standard corrosion.

WWA: Do you have any case studies you could share about a country’s temperature and climate affecting the water reused for cooling towers?

LAI: Singapore is hot and humid throughout the year, making it almost necessary for Singaporeans to have an airconditioning system. This is no different for a building situated at an industrial site in Singapore, which hosts office and production facilities with approximately 200 people. The building needs constant climatisation, which means the system must provide cooling 24/7.

The cooling tower is installed as an open system on the roof of this industrial

building, where constant sand, dust and airborne pollutants are dragged from the sprinkled water and deposited in the cooling water sump tank, creating undesired sludge.

The cooling tower is cleaned at a monthly interval manually by operations staff, but also employs a UV system installed in a bypass to conduct regular disinfection in between sessions of manual cleaning.

The water is also exchanged in biweekly cycles, which leads to greater consumption of freshwater as well as increased tariffs for the wastewater released.

However, this still proved insufficient in the face of constant operations, as the system still experienced a biofouling problem after three years, where biofilm had grown at the pipes and the reservoir of the cooling tower.

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WWA: What did you have to do to resolve this issue?

LAI: Firstly, we dosed chlorine dioxide in the bypass to remove the existing biofilm using Grundfos’ Oxiperm Pro. To ensure the cooling towers has the adequate water reuse infrastructure to avoid running into the issue of biofouling again, Grundfos proposed implementing digital dosing pumps into the system for the dosing of antiscalants and pH correction.

To ensure appropriate dosing with an accurate and efficient system, Grundfos employed an optimum solution through the use of SMART Digital DDA and the DID measuring and control system. The digital dosing pumps not only regularly introduces chlorine dioxide into the system, it ensures that the right amount of chlorine dioxide is used for each dose, by measuring the chlorine dioxide concentration, pH and conductivity in the recirculation loop. To control the dosage, a measurement and control system has been installed. The whole system is connected to the BMS or SCADA to provide documentation and insights.

The concentration in the water is also measured continuously online, where the dosing is only done if the chlorine dioxide concentration drops below a certain level.

These measures in turn minimises the use of chlorine dioxide as much as possible, while still ensures the water is disinfected without requiring valuable labour resources for cleaning.

Meanwhile, the DID measuring and control system allows the monitoring of concentration level of impurities in the water system. This consists of two conductivity sensors which constantly measures the water’s conductivity, ensuring the constant monitoring of any changing feed water condition or corrosion risk due to increasing salt concentration in the cooling tower loop. This puts the system owner in control of the cycles of

concentration that the cooling tower is operating at any time, without the need to wait for laboratory results or manual measurement.

In summary, Grundfos was able to achieve three key benefits: 1. Reduced operation expenses: The SMART Digital DDA has a dosing accuracy better than +/- 1% of the set point, which enables increased system performance and savings of chemical consumables.

2. Water efficiency: Through the precise measuring and controlling capabilities of the DID measuring and control system, unnecessary production downtime is avoided while the intelligent system also enables reduction of cleaning water to lower the environmental footprint of facility.

3. Optimised process: Operators will feel more confident in using and adjusting the SMART Digital DDA equipment, as the clear plain texts is available in 25 languages, and the traffic light system indication the operating status, are easy to operate.

WWA: We understand some methods of treating water include using UV sterilisation - what are some fallbacks of using this method, and how does the technology that Grundfos offers compare?

LAI: While UV sterilisation has proven to be effective in the rapid, effective inactivation of microorganisms, it might not work in some cases as demonstrated by the Singapore cooling towers case, where the system was still overtaken by a biofouling issue three years into its operations.

On the other hand, chemical disinfectant like chlorine dioxide have a residual effect, which means that they remain active in the water after disinfection. It continues to prevent pathogenic microorganisms from growing in the plumbing after disinfection.

Concerns around exceeding the required amount of chemicals into the water is

addressed through our technology’s ability to measure the concentration in the water continuously online, where the dosing is only done if the chlorine dioxide concentration drops below a certain level.

In addition to what I had shared on the digital dosing pumps and other measuring applications, Grundfos has also developed an app to ease the chemical management in dosing applications. Managing hazardous chemicals, reporting, logging, and surveillance will no longer be a worry for cooling tower owners and operators.

All components function perfectly on their own but with the chemical management app, users can add another layer of safety, while ensuring compliance with legislation.

The onsite chemical preparation combined with the digital dosing technology, the measurement and control devices deliver safe and reliable operations for the system’s end-user. For chemical suppliers and the system builders or operating companies, the solution helps secure the chemical handling and the operation of the overall cooling system.

WWA: Is there anything else you would like to add?

LAI: Digitalisation unlocks efficiency, profitability, and resilience in the water sector, and this is best exemplified by new technologies that are currently emerging for industrial water reuse. As industries continue to evolve, business leaders should not neglect opportunities to also innovate in all aspects of their operations, especially water management, which plays a big role in operational cost and consumption of resources. With water being an increasingly scarce resource, industries need to play their part in reducing their water consumption to strengthen global water security.

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

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Fruitful endeavours From tasty treat to wastewater treatment essential, is there anything the pineapple cannot do?

Associate Professor Duong Hai-Minh (centre) and his team of researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS)

By Natalie Chew

E

ver since they were first discovered by the Europeans in 1493, pineapples have fascinated humankind to no end.

The spiky fruit is surprisingly versatile, with applications ranging from: - The gourmet (and how the pro-vs-anti pineapple on pizza debate rages on), - The practical (when mixed with sand, pineapple juice makes for quite the decent cleaning solution), and - The eco-friendly (we hear Piñatex is doing quite well these days).

Yes, the humble Ananas comosus is capable of a great many things - and as of this year has been found to be a potential boon for the water and wastewater treatment industry.

This comes as researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have discovered a more novel use for the tropical fruit by converting its leaves into ultra-light, biodegradable aerogels.

“Every year, 27.4m tonnes of pineapples are harvested, and 76.4m tonnes of pineapple leaf waste is generated. This in turn could

release harmful chemicals and greenhouse gases such as carbon oxide and nitrogen oxide, that can cause serious environmental problems,” explained Associate Professor Duong Hai-Minh, who leads the nine-person team from the NUS Faculty of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical Engineering.

“By converting pineapple leaf waste into high-value materials such as aerogels, we can help to solve environmental problems.”

“EIGHTEEN TIMES FASTER THAN CONVENTIONAL METHODS” The process of manufacturing these biodegradable aerogels (referred to by Duong as eco-aerogels) is 18 times faster compared to conventional methods of producing commercial aerogels, needing only 10 to 12 hours to be ready.

Duong describes the process. “Firstly, the pineapple fibers are extracted from the leaves by the decortication machine. This is a low-cost but highly effective method to obtain the fibers. Then, the fibers are cut into small pieces and mixed with cross-

linker polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in a desired ratio. The mixture is sonicated for 10 minutes for homogenization and cured at 80°C to promote the cross-linking reaction between the fibers and PVA. After that, the suspension is freeze-dried to produce eco-aerogels.

The fabrication process varies according to the type of raw material used. The key steps are: shredding/blending, mixing with water and a small amount of non-toxic chemicals, stirring, ageing, freezing, and freeze-drying.”

He further explained that no expensive or hazardous chemicals are used in manufacturing the eco-aerogels, and a 1sqm sheet of eco-aerogel with a 1cm thickness will cost less than $10 to produce, and can be sold for between $30-$50. At present, commercial aerogels on the market are costly, and comparatively speaking a commercially-manufactured blanket thermal insulation sheet made from aerogels of the same size can be sold for over $300.

“These eco-aerogels made from pineapple leaf fibres are very versatile,” said Duong.

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FOCUS 31

The pineapple fibres only need 10 to 12 hours to be processed into the eco-aerogel

“They are effective as oil absorbents, and we have also demonstrated their potential applications in food preservation and wastewater treatment. This is a big step towards sustainable agriculture and waste management.”

Previously, the NUS team had experimented with producing eco-aerogels using other kinds of agricultural and food waste such as sugarcane bagasse, coffee grounds, and okara.

PINEAPPLES AND WASTEWATER So what can the eco-aerogel do, exactly?

According to Duong, utilisation of the ecoaerogels will be targeted at the removal of heavy metal pollutants in wastewater.

“As cities move towards industrialisation, common heavy metal pollutions in wastewater are expected - for example, nickel (II) ion: A non-biodegradable toxic metal ion and known carcinogen. Ingesting water with nickel (II) ion concentration exceeding the permissible limit of 0.02mg/L would affect human organs and the central nervous system.

Eco-aerogels made from pineapple leaf fibres have stronger mechanical properties and they are suitable for use in wastewater

treatment. We would first functionalise or modify our eco-aerogels with different amine groups, which can be very useful when it comes to removing heavy metal ions from wastewater.

The porous structure of our aerogels helps with the adsorption process, because it increases the surface area exposed to the wastewater. This application can help with wastewater treatment in areas where high concentrations of heavy metal ions are found in the wastewater.”

For example, Duong elaborates, ecoaerogels are able to remove up to four times more nickel ions in industrial wastewater when coated with diethylenetriamine (DETA), as opposed to conventional methods that

use naturally-derived clay and syntheticallydoped graphene.

What’s even better, he explains, is that this process does not generate secondary waste, and the eco-aerogels can be reused several times - which can go a long way in helping treatment plants achieve higher efficiency at lower costs.

Duong and his team are currently working with DP Aerogels and Mapletree to pilot the large-scale production of these eco-aerogels for high-value applications. The eco-aerogels are expected to be in the market within the next three years.

All images credited to the National University of Singapore.

This eco-aerogel will prove useful in the removal of heavy metal ions in industrial wastewater

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T

Gerard van den Berg, Coordinator of ULTIMATE and Project Manager of the International Research Programme at KWR

here is a critical mass of projects being assembled to accelerate the Water Circular Economy in Europe, with key learnings of interest to utilities across Asia.

From water utilities to a beer brewery, in total 10 NextGen projects have been selected to represent a variety of stakeholders who could participate and benefit from circular economy activities.

While innovations unlocking resources from wastewater, including water, energy, and resources are encouraging, the needed link between water utilities and industries is often missing.

Christos Makropoulos, principal scientist, KWR, said, “Traditional, linear supply chains involving production, consumption and disposal have become vulnerable. Climatic changes, commercial competition and environmental degradation, are putting existing business models under strain.

Two exciting European projects, being led

by KWR Water Research Institute in the Netherlands, are linking together multiple stakeholders to accelerate knowledge transfer and help bridge this gap.

Under the ULTIMATE project, a total of 27 project partners have come together to create economic value and increase sustainability by valorising resources within the water cycle.

Christos Makropoulos, Principal Scientist, KWR

Co-financed by the European Commission, the four-year Horizon2020 project is being carried out under the EU Water in the Context of the Circular Economy programme.

As well as leading ULTIMATE and NextGen, KWR is involved in all relevant EU projects on circularity. Bridging science to practice, the organisation has expertise in creating new business models and values, involving stakeholders and identifying unknown risks in the transition to a circular economy.

In total, nine large-scale demonstrations across Europe have been selected for ULTIMATE, from the agro-food, beverage, chemical/petrochemical and biotech sectors.

Key findings will be instrumental in developing an EU Roadmap and will provide new insights that support wider uptake of circular solutions in the global water sector.

Gerard van den Berg, coordinator of ULTIMATE and project manager of the International Research Programme at KWR, indicates that “besides developing sound technological innovations supporting the Circular Economy we will also look into partnerships between industries and water utilities and (co-)ownership of water service providers”.

Jos Frijns, coordinator of NextGen and Resilience Management & Governance team leader at KWR, added, “To unlock resources and water in the circular economy, there is a need for innovative technology, business and governance solutions.

A second project, NextGen, will drive the Circular Economy through a wide range of water-embedded resources, including water, energy and materials.

Jos Frijns, Coordinator of NextGen and Resilience Management & Governance team leader at KWR

While solving each of these challenges on their own is very difficult, what if we could help to solve all three problems at once?

Developing local, robust and transparent markets for water-embedded resources, including water, energy and materials can help to climate-proof the European society.”

A rejuvenation of local, national and regional economic activity could help towards economic growth with low environmental impact.”

The four-year H2020 project brings together a partnership of 30 organisations to demonstrate technological, business and governance solutions for water in the circular economy.

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34 FOCUS

A

ccording to research results published by the Environmental Institute at the University of Witten/ Herdecke (IEEM), it is possible to double the hit rate of the water sector. These results were published on 21 October as an outcome of the BMBF programme GRoW Global Resource Water.

The research results were surprising: Instead of being due to a lack of money of technologies, defaults of water service performance were found to be often due to a lack of “good water governance” – good governance of the water sector.

This means that it is predominantly political or institutional deficiencies that ultimately cause malfunctions in local

water management, up to and including total failure of the water supply and severe wastewater contamination.

The seven most important factors in terms of frequency and relevance have now been listed by scientists as the “Seven Water Sins”. If addressed and properly mitigated, these seven topics can be considered as seven success factors and starting points to secure water service performance and prevent sunk investments.

Professor Karl-Ulrich Rudolph, general director of the IEEM, said, “For the German tax budget, it may be considered a “singledigit, billion-euro-per-year problem” that the water supply and wastewater treatment

fails so often because of these institutional shortcomings, despite considerable financial aid and good technologies from Germany, among others - especially in developing and emerging countries. However, the consequential damage caused by these failures is far greater.

With the seven-sins list, a concrete guideline for the water sector is now available.

Some of it can also be transferred to other infrastructure services and ecosystem services, such as the waste sector, recycling management or the energy industry. If this is implemented in practice, it can contribute to considerable improvements in the hit rate of technical and financial investments in research and development projects.”

Photo credited to Maruxa Lomoljo Koren

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1

POOR INCENTIVES FOR WATER SERVICE PERFORMANCE

Public services are seldom structured to pay different salaries for different work performance. Neglected staff and equipment for operation and maintenance (O&M) is a major bottleneck of success in service performance, and often the first expenditure which treasurers cut in times of financial difficulty. With no incentives for those responsible for water management on a local level, it is unlikely that water facilities are as well-functioning as they should be.

The introduction of penalties and rewards (monetary and others) among different staff levels is important, and may help to reduce current difficulties in attracting qualified personnel and keeping them motivated.

2

INSUFFICIENT COST TRANSPARENCY

Too many decisions are made in an information vacuum, leaving city councils and utility leaders without knowledge of real costs and unable to navigate without transparent financial data.

Financial modelling that is focused on the needs of local water utilities and adapted to the structure of utility bookkeeping should be established.

3

NEGLECTED DEMAND MANAGEMENT

To raise awareness is inevitable but of little value without reliable commitment.

Low, subsidised tariffs, flat-rate tariffs, poor collection rates, legal barriers to cut or limit water supply can ruin all efforts for reasonable water demand management and finally the quality of water services.

Utilities and organisations should realise water demand management targeted as one element of water efficiency, in combination with water loss reduction programmes addressing physical losses (such as leakages) and administrative

losses (including water theft, unbilled or unpaid water consumption). Compared to the past, digitised water metering, leakage and pressure control is much easier.

Progress has been achieved, but more can be done.

4

EMPLOYMENT OF CONSULTANTS INSTEAD OF LIABLE WATER SERVICE PROVIDERS

Consultants can be of great help for water utilities. Independent advice without conflicts of interest to select between competing technologies or services shall come from independent consultants, not from companies selling this. To purchase water technologies or operational services is a different issue than to seek for advice.

In most developing countries and emerging markets, there are often many consultants involved. Utilities and operators should use consultants, municipal twinning, water operator partnerships and others to train local staff, prepare procurement and supervise liable providers of goods and services.

However, they should take care not to substitute liable technology and service providers with consultants paid per hour without output-based liability, even if others pay the bill.

5

WEAK LOCAL WATER BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Water and environmental services support the development of the local economy significantly. Local contracting will enhance political acceptance and willingness to charge respectively to pay for good water and sanitation services, in line with Social Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations.

Utilities should make use of lean design tender documents with work packages that are designed in a way to make certain lots more attractive to local entrepreneurs, in terms of risk share and obligations. For more ambitious works, authorities should make sure that international technology

and service providers are not chased away, but incentivised to partner with local companies in a way that the local market can develop further.

6

NO IMPACT OF INVESTMENT FINANCE ON O&M

Subsidised investment finance without risk on side of the lending banks is a fertile ground for insufficient O&M and sunk investments in the water sector.

Blended (or hybrid) finance with a certain component of private risk finance contributed by commercial banks can be a reasonable solution, provided the technical risks of project development and execution are not socialised generating hidden risk guarantees to the disadvantage of taxpayers respectively water consumers.

Wherever possible, lenders should prefer loans from financing institutions with a commercial component and collect competing offers from various, different banks.

7

POLITICAL INFLUENCE ON EXECUTIVE OPERATIONS

Public entities and municipal water utilities are under political governance. This is justified for political decision-making and supervision, but not for the operational execution of what has been decided.

However, and far too often in certain countries, water utilities are misused for self-catering. Execution fails without executives empowered to act according to managerial, technical, entrepreneurial needs disregarding political interferences.

Ring-fenced utilities (not necessarily established as autonomous legal entities, but committed to act as a commercial company with the council as shareholders and the utility leader as CEO) can be a good way to make sure that the different political and executive roles and players are clearly defined and strictly separated. Ringfencing could be protected under binding contracts as pre-condition of donations under international law.

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

36 VIEWPOINT

Sustainable technology for on-site wastewater soluƟons

By Steve Dennis, BMech(Hons), NER, CPEng, IntPE(Aus) Technical Engineer, Advanced Enviro-Septic (Asia-Pacific)

A

ccording to a 2019 World Bank report, 780 million people in Asia still practice open defecation and 80% of wastewater is disposed of without any type of treatment.

Short of installing expensive sewage infrastructure, any attempts to address these concerns have generally relied on old-style on-site aerated wastewater (AWT) treatment systems of the kind that have been around for decades. Yet problems remain; a report by the Asian Development Bank into the region’s wastewater failings identified the need for operational maintenance and desludging and high failure rates as central. These issues are common to old-style aerated systems.

Advanced passive systems are distinct from the older-style AWT systems with which many will be familiar. Passive wastewater treatment requires no electricity, uses no chemicals and has no troublesome mechanical parts. Many have no functional components above ground and wastewater is most commonly dispersed cleanly and safely below ground.

As a leading Australian advanced passive wastewater treatment provider with thousands of successful domestic and commercial projects in Australia behind it, we believe advanced passive on-site treatment systems represent a more sustainable future for on-site wastewater management across Asia in the coming decades.

wastewater in anaerobic (no oxygen) and anoxic zones (no free oxygen but utilising bound oxygen, such as via nitrates).

A correctly designed septic tank will remove a significant amount of food in the form of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5) and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) from the raw wastewater. Solids accumulate on the base of the primary tank and floating material (scum) accumulates on the surface. This creates an airtight seal and anaerobic treatment conditions.

The primary treated wastewater is then treated aerobically to either secondary or advanced secondary standard as the diagram for AES in Figure 1 shows.

The AES system uses a number of 3mx300mm pipes with ridges and skimmer tabs to aid in stripping solids whilst cooling the effluent. A bio-accelerator geo-textile mat that surrounds the bottom third of the pipe acts as a bio-mat whilst the pipe is wrapped in plastic fibres with a black geotextile outer layer.

The pipes are installed in various arrangements, depending on the daily hydraulic load and site and soil constraints and are laid in a sand bed designed to meet local aggregate specifications.

The system is aerobically vented using differential air vents and wastewater is discharged to the surrounding sand as a highly purified effluent.

This system has now become the world’s most practical, economic and effective wastewater treatment system providing a clean, green alternative to traditional septic tank drainfield systems. The system is now approved and operating in over 14 countries around the world.

SOLVING ASIA’S SANITATION PROBLEMS Asian conditions vary hugely, of course.

But issues such as high population densities, environmental degradation, severe weather outbreaks and climate change impact, under-developed WASH infrastructure, limited access to centralised services, and the lack of trained wastewater professionals are among those which are common across the region.

AES advanced systems are able to address these concerns.

NATURAL DISASTER RESILIENCE Our systems are below ground, so are less likely to be damaged. Also, they will continue to operate in a situation where power supply has been cut-off.

This decreases the public health risks of over-flowing or broken wastewater treatment systems and also allows evacuated residents to move back home, even if the dwelling is damaged, and access a functioning wastewater system.

HOW PASSIVE SYSTEMS WORK For these systems, the septic tank provides primary treatment of domestic

Figure 1

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VIEWPOINT 37 NO SERVICING AES systems are lightweight, easy to handle and do not require regular maintenance, such as the scheduled operational services needed for older-style AWT systems.

This addresses one of the central problems for on-site wastewater treatment management across Asia and negates the need to train and monitor local service providers.

COST EFFECTIVE 1

These systems require less outlay for installation - on a per-head basis - and have significant in-built savings due to few lifetime maintenance costs and no electricity requirement.

This is good news for anyone from individual consumers to governments and water authorities, private investors and/or PPP project managers looking to work to strict budgets, especially in under-developed or remote and out-lying communities.

ALL CONFIGURATIONS These systems are completely scalable.

Assuming soil conditions and other issues are sorted, our systems will work perfectly well for anything from large commercial or multi-person situations (such as hotels and even townships) to single-person dwellings.

2 3

AES systems can handle differing daily flow levels, at the same site. When installed, the system is brought up to the discharge specification immediately (each has a minimum 3,000-litre septic tank as a buffer). This allows maximum operational flexibility for a single site that may have multiple uses and variable occupancy rates.

In comparison, some old-style AWT systems can take up to eight weeks to get up to discharge requirements and cannot cope with inconsistent food and flow levels.

1: A large service centre in SE Queensland 2-3: The day use area in an Australian national park

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38 VIEWPOINT

ECO-FRIENDLY The reliance on various additives, such as chlorine or enzymes, for aerated systems can lead to environmental and health disasters.

For instance, chlorine, a common additive for AWT systems, can, if used incorrectly, damage and even sterilise surrounding soil. It can also lead to a false sense of security for those who don’t understand how to apply the sanitiser material, leading to health problems through proximity to improperly treated wastewater effluent.

AES systems require no chemical input.

Also, the sand/soil interface in AES passive systems prevents a clogging layer that may occur with aerated systems, which can lead to land application area failure.

The AES advanced product requires a relatively small footprint on-site. In sandy soil, the land use for our product is around 10% of the comparable area for irrigated old-style AWT systems.

LOW MAINTENANCE Often, on-site systems breakdown because there are no parts available, or because there is no personnel trained to service them, nor anyone willing to.

AES systems require no maintenance, having no mechanical devices that can break and no need to clean. As already noted, no chemical readings are needed and there are no pumps and filters that need to be checked. Components do not need replacing.

FINDING NEW SOLUTIONS As Asian communities face the existing pandemic and soon, hopefully, a period of recovery, finding safe, eco-friendly and economical solutions to the region’s massive wastewater and sanitation issues will be paramount.

It’s perhaps time old-style wastewater treatment systems and technology are re-evaluated, especially given that a legacy technology that gives back to the environment, which doesn’t require upgrades or maintenance, and has a long lifespan, is now available.

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40 VIEWPOINT

I

n a recent report, GWI WaterData estimated that the global total industrial capital expenditure is set to contract by 12.1% between 2019 and 2020, due to the impact of COVID-19 on businesses.

Regardless of sector or industry, adopting measures to optimise production processes during these uncertain times can help businesses achieve improved performance capabilities and reduced operating costs, while minimising the need for capital expenditure. One way to enhance operations cost-effectively is to adopt water treatment solutions that offer versatility in consumption — adjusted according to production needs — or ones that cater to flexible contract durations. This way, businesses can strengthen business and operational resilience through solutions that offer operational and financial flexibility.

Here are three flexible water treatment solutions that can help to optimise processes and maximise operating budgets:

1. MOBILE WATER SERVICES

Modular or containerised water treatment systems like Veolia’s Mobile Water Services can assist with temporary or longer-term water treatment needs, based on a rental or leasing basis (depending of the

By: Alicia Chow, Veolia Water Technologies

length of hire). Such systems can be a cost-effective and efficient alternative to fixed plants for a wide range of industrial situations. Businesses can enjoy the flexibility to hire the required solutions for a period of time to address immediate water treatment needs, especially in cases

where a plant is not permanent or if there are plans to make changes to it some time later. And as these water treatment systems are on a leasing scheme, businesses will not have to worry about retrofitting or upgrading costs.

Veolia offers mobile water services to assist with temporary or longer-term water treatment

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VIEWPOINT 41

2. REGENERATION

SERVICE DEIONISATION &

By renting out cylinders to be exchanged after using them for water purification, business are able to focus on their core production processes

3. HYDREX

TM

Service deionisation and regeneration offer businesses (such as those in the microelectronics industry) a worry-free experience for achieving high purity water during sensitive manufacturing processes. With this rental service, when exchangeable cylinders of media for water purification are exhausted, they will be replaced by regenerated cylinders

delivered directly to the customer’s site.

This way, businesses can focus on their core production processes and leave the job of ensuring a constant supply of pure water to solutions partners like Veolia.

Rental of these cylinders is based on consumption levels and this allows greater flexibility for businesses to rent only what their production requires. Investment cost is significantly reduced as portables and projected maintenance costs will be borne by the service provider.

CONTROLLER

A smart chemical dosing and monitoring technology for cooling systems, Veolia’s HydrexTM Controller allows for automated optimisation of chemicals in the treatment process.

Poorly controlled water quality can result in undue expenses in the form of equipment failure, high energy bills, and high chemical, labour, and water costs. By optimising the levels of chemicals used and by achieving the correct chemical dosing required for treatment processes, businesses enjoy the need for less frequent maintenance sessions, benefit from maximum asset protection, and achieve bottom-line savings through reduced operating costs.

With over 160 years of experience and a comprehensive range of service offerings, Veolia is a trusted partner who can address the water and wastewater challenges that businesses are faced with — no matter how complex these challenges may be. Tailored to meet customers’ needs, Veolia’s service offering allows businesses to optimise their operations with Veolia’s engineering expertise and service agility, and tap on the company’s cost-effective and flexible solutions to stretch their dollar.

Veolia’s HydrexTM controller, which allows for automated optimisation of chemicals in the treatment process

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42 VIEWPOINT

By Grant McNay, Veolia Water Technologies

W

ith any piece of equipment, maintenance and repairs are required to ensure the system is performing at the highest standard.

But how can one tell if a water (and wastewater) treatment plant is performing optimally? What are some tell-tale signs that reveal possible issues with a treatment system? As these treatment systems can have significant impact on a business’s competitivity and continuity, it is imperative for businesses to pay closer attention to when the systems require refreshing — either in the form of repairs or upgrades.

Read on to find out more about five common warning signs that a water or wastewater treatment system may not be performing properly.

1.

REDUCED SYSTEM RELIABILITY For any manufacturer, ensuring the reliability of the production processes is of utmost importance. Any system downtime, including breakdowns, can impact the bottom line significantly.

If a plant is experiencing downtime or breakdowns more frequently, it might signal that the plant’s process water or wastewater treatment systems are not

2. DECREASE IN EFFICIENCY

An inefficient water treatment system can result in undue expenses on higher energy, water, and even chemical usage just to produce water or discharge of a certain quality. In the long term, a system’s sub-optimal performance may also mean a higher

IN WATER 3. FLUCTUATIONS QUALITY

Water and wastewater treatment plant operators are no strangers to the standards for water or discharge quality (usually for compliance with local regulations). These standards serve both as a guide for the business and as a target for plant operators, which goes a long way to ensuring that the plant serves the business’s production needs well. When the water quality produced by a plant begins to deteriorate or fluctuate despite all other factors remaining constant, it could be an indication of issues with the treatment system. Variability in

running normally. Production processes that rely heavily on a stable water treatment system will be adversely affected and operations can be halted altogether — ultimately leading to financial losses — if the reliability of the water treatment system deteriorates. Regular checks can be adopted as a preventive measure and the need for an upgrade can be identified and addressed early.

risk of equipment failure due to the greater strain it places on the equipment. Plant operators who are observing an increase in consumption of resources, such as electricity, water, and chemicals, should assess the systems to determine if there are issues with the plant that may have caused efficiency levels to dip.

conductivity, total organic carbon (TOC), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), and pH levels are some common indicators.

When a system performs inconsistently, there can be serious repercussions for the business, such as delays to the production process or even additional cost to treat the water or wastewater again. Plant operators can look into upgrading systems to advanced water or wastewater technologies that will allow them to achieve a steady water or discharge quality — ensuring production process or environmental discharge requirements are met.

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VIEWPOINT 43 IN TREATMENT 4. DECLINE CAPACITY Another indication that the water treatment system is not working well is a decline in capacity that may lead to an inability to support production. One such example is a dip in the system’s flowrates. When designing a water

REPORTS OF 5. INCREASED SAFETY INCIDENCES Most facilities that deal with water or wastewater treatment are classified hazardous due to the high amounts of energy and chemicals consumed during the treatment processes.

It is also important to monitor the operations for safety hazards like rising gas pressure in tanks or a sudden release of pressure, gases, or heat — which are complications that could arise due to the processes involved in treating water or wastewater. For example, nitrogen gas is commonly injected to the stream as a bacterial

OPTIMISATION TO ENHANCE BUSINESS COMPETITIVITY Water (and wastewater) treatment systems that perform sub-optimally can affect production lines, damage reputations, and even lead to financial losses. Businesses

treatment system, engineers considers the plant’s water needs and specifies a system with the required capacity. A decline in the system’s treatment capacity reflects possible issues with the plant and that it may be due for some repairs or upgrades.

control agent when treating process water so as to control pure water quality and prevent biofouling.

Safety incidences are serious warning signs that the water treatment system is not performing optimally and presents risks to both the staff and equipment involved.

Plant operators will do well to ensure their treatment systems meet safety standards through conducting regular audits to identify gaps in processes or issues with the current system. Automated solutions like chemical dosing equipment can also be adopted to reduce employee exposure to chemicals and to minimise risks.

may need to constantly optimise their water and wastewater treatment systems in order to remain competitive. An experienced partner like Veolia can offer businesses a comprehensive range of service offerings, including maintenance

services, audit programmes, and real-time digital monitoring tools, which can mitigate possible performance issues and overcome the challenges in managing the health of their treatment systems.

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44 HOTSEAT

Seawater desalination project in the Philippines

W

ith JKMATIC’s super low pressure (SLP) and no spring and metal material (NSM) technology, it enhances disc filter backwash pressure to as low as 1.2 bar (17psi), hence, saving energy.

By adopting the NSM technology, there is no direct connect between water and metal. In addition, the disc filter has excellent corrosion resistance along with enhance applicable option of desalination or brackish water filtration.

In 1997, JKMATIC was the first company to introduce the disc filter technology to the Chinese market and is one of the pioneers in the market of systems for industrial water treatment.

For more than two decades, JKMATIC has been one of the world leaders in industrial water treatment including disc filter, diaphragm valve and multi-valve controller system technology. The company has its own research-develop-and-manufacture disc filter factory in China, allowing it to constantly carry out technical optimisation upgrades to achieve international advanced standards. In addition, JKMATIC also pays close attention to its product quality. This is seen in its disc filter where it is fatigue resistance, impact resistance and has a service life that can exceed its competitors.

Consultation with clients is provided by leading specialists and managers who are ready at any time to offer the best

solution for the most complex problems in the field of water treatment. Their technical specialists have a huge experience in installing the equipment and can quickly and easily organise the transfer of dirty water into clean.

Thanks to its leading technology and excellent quality, the company was able to provide excellent service and technology during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We firmly believe that be being customeroriented, providing state-of-the-art technology and paying close attention to quality, we can then continue to bring the best into the market,” said JKMATIC.

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HOTSEAT 45

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46 HOTSEAT

Gradiant’s recent acquisition of Sigma Water is a strategic one, and Water & Wastewater Asia sits down with Sankar Natarajan, Vice President of Sales, Gradiant Corporation, to find out what’s on the cards for the company with this new partnership

By Natalie Chew

Sankar Natarajan, VP of Sales, Gradiant Corporation

T

he effects of climate change are becoming more and more apparent in Malaysia, according to Sankar Natarajan, Gradiant Corporation’s Vice President (VP) of sales.

“Erratic weather patterns are leading to water shortages. This raises the overall need for more responsible practices when it comes to water treatment, allowing for finite water resources to be maximised,” he explained.

“However, a major challenge Gradiant faced in Malaysia as well as many regions of South East Asia was the relatively low level of awareness of the value that industrial wastewater management systems can provide. Without recognising the importance of safeguarding and maximising water resources, prospective clients are often unwilling to invest financially. This invariably becomes the main obstacle for companies such as ourselves to deliver services at an optimal level, being constrained by conservative budgets.”

Being able to face this challenge head-on was a key factor in the company’s recent acquisition of Sigma Water Engineering, an industrial water and wastewater treatment company based in Selangor, Malaysia.

“Sigma Water was identified as a complementary partner to Gradiant based on

its extensive experience, manufacturing capabilities, and reputable network. The company also has a highly successful track record serving clients in Food and Beverage, Oil and Gas, Glove Manufacturing, Leachate treatment and other various water-intensive industries across Malaysia with industrial water treatment systems,” said Sankar.

“In addition to the strong relationships that Sigma Water enjoys with key vendors and clients in Malaysia, it also has a strong manufacturing front, operating a fabrication and chemical storage facility.”

With this partnership between Gradiant and Sigma Water, Gradiant’s team is confident that they will be able to provide more effective support to projects in key markets including Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The combination of Gradiant’s technologies and financing capabilities alongside Sigma Water’s project delivery and O&M expertise will enable Gradiant to offer an extensive suite of sustainable and costeffective water treatment solutions to water markets in Malaysia and South East Asia.

Sankar said, “Gradiant’s acquisition strategy is centred around acquiring synergistic entities, possessing strengths complementary to its technology portfolio and strong financing capabilities. By virtue

of its strong operating track record and established connections across the Malaysian business landscape, Sigma Water will enhance Gradiant’s market access, enabling the company to reach out to potential customers with a value proposition that combines local credibility with a proven technology portfolio backed by global expertise.”

For Gradiant, this acquisition couldn’t have come at a better time: the company has enjoyed a strong year so far, winning 12 projects in H1 2020 across the Asia Pacific region, ranging from the production of domestic water from rivers to treatment of high-contamination industrial effluent for reuse, including Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) applications.

This comes as Malaysia’s industrial water and waste water treatment market is expected to grow upward of $700 million by 2022, according to a report published

by Ken Research. While policymakers in Malaysia have recognised the need for water and wastewater management technologies to safeguard water resources, a key growth driver will likely be the country’s manufacturing hub aspirations.

Gradiant has anticipated that these plans will boost demand for water treatment

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HOTSEAT 47

technology across industries, with existing facilities upgraded to cope with modern demands. Research has also suggested that membrane-based treatment processes such as ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis are the technologies poised to be the most in demand in the coming years.

Gradiant is well placed to capitalise upon this trend, having recently introduced RO Infinity (ROi), consolidating Gradiant’s membrane innovations into a single integrated solutions suite. Aimed at maximising recovery rates from municipal and industrial wastewater, ROi solutions can nearly double the amount of freshwater traditionally produced by conventional processes.

Looking at the big picture, water demand is expected to increase across the South East Asian region, with unprecedented changes coming off the back of dealing with the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Sankar commented, “While prospects may have been impacted in the early days of the pandemic due to the economic uncertainty, sustainability has emerged at the core of post-pandemic recovery strategies in the region, delivering a boost to sustainable technologies such as Gradiant’s. Decision makers in ASEAN have viewed the disruption caused by the pandemic as an opportunity to rejig economies for long term growth.

At the 36th ASEAN Summit, sustainability was recognised as being key to long term growth, and is expected to form a core

component of post-pandemic economic recovery plans.

Furthermore, the risk of water scarcity in many parts of Asia, driven by the impact of climate change, could potentially elevate interest and demand for desalination and water filtration solutions, which we believe constitutes an incremental addressable market worth $500 million. Moving ahead, Gradiant foresees this trend to continue as the global economy stabilises and refocuses on long term sustainable growth.”

A mutually beneficial relationship Between Gradiant and Sigma Water, Sankar has outlined the following benefits that both sides gain from this partnership: GRADIANT

SIGMA WATER

- Physical presence in Malaysia - Local market insight, capabilities, and access into local industries such as FMCG and glovemaking - Access to high-quality, low-cost manufacturing base

- Access to Gradiant’s R&D and product platforms - Access to capital that will boost its ability to participate in Build-Own-Operate (BOO) projects and larger Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) projects

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

SWA Virtual Tour: Experimental Power Gride Centre 18th September 2020, Complimentary, Cisco Webex

NEWSLETTER OF THE SINGAPORE WATER ASSOCIATION BRINGING A NEW VIBRANCY TO SINGAPORE’S GROWING WATER INDUSTRY

Singapore Water Associa on organised an inaugural virtual visit to the Experimental Power Grid Centre (EPGC) on Thursday, 18 September, 10am, facilitated by the Smart Grid & Power Electronics Consor um Singapore (SPECS).

Dr Marcus Koh also gave a comprehensive overview of EPGC’s megawa -scale (MW) grid facility which is one of the largest facili es in this region. They have a complete range of genera on sources, energy storage systems, and loads, which allow equipment manufacturers and system integrators to test out their technology or configura on at actual power before deployment.

SWA Webinar: Unlocking the potenƟal of Wastewater 22nd September 2020, Complimentary, Cisco Webex

Organised by the Singapore Water Associa on and The Royal Danish Embassy, a complimentary webinar was held on September 22nd 2020, and was well a ended by 104 par cipants. The objec ve of the webinar was to establish and foster poten al collabora ons between the Singaporean and Danish companies, focused in the area of wastewater businesses.

This webinar has also been included as one of the ac vi es in the official working programme under the new environmental collabora on agreement between Denmark and Singapore by the Embassy, supported by the State of Green, The Danish Export Associa on and PUB, Singapore’s Na onal Water Agency.

SWA Technical Briefing: PUB BIM e-Checker Ini a ve 6th October 2020, Complimentary, Cisco Webex

PUB has launched BIM, a self-checking system for Building Plan ConsultaƟon, and the Singapore Water AssociaƟon arranged a Technical Briefing on this e-Checker iniƟaƟve on Tuesday, 6 October. Forty-two parƟcipants aƩended the complimentary session and gained knowledge from the plaƞorm overview and live demonstraƟon.

SWA 17th Annual General Mee ng: 21st September 2020, Cisco Webex

The inaugural e-AGM was held on 21st September with more than 50 aƩendees, amongst whom 34 are eligible voters. The new 2020-2022 Council was elected and concluded aŌer a round of electronic voƟng.

Execu ve Council for Year 2020 - 2022 Office-Bearers

President Chew Men Leong ST Engineering Marine Ltd

Vice-President (General Affairs) Charles Quek HSL Constructor Pte Ltd

Immediate Past President Tan Cheng Guan Sembcorp Industries Ltd

Vice-President (Finance) Adrian Yeo Sembcorp Industries Ltd

Vice-President (Administra on) Dinesh Sharma DNR Process SoluƟons Pte Ltd

ExecuƟve Council for Year 2020 - 2022 (con't) Council Members

Chiu Kuang Ping AECOM Singapore Pte Ltd

Tse Yau Shing Black & Veatch (SEA) Pte Ltd

Vinod Singh JACOBS

Mamta Jain DHI Water & Environment (S) Pte Ltd

Co-opted Council Members

Robin Wong Xylem Water SoluƟons (S) Pte Ltd

Michelle Liu UES Holdings Pte Ltd

PUB RepresentaƟve

Chen Chia Lung Environmental & Water Technology Centre of InnovaƟon

Kunal Shah Anaergia Inc.

Michael Toh (Appointed 1 April 2020)

UPCOMING SWA ACTIVITIES SWA WEBINAR: Indian Water Market 13th October 2020, Complimentary, Cisco Webex

SWA Virtual introducƟon: PUB Water ReclamaƟon Process & Technology outlook 22nd October 2020, Complimentary, Cisco Webex

SWA Virtual introducƟon: Overview of CCKWW Upgrading Project – Use of Ceramic Membranes 29th October 2020, Complimentary, Cisco Webex

SWA WEBINAR SERIES November 2020

Date 3rd November 2020 th 11 November 2020 th 19 November 2020

Time 10.00am to 11.30am 1.30pm to 2.30pm 3.00pm to 4.30pm

Agenda Water for All – Sustainable resource management In conversaƟon with SWA members and Enterprise Singapore Advancing InnovaƟons Through Partnerships: The Singapore Experience

Technical Site Visit December 2020

Date

Time

Site LocaƟon

1 December 2020

9am to 12pm

Takeda PharmaceuƟcal Plant @ Woodlands

st

SWA WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS (joined in August and September 2020)

ORDINARY MEMBERS • BIOPSIN Pte Ltd • Robert Bosch (SEA) Pte Ltd

• Tialoc Singapore Pte Ltd

ASSOCIATE MEMBER • ION-Asia 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

52 ON OUR RADAR

S

ince its foundation in Japan in 1924, Tsurumi Manufacturing Co., Ltd. has been engaged in the manufacturing, supplying and sales of various pumps including submersible pumps as key product as well as environmental devices and related equipment.

True to its name, Tsurumi is now debuting two 22kW models. The new models will be added to its flagship KTZ-series of submersible pumps which support a product lineup from 1.5kW to 15kW. The new kW models are available in two types: KTZ422 (4-inch) and KTZ622 (6-inch). These pumps provide a maximum head of 71m and maximum capacity of 4m3/min. Built with a cast iron body and

high-chromium cast iron impeller, the pumps are durable and wear resistance.

For the discharge design of these pumps, a top discharge side flow structure is used which enables the slim body to be installed in a confined space while ensuring extended operation at a low water level.

Heavy duty and highly reliable, the KTZ-series are suitable for harsh work environments such as mining, quarrying, construction and tunnel work sites. In addition, the Tsurumi’s original multidirectional hose coupling structure enables flexible on-site setup for either vertical or inclined discharge with just a wrench.

This is on top of Tsurumi’s standardised requirements for general submersible pumps anti-wicking cable, motor protector, dual inside mechanical seals with silicon carbide faces, and Oil Lifter.

Additionally, as found on the 7.5kW and higher motor output models of the KTZseries, the 22kW models have seal pressure

KTZ pumps with multidirectional discharge

relief ports in the pump unit which prevent pump pressure from being applied to mechanical seals.

The semi-open impeller mounted on the KTZ-series is stronger against wear as compared to closed impeller, which reduces the performance degradation rate. This results in easier maintenance as frequent gap adjustment is not required. In order to compensate higher thrust load that acts on the bearings of the pump with closed impeller, Tsurumi adopts a double bearing

and an impeller design that reduces the thrust load for KTZ 22kW models.

These features are the results of the innovative technologies and unmatched know-how that Tsurumi has cultivated over years of manufacturing pumps for construction purposes.

In addition to these pumps, Tsurumi offers a variety of pumps with excellent reliability and durability that can withstand harsh work conditions.

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

ON OUR RADAR 53

Easy configuration with new 80 GHz compact radar transmitters for level measurement

S

iemens presents two new additions to the Sitrans LR100 series of 80 GHz radar transmitters. These high-frequency, compact transmitters deliver robust, reliable measurements even in the most challenging environments.

Both deliver fast and easy setup. Sitrans LR140 features 4-20 mA simplicity and is configured via Bluetooth wireless technology and the Sitrans mobile IQ App. Sitrans LR150 oers a four-button user interface on an optional HMI for configuration or monitoring. Configuration is also available via Bluetooth wireless technology and the Sitrans mobile IQ App or remotely with 4-20 mA/HART using Simatic PDM.

The easy-to-use Quick Start Wizard will have the transmitter operational in minutes. Custom microchip technology delivers fast response and extremely high sensitivity to detect even the weakest of signals.

Reliable readings mean reduced operator exposure to hazardous situations: no need to climb tanks, lean out over sumps, or crawl into confined spaces to maintain instruments. Zero blanking distance allows measurement right up to the sensor, thereby avoiding costly overfilling.

And two-millimetre accuracy enhances operational safety through precise measurement through the full range of the application.

All this robust performance is wrapped in a submersible housing constructed of corrosion-resistant materials.

Integrating critical level readings or process control data into operations can unlock new opportunities to react to safety concerns, analyse processes and identify areas for improvement.

Users can monitor level measurements or diagnostic and maintenance information from the comfort of the control room or connect to Siemens MindSphere, the cloudbased, open IoT operating system or any other IoT solution of their choice.

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

54 ON OUR RADAR

Australasian deciduous crops such as apples and pears have a clean, green reputation internationally, which extends from growing through to production, and KDS sludge dewatering technology is being used internationally to handle food and beverage waste in an environmentally sensitive manner

Sustainable food producer introduces NZ’s first KDS sludge dewatering technology to cost-efficiently reduce waste and environmental footprint

A

New Zealand food processing company committed to environmental excellence has become the country’s first adopter of a sludge dewatering technology engineered to cost-efficiently reduce the sustainability footprint of food, beverage, and wastewater treatment.

The fruit producer is installing a compact and cost-efficient KDS multidisc Roller system from CST Wastewater Solutions to dewater wet sloppy screened waste from the peeling process. This transforms fruit waste from a wet and sticky heavy mass to a much drier product that is less messy, easier to handle, and transport for stockfeed or landfill.

of $150 a ton to dispose of, including the specialised transport from the places where trade wastes are generated to centres where compacting, drying, recycling and disposal can take place in controlled environments,” said CST Wastewater Solutions Managing Director Mr Michael Bambridge.

“This first NZ adopter of the KDS technology had previously tried alternative technologies, but none handled the variable volume involved or dewatered the fruit waste enough to prevent excess water and product from creating an unhygienic site and causing leakage,” said Mr Bambridge.

The NZ producer – which cannot be named because of contractual confidentiality provisions – is adopting its KDS technology to handle a highly variable quality and volume of up to 5m3/h.

The NZ producer selected a model SS611 KDS with a longer press zone to achieve optimum dewatering of the sloppy and wet mix of peelings, leaves and pulpy fruit material.

The technology will reduce volume by up to 90%, thus reducing transport costs and preventing any potential spillages during transport. There are also operational and OH&S benefits with the site being cleaner and easier to maintain, and the financial gain of not paying for transport and disposal of unnecessary water.

“Heavy cakes of byproduct from growers and food processors can cost upwards

KDS technology with its multi-roller system (above) eliminates sticky, sloppy sludge and spillages by producing a drier, much lighter and hygienic waste that is more easily transported and recycled) (See animation of the rollers here. See a video of the KDS used in fruit processing here.)

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

ON OUR RADAR 55

Wet, sloppy waste is eliminated by KDS technology, which produces a lighter, drier, and more hygienic waste product

KDS technology is also available in a skidmounted version, pictured above, which can be easily transported by truck or trailer to remote, sensitive or difficult to access sites

“The dewatering concept being employed in this instance is to spread the waste over the table width and dewater a mat of material to maximise the surface area and minimise water retention.

This is an outstanding application of this globally proven technology, which is eminently suited to the food and beverage processing industry. It also very costefficiently advances the environmental credentials of a significant member of the Australasian fruit industry, which is also a major contributor to the local and export agricultural market,” said Mr Bambridge.

Waste activated sludge dryness levels are typically 15%-18% dryness. The high quality, Japanese-manufactured stainlesssteel technology: • Uses minimal energy, consuming as little as 0.06kW hr of electricity • Operates at low (63dBa) non-intrusive noise and vibration levels • Does not need water to keep clean, eliminating aerosol OH&S problems • Requires minimal daily maintenance, saving cost and enhancing OH&S performance • Occupies typically half the space or less of conventional dewatering plants • Is engineered to overcome the limitations of technologies such as screw presses, belt presses and centrifuges typically employed by small-to-medium applications to treat the sludge produced by their operations.

This lighter, dryer waste it produces – in addition to being easier and cheaper to transport – reduces the need for manual labour in cleaning and transport operations and curtails the need for staff to handle sloppy heavy waste potentially hazardous to health in applications including: fruit and vegetable producers, juice processing and production facilities, food kitchens and catering facilities, as well as livestock, horticulture, agribusiness producing waste during processing of grains, cereals and grapes.

The technology is also suitable for municipal and remote industrial worksite waste handling. where its cost-effectiveness and low-maintenance operation is a major advantage where engineering support may be far distant.

The largest KDS unit can handle about 100kg DS (dry solids) an hour at 98% solids capture, explained Mr Bambridge.

The KDS technology limits the possibility of spillages on public roads while sludge is being transported, as well as reducing their carbon footprint required to transport the much lighter and more hygienic byproduct.

Used for thickening of dissolved air flotation sludge – a very common application throughout wastewater operations – the KDS achieves solids capture of 97% thickened sludge at a dryness of 17%.

Pristine Lord Howe Island uses waste treatment technology incorporating KDS technology, which produces drier, lighter and healthier output that is easier to handle

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

56 ON OUR RADAR

L

ACROIX Sofrel, specialising in water network telemetry with more than 40 years’ experience, is expanding its range of RTUs entirely dedicated to managing hydraulic installations. SOFREL YDRIX represents LACROIX Sofrel’s know-how in water networks telemetry, its constant listening to the needs of water operators and integration of new technologies. The new product is part of the corporate strategy “Connected Technologies for a Smarter Environment” and is fully integrated into the concept of telemetry 4.0 for water networks.

SMART & MODULAR RTU FOR TELEMETRY AND PROCESS CONTROL OF WATER NETWORKS AND FACILITIES

offering “water business” function blocks, SOFREL YDRIX adapts to all types and sizes of installation: • Boreholes • Pumping stations • Booster stations • Water tanks • Drinking Water Treatment Plants • Wastewater lift stations • Wastewater Treatment Plants In addition to its remote control and monitoring features, its computational intelligence makes it possible to automate processes and optimise facility operations.

SIMPLIFYING IMPLEMENTATION AND JOBS IN THE FIELD

Integrators looking for efficient and fast implementation solutions will especially appreciate the 2G/3G/4G modem and the two ethernet ports fully integrated into the product. The setIT configuration software makes it simple and graphical to configure the product, communication modems, modbus interfaces, RTU inputs/ outputs and I/O extension modules. For greater efficiency, the software includes a help feature and diagnostic tool to assist the user at each step of the equipment configuration.

Designed to meet the needs of water network operators and localities, the SOFREL YDRIX RTU combines integrated 4G communication, cybersecurity and process control in a single product.

Equipped with 6DI (Digital Inputs), 2AI (Analog Inputs), 4DO (Digital Outputs) and serial communication ports RS485/ RS485i and RS232, making it easy to add Input/Output expansion modules, the SOFREL YDRIX RTU can easily be interfaced with pumps, valves, sensors and modbus equipment present at hydraulic facilities. Fully modular and

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

ON OUR RADAR 57

SECURE COMMUNICATIONS AND CYBERSECURITY INTEGRATED

A COMPLETE PROCESS CONTROL SUITE AND A VAST LIBRARY OF “WATER USE CASES” FUNCTION BLOCKS

The installation processes are published in a process control suite included in SOFREL YDRIX. The powerful suite is compatible with the IEC 61131-3 standard and offers standard programming languages: ST, Ladder, FBD and SFC (Grafcet). Integrators also have a vast library of function blocks dedicated to the water business (volume calculations, flow rates, PID regulation function, etc.). For wastewater lift stations, in particular, the software has all the functions required to control the pumps and manage pump efficiency. Process

control technicians can use a wide range of test, simulation and online debug tools to develop and adapt their programs on site or remotely.

COMPLIANT WITH DNP3 AND IEC-60870-5-104 PROTOCOLS TO INTERFACE WITH ALL SCADA Interoperability with the TCP/IP networks and operators’ supervisors is guaranteed by the standard communication protocols DNP3 and IEC-60870-5-104 supported

by SOFREL YDRIX. Based on these protocols, the RTU fits perfectly into the existing telemetry and SCADA networks and communicates securely with any standardised industrial SCADA software.

SOFREL YDRIX supports VPN server protocols that ensure the cybersecurity of the infrastructure. The RTUs and operational supervisors are authenticated and certified. The data exchanged between its connected systems is fully encrypted. To complete all this, SOFREL YDRIX can interface with a Syslog server that tracks events in an operating log.

The YDRIX RTUs are “full IP”; they communicate via their 2G/3G/4G modems or their ethernet links to the SCADA Central Station. These multiple systems allow for redundancy between the communication media. In the event of a failure on the main telecommunications network, SOFREL YDRIX automatically switches to secondary support and returns to normal when the initial network operates again.

Operators can rely on this system to never lose information and to recover all their network data in real time.

M2M COMMUNICATION WITH SOFREL LS/LT DATA LOGGERS

The SOFREL LS and LT data loggers located on sites isolated from the network (reservoirs, manholes for metering or pressure monitoring, etc.) can communicate with a remote SOFREL YDRIX. Either periodically or when a certain level has been exceeded, SOFREL YDRIX receives the information from the data loggers and decides whether to fill the reservoir while also taking into account the needs of the network and electricity price periods. They also allow remote control of pressure on the water distribution network.

By combining expertise in the telemetry & telecontrol over IP or 4G connection, water sector and cybersecurity SOFREL YDRIX provides an extremely innovative solution to guarantee the safety and performance of drinking water and wastewater networks.

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

58 ON OUR RADAR

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he new Pocan XHR (Xtreme Hydrolysis-Resistant) product range from LANXESS boasts outstanding resistance to hydrolytic degradation in very hot and humid conditions. In internal testing with standardised test specimens based on the stringent SAE/USCAR2 Rev. 6 long-term hydrolysis tests of the US Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), the compounds reached Class 4 or Class 5 – the top two ratings.

“However, the launch of Pocan XHR has demonstrated that the additional benefits of the materials are just as important to many users. They often make the most of the high resistance to thermal shock, hot air, and chemicals, as well as the mechanical properties of the compounds based on polybutylene terephthalate (PBT),” explained Ralf Heinen, application developer at the High Performance Materials business unit.

STABLE IN HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS Many electrical and electronic devices are exposed to ever-higher thermal loads for reasons including confined installation spaces or elevated operating temperatures.

When used in dry environments, the plastics for these devices need to be able to withstand long periods in hot air.

“That is another strength of Pocan XHR. For example, the impact strength of most

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

ON OUR RADAR 59

product types in the XHR series remains virtually unchanged even after 3,000 hours of being stored in 150°C air,” said Heinen. This makes the compounds ideal for parts in engine compartments, such as connectors, or for power electronics components.

TAILOR-MADE FOR OVERMOULDING OF METAL PARTS Rapid and extreme changes in temperature often cause stress cracks in components with overmoulded metal areas because of the differences between metal and plastic in terms of thermal expansion. That is why LANXESS has given the Pocan XHR series elongation at break of up to 4.7% (ISO 527-1,-2) because high elongation at break counteracts the formation of stress cracks. Moreover, the improved longterm temperature stability and hydrolysis resistance reduce susceptibility to stress cracks. Stress crack resistance is tested under extremely harsh conditions in heat shock tests. This involves subjecting the overmoulded components to abrupt changes in temperature from -40°C to 125°C and back in several hundred cycles and keeping them at the various temperatures for extended periods (such as 30 minutes).

As Heinen explained, “In heat shock tests, components with Pocan XHR metal overmoulding exhibit no stress cracks or, if they do, the cracks do not appear until after many multiples of the usual number of test cycles.” That makes the XHR products exceptionally well suited to overmoulding metal parts such as bus bars, connectors, power strips and main supporting frames.

GOOD PROCESSING CHARACTERISTICS The melt viscosity of all Pocan XHR variants remains constant for a long time at the injection-moulding temperatures customary for PBT. The materials can therefore be injection moulded stably within a wide processing window. The improved flowability relative to comparable standard PBT materials makes it possible to implement thin-walled geometries.

Furthermore, overmoulding of metal parts can take place at lower filling pressures, which means that the metal inserts are not distorted or pushed out of position in the tool by the molten material.

IMPROVED ALKALINE STABILITY Standard PBT already has good chemical resistance, and Pocan XHR has taken that a step further. For example, it offers good resistance even to very strong alkalis. This reduces elongation at break only by around 40% when the material is stored at 55°C in 1-molar sodium hydroxide solution for 100 hours. That is a marked improvement over standard PBT. On vehicle underbodies in particular, a combination of road salt, cast iron, and moisture can cause a mildly alkaline environment to build up. “Our XHR compounds are therefore the material of choice in this application for electrical and electronic components such as sensors, housings and connectors,” explained Heinen.

range. They are particularly well suited to live components in hot and humid conditions, which have to exhibit excellent hydrolysis stability and fire resistance at the same time. The flame-retardant compounds are reinforced with glass fibres (15%, 25%, and 30% by weight).

An unreinforced version of the product will also be available. All materials are equipped with a halogenated flameretardant package and achieve the top classification of V-0 with low specimen thicknesses according to flammability tests in line with US standard UL 94 (Underwriters Laboratories Inc.).

“This classification is required for many plastic components in batteries of electric and hybrid vehicles, for example,” said Heinen.

POCAN XHR ACTS AS A COMPLEMENT TO POCAN HR Pocan XHR is the third generation of hydrolysis-stabilised PBT compounds from LANXESS. It complements the second material generation of Pocan HR. “This is held in high regard by our customers. It remains part of our range because it is an established feature of many series-production applications, and, because of its hydrolysis resistance and other properties, it already covers most common requirements,” said Heinen.

FLAME-RETARDANT XHR COMPOUNDS SOON TO BE LAUNCHED In response to requests from customers, LANXESS is currently adding more flameretardant compounds to the XHR product

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

60 ON OUR RADAR

New UltraPure advances competitive edge for biotech and pharma

A

lfa Laval UltraPure products boost pharma and biotech process efficiency, productivity and endproduct quality. The new LKH Prime 10 UltraPure self-priming pump and upgraded LeviMag® UltraPure magnetic mixers also reduce total cost of ownership while ensuring more responsible use of resources for sterile processing applications. Both are also backed by the Alfa Laval Q-doc documentation package for full supply chain transparency.

“To improve manufacturers’ ability to compete, the UltraPure portfolio optimises pharma and biotech processes, pushing the boundaries of sterile production,” said Per-Åke Olsson, industry owner, Biotech & Pharmaceutical, Alfa Laval.

ONE ASEPTIC PUMP, TWO DUTIES The LKH Prime 10 UltraPure is the most compact ever in the LKH self-priming pump range. Perfect for duties up to 35m3/h, it is primarily engineered for Cleaning-in-Place (CIP) return, but also transfers product in sterile processes. This delivers savings of up to 50% in capital expenditures and installation, and 30% in annual operating expenses.

Other advantages include: • Up to 60% more energy savings than liquid ring pumps and up to 25% more than other airscrew pumps • A fully CIPable, EHEDG-certified hygienic design • 80% lower noise levels for a better working environment • Easy maintenance and streamlined spare parts inventory due to the common LKH platform

UPGRADED ASEPTIC MAGNETIC MIXER The upgraded Alfa Laval LeviMag® UltraPure broadens the scope of hygienic mixing. An optional ATEX/EEx motor and exotic alloys now enable use in potentially explosive and highly corrosive environments. In addition, it is easy and affordable to transform the old MagMixer UltraPure into the new LeviMag UltraPure in minutes without touching the tank.

Other benefits: • Increased yield due to gentle product treatment and the ability to mix to the last drop, with optimised impeller geometry and 100% levitated design • Highest hygiene possible as the unique levitating impeller design eliminates product contamination from wear particles and secures full cleanability • Sustainable, low-cost operation: 40% higher pumping capacity and reduced energy costs and CO² emissions due to flow optimised impellers • Easy maintenance: Readily accessible wear parts take minutes to replace onsite

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

SNEAK PEEK 61

T

he Kingdom of Cambodia is a landlocked South East Asian nation with an abundance of freshwater.

From the Mekong River to the Tonle Sap, Cambodians rely heavily on the Kingdom’s waters for sustenance. Aquaculture, supported by adequate and unpolluted freshwater flow from upstream, is a major pillar of Cambodia’s economy. Economic growth in recent decades has driven Cambodia’s economy in utilising its water resources, affecting water quantity and quality.

Enter CAMWATER 2021 – Cambodia’s number one international water and wastewater industry exhibition & conference. Drawing thousands of businesses in showcasing Cambodia’s thriving water industry, CAMWATER 2021 is set to take place in the Diamond Island Exhibition & Convention Centre from 17-19 September 2021. Featuring a comprehensive range of the latest products, equipment, and technology for water industry professionals, the three-day expo serves as a strategic platform for key stakeholders of the industry to discuss and share ideas and solutions on developing Cambodia’s water and wastewater treatment systems.

Envisioning a goal of providing basic access to water nationwide by 2025, Cambodia and the Asian Development Bank has pumped over $119m worth of investments for a provincial water supply and sanitation project to upgrade water supply services to the Kingdom’s various cities. As Cambodia develops rapidly with the influx of investments in its construction and tourism sectors, the Kingdom’s need for clean water and sanitation becomes crucial to accommodate for the growing population.

Featuring the latest products, equipment, and technology for water industry professionals, CAMWATER allows key stakeholders of the industry to discuss and share ideas and solutions on developing Cambodia’s water and wastewater treatment systems

As part of Cambodia’s economic vision, the government is opening up investments and business opportunities to provide all citizens with adequate access to clean water by 2025.

CAMWATER 2021 will host numerous exhibitions, co-located seminars, and tech symposiums attracting thousands of industry professionals, including officials from government and private sectors, developers, manufacturers, engineers, consultants, agents and distributors.

Visitors can expect to join and exhibit their brands in the business expo, expanding business in a new and exciting market.

CAMWATER 2021 is one of the many business expos organised by Tarsus Southeast Asia, a leading trade show organiser in the region. The Group’s portfolio covers leading shows in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines,

focusing on industries such as building and construction, water and wastewater treatment, food and beverage, hospitality, automotive parts and accessories, livestock and agriculture, and many more.

Water and wastewater treatment exhibitions organised by the Group include MYANWATER in Myanmar, LAOWATER in Laos, and LANKAWATER in Sri Lanka.

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

62 SNEAK PEEK

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ne of Myanmar’s international water supply and treatment industry exhibition and conference is returning to the Myanmar Expo Hall in Yangon this from 25-27 November 2021.

Serving as a strategic platform for key stakeholders of the industry to discuss and share ideas and solutions on developing Myanmar’s water and wastewater treatment systems, MYANWATER 2021 will feature a comprehensive range of the latest products, equipment and technology.

A mountainous and forest-clad nation with plateaus, valleys and plains, Myanmar is endowed with abundant water resources.

With the population increasing rapidly, authorities and policy makers are pushing for Myanmar’s urbanisation development, aiming to bring the country on par with neighbouring and regional cities. Dubbed as “Asia’s Final Frontier”, the government has implemented several initiatives to develop the water and wastewater treatment industry.

The ambitious New Yangon City project has reached a framework agreement in April 2018 for $1.5b for Stage 1 infrastructural

work, including two bridges, roads, power plants, water and wastewater treatment plants and an industrial estate. A flood-risk assessment was carried out last year in ensuring the project’s progress.

MYANWATER 2021 aims to be a driving force, spurring the development of Myanmar’s water and wastewater industries with emerging technologies and innovative products and solutions. This three-day event is set to bring together industry professionals including officials from Government and private sectors, developers, manufacturers, engineers, consultants, agents and distributors.

Through the numerous co-located seminars and technology symposiums in MYANWATER 2021, business owners and industry professionals are able to explore

and discover the best solutions to transform Myanmar’s water utilities in pursuit of developing the nation’s water sector.

The international exhibition is organised

by Tarsus Southeast Asia, a leading trade show organiser in the region. The group’s portfolio covers leading shows in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines, focusing on industries such as building and construction, water and wastewater treatment, food and beverage, hospitality, automotive parts and accessories, livestock and agriculture, and many more.

Water and wastewater treatment exhibitions organised by the group include CAMWATER in Cambodia, LAOWATER in Laos, and LANKAWATER in Sri Lanka.

Showcasing a wide range of products, services and technologies from over 150 companies and brands hailing from various countries, MYANWATER 2021 promises an opportunity for business expansion and networking.

November / December 2020 • waterwastewaterasia.com

2020

APRIL 2021

AUGUST 2021

IE expo 20 to 22 April Shanghai, China

OCTOBER 2021

WFES Water 2021 05 to 07 April Abu Dhabi, UAE

NOVEMBER 2020

Singapore International Water Week Online 18 to 19 November Virtual Asia Water 2020 30 November to 2 December Virtual

MAY 2021

DECEMBER 2020 InterAqua Tokyo 2021 9 to 11 December Tokyo, Japan MyanWater 2020 10 to 12 November Yangon, Myanmar

2021 World Water-Tech Innovation Summit 2021 23 to 24 February London, United Kingdom

Myanmar Water 2021 20 to 22 October Yangon, Myanmar

IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition 2020 09 to 14 May Copenhagen, Denmark

WEFTEC 2021 18 to 20 October Chicago, USA

Pumps & Valves Asia 2021 12 to 14 May Bangkok, Thailand

NOVEMBER 2021

JUNE 2021

2022

LAOWATER’21 17 to 19 June Vientiane, Lao

FEBRUARY 2021

LANKAWATER’21 05 to 07 August Colombo, Sri Lanka

Singapore International Water Week 2021 20 to 24 June Singapore

Vietwater (Ho Chi Minh) 2021 10 to 12 November Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

MAY 2022

IFAT Munich 2020 30 May – 2 June Munich, Germany

MARCH 2021

Asia Smart Water Utilities 2021 10 to 11 March Singapore

JULY 2021

Enlit Asia 2021 (formerly known as POWERGEN Asia & Asian Utility Week) 23 to 25 March Jakarta, Indonesia

VietWater (Hanoi) 2021 20 to 22 July Hanoi, Vietnam Indo Water Expo & Forum 2021 21 to 23 July Jakarta, Indonesia

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ANDRITZ AG - SEPARATION

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LACROIX SOFREL

9

OVARRO CONNECTING TECHNOLOGIES

1

CLA-VAL

11

DANFOSS INDUSTRIES SDN BHD

7

DUPONT

IFC

Page

VAUGHAN CO., INC.

45

WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA HOUSE AD - WEBINAR

5

GUANGDONG LESSO TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD IBC

WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA HOUSE AD - SOCIAL MEDIA

15

HARBIN FIRSTLINE ENVIRONMENT TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD

WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA HOUSE AD

39

13

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