Water. Desalination + reuse
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/1019735
Singapore's national water agency the Public Utilities Board (PUB) has developed a reputation for continually pushing at the boundaries of water technology, as it seeks to establish a safe and resilient supply for municipal and industrial customers over the long-term. Water. desalination + reuse talks to technology lead Harry Seah about current and future projects T he engineer Harry Seah, recognised through- out the global water trade for pioneering new water technologies at Singapore's Public Utilities Board (PUB), is not given to informal chitchat with journalists. But amid the crush of an official press conference at Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) 2018 his boss, PUB chief executive Ng Joo Hee, slips the nod for an impromptu inter- view about developments at the utility. It's a rare chance to grill Seah, PUB assistant chief executive (future systems and technology), in person about the many water projects that he oversees. PUB ranks among the world's most innovative water agencies. It introduced the specially-branded recycled water product, NEWater, 16 years ago, and has since devel - oped an influential research and development (R&D) pro- gramme for water technology. The R&D work serves the dual purpose of supporting PUB's own water supply goals, and demonstrating new tech with the potential to be of use in world markets, particularly in Asia. Through this, PUB has developed a role as a platform for early stage technol - ogy companies eager to prove the efficacy of their ideas. The utility currently operates three desalination plants, with two more due on-stream by 2020, and five water reuse plants; and it aims to innovate at all stages in the water cycle. Energy challenge The focus on R&D and innovation is driven by Singapore's intense water challenge: by 2060, water demand in the city state is expected to have doubled to 860 million impe- rial gallons a day (3.4 million m3/d), during which time no new fresh water sources will become available. One of PUB's central aims is to update its current mixture of water sources to become more self-sufficient. This means that by 2060, it wants 55 per cent of supply to come from NEWater (up from 40 per cent today), and only 15 per cent from local catchments and imports from Malaysia (down from 30 per cent); desalination will be steady at 40 per cent. On top of these aims, PUB in 2018 began articulating ambitious new targets on energy consumption. "In the years to 2060 water demand will double, and the proportion used by industry, which requires four times more energy, will rise to 70 per cent, up from 55 per cent," says Seah. "The energy requirement of PUB is expected to quadruple, up to 4,000 GWh, and the volume of waste to double. Our challenge now is, with all the R&D, all the tests and collaboration, can we deliver the equivalent of double the water at today's energy footprint? We are very confident based on today's technology and our work with industries and in-house, that we can halve energy consumption from 4,000 to 2,000 GWh, and we are working to develop new solutions to cream off another 1,000 GWh," he says. PUB's strategy for achieving these goals centres on col - laboration, and it's here that Seah's passion for early stage technologies, and for two-way partnerships between PUB as end-user and technology providers, shines through. In the past two decades, PUB has facilitated hundreds of pilot projects, many resulting in new treatment processes and products coming to market. They include the Fish Activity Monitoring System for early warning of water quality with ZWEEC Analytics (using live fish); a water reuse pilot project at Ulu Padan Waste- water Treatment Plant trialing membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology, which will now be deployed at the new Tuas Water Reclamation Plant; flow reversal technologies includ- ing Rotec reverse osmosis flow reversal (see page 27), tested at Kranji NEWater facility; Suez's electrodialysis reversal technology to enhance recovery in water reuse; and a pilot on electrodialysis desalination with Evoqua, which devel - oped into the tech company's Nexed product line. Innovation incubator PUB's R&D Fund has overseen investment of S$453 million ($333 million) into 613 projects across 27 countries since 2002. Of this, 23 per cent of funds were provided by PUB, 32 per cent by Singapore National Research Foundation, and the technology collaborators themselves invested 45 per cent. Half of these projects progressed onto the next phase of implementation or development. Seah believes that PUB adds unique value to the tech development process by providing a true utility perspective, and giving honest feedback. "If it is a product or idea that is based on good science and engineering — it can even be a prototype — we will add value as an end user," he says. The most important angle that PUB looks for in a pitch is that the provider can conceptualise their technology as part of the wider set of processes that make up Singapore's whole water system. "When people come with an idea, they usually aren't thinking 'process', or 'Singapore processes' — typically they don't think in terms of systems. Technology is more success - ful if you can think like a utility. The overall goal is to get safe water, so you must think system, the impact upstream and then downstream. If they've done their homework they will say 'this system…' Very few really know, in the begin - ning, if the idea that they have will fly," he says. PUB's collaborative approach aims to provide both sides of the partnership with useful information, whether or not the pitch is successful. "We always try to explain why, because that way they, and we, learn. If you have an early stage technology, run it by us… if we think it works great; if not, we will tell you why. We could take the easy way out, and give a non-committal, wishy-washy answer, but in that way we are not doing justice to the technology company. Whether we approve or don't approve the pilot, we will be open and transparent and share all the reasons why," Seah says. Singapore is aiming to further enhance its culture of collaboration in water technology through its new Water Exchange initiative. The incubator for water innovators, announced at SIWW 2018, aims to support water start-ups, from technology companies to system integrators, inves - tors, accelerators, market advisors, and associations, by September 2018 Water. desalination + reuse Interview 9 Harry Seah, PUB assistant chief executive (future systems and technology), is the face of PUB for global water technology start ups