Water & Wastewater Asia May/June 2022

MAY / JUNE 2022 

www.waterwastewaterasia.com 

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CONTENTS 

05 20 

04 Editor’s Note 

52 SWA Newsletter 

63 What’s Next? 

64 Advertisers’ Index 

SINGAPORE FOCUS 

12 Breakthrough in reverse osmosis 

38 One step forward, two steps back 

41 Automatic scrapper strainers protect 

critical membrane systems 

HOTSEAT 

44 Water sector must invest in our 

planet 

46 Tsurumi Avant MQ-Series internal 

closed-loop cooling system 

CONTENTS 

IN CONVERSATION WITH 

14 Digital transformation: Reimaging water 

processing 

16 Empowering the next steps into 

digitalising water 

IN THE FIELD 

20 Brunei makes its water management 

smart with LoRaWAN 

23 A new water pump station for Calgary 

26 Wastewater treatment solution for a 

critical airport application 

28 Qdos CWT pump addresses pipeline 

pressure challenge 

30 Researchers collect critical water quality 

data on Africa’s Okavango Delta 

FOCUS 

32 CeraMac: A sustainable ceramic 

microfiltration system for water 

treatment 

35 Addressing toxicity of wastewater 

influent with Hach EZ7900 

48 Preventing boiler corrosion during 

shutdown 

50 Engineering for turnkey wastewater 

treatment plants 

ON OUR RADAR 

56 SurfCleaner launches wastewater 

“skimmer-separator” tackling 

floating sludge 

57 Bentley Systems adds LCA and 

carbon calculations to iTwin platform 

58 Pulsar Measurement releases new 

portable transit time flow meter 

SNEAK PEEK & SHOW REVIEW 

59 Achieving energy efficiency in 

desalination, water and wastewater 


60 Singaproe International Water 

Week 2022 successfully enabled 

partnerships for climate action 

62 Japanese researcher clinches Lee 

Kuan Yew Water Prize 2020 for 

pioneering solutions in advanced 

used water treatment 

2 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | MAY/JUNE 2022

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FROM THE EDITOR 

DRIVING 

DIGITALISATION 

The ongoing paradigm shift to Industry 

4.0 brings forth the critical need for 

water utilities and wastewater treatment 

plants to integrate digital solutions into 

their water network. And in the face 

of urbanisation and industrialisation, 

digitalising the water network through 

automation and data analysis can supply 

water service providers with better 

insights, thus transforming their plants to 

be more resilient and innovative. 

Digital transformation was one of the 

four megatrends Emerson identified that 

will have an impact on the water and 

wastewater industry. On page 16 of this 

issue, Jonas Berge, senior director at 

Emerson Automation Solutions, describes 

digital transformation as “new data-driven 

ways of working” where plant operators 

can have the information about the 

condition and performance of the plant 

down to individual pieces of equipment 

to avoid failure and reduce maintenance 

costs. The goal, according to Berge, is 

to see energy intensity and unaccounted 

losses of the plant down to individual unit 

processes so operators can stop leaks 

and reduce energy costs. 

This issue has also lined-up several case 

studies, including KSB’s installation of 

its Omega pumps in the City of Calgary 

and SEKO’s installation of its PolyCendos 

wastewater treatment solution for an 

airport in Europe. To find out more, flip to 

pages 23 and 26, respectively. 

In the area of sustainability, Sandra 

DiMatteo, industry marketing director 

of water infrastructure at Bentley 

Systems, urges more action to be taken 

to meet the sustainability goals set out 

by the United Nations, and highlights: 

“Water safety and sustainability are 

more fragile than we think…We are all 

part of the solution and technology will 

help us get there faster. Sustainability 

means rethinking how we do things and 

doing them smarter and with greater 

transparency”. Continue reading the 

article on page 38. 

Digitalisation and sustainability were 

also largely spoken about at last month’s 

Singapore International Water Week 

(SIWW) 2022. The event, which brought 

together international and local players 

in the water sector, concluded on a 

high note with insights and technology 

innovations in mitigating climate change. 

Catch a glimpse of the event on page 60. 

Digital transformation can inevitably 

allow water distribution networks to 

deliver safer and cleaner drinking 

water and better manage wastewater, 

stormwater, and sewage infrastructure, 

and the time is now to explore their 

opportunities in this digital era. 

PABLO SINGAPORE 

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NEWS 

TUAS POWER-ST ENGINEERING 

CONSORTIUM AND PUB 

OPEN SINGAPORE’S FIFTH 

DESALINATION PLANT 

The consortium of Tuas Power and 

ST Engineering, along with PUB, 

Singapore’s national water agency, 

have officially opened Singapore’s fifth 

desalination plant located on Jurong 

Island. Jurong Island Desalination 

Plant (JIDP) has a daily capacity of up 

to 137,000m 3 . 

Constructed under the Design, Build, 

Own and Operate (DBOO) model, JIDP 

will be operated by TP-STM Water 

Resources, the joint venture company 

formed by the Tuas Power-ST 

Engineering consortium, for 25 years. 

Spanning over 3.7 hectares, JIDP 

receives seawater from Tuas Power’s 

Tembusu Multi-Utilities Complex 

(TMUC) for processing potable water. 

JIDP’s co-location with TMUC allows 

it to derive synergies in resources 

such as sharing of seawater intake and 

outfall structures, as well as energy from 

in-plant generation facilities. Due to 

the co-location, the plant is said to be 

5% more energy efficient compared to 

conventional desalination plants. 

Building a full-fledge desalination plant 

on existing infrastructure called for 

innovative engineering solutions, from 

creating modular systems in different 

areas of the desalination process 

to the pre-fabrication of equipment 

such as the reverse osmosis units. As 

such, JIDP is highly automated and 

incorporates water treatment equipment 

and membrane technologies such as 

dissolved air flotation, ultrafiltration and 

reverse osmosis. 

Ng Joo Hee, chief executive of PUB, 

said: “Although seawater desalination is 

the most expensive way to produce 

water, due to the energy required, it 

is nevertheless an essential source 

of drinking water for Singapore. 

Desalination is immune to the 

vagaries of weather and always 

available, rain or not. 

“The efficiencies that come from 

constructing JIDP, our fifth and 

newest desalination plant, next to 

Tuas Power’s existing TMUC make 

the energy-take for desalination that 

much more palatable. JIDP further 

diversifies our water production 

portfolio and its coming into 

operation enhances Singapore’s 

water security.” 

JIDP is equipped 

to produce up to 

137,000m 3 of potable 

water, strengthening 

Singapore’s water 

security 

DUPONT’S FILMTEC BAGS 2022 EDISON AWARD 

Four of DuPont’s technologies have been 

recognised with the 2022 Edison Award. 

The company received three Gold awards, 

including one for the FilmTec dry seawater 

reverse osmosis (SWRO) membranes under 

the Eco-Innovation category. 

DuPont’s FilmTec is a dry-stable membrane 

technology with a lower environmental 

footprint from reduced water usage, shipping 

weight and chemical disposal. FilmTec delivers 

performance over the operating lifetime and 

provides high NaCl and boron rejection to help 

meet World Health Organization (WHO) and 

other drinking water standards. 

Two other DuPont technologies which 

bagged the Gold award are the BETATECH 

thermal interface materials (TIM) solution 

that helps control the heat in EV batteries 

and Delrin renewable attributed acetal 

homopolymer under the Thermodynamic 

and Polymer and Emulsion categories, 

respectively. The Forth-Pak spray foam 

also clinched a Silver award in the Building 

Materials category. 

Alex Dembek, chief technology and 

sustainability officer at DuPont, 

commented: “This acknowledgement, 

selected by peers in the business and 

science community, exemplifies the spirit 

of sustainable innovation at DuPont, and 

reminds us of the impact we can achieve 

through customer collaboration to bring 

cutting-edge technologies to the market.” 

DuPont clinched four Edison Awards, including three 

Gold and a Silver 

Named after Thomas Alva Edison, the Edison 

Awards have recognised and honoured some of 

the most innovative new products, services and 

business leaders in the world since 1987. 

WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | MAY/JUNE 2022 5

NEWS 

agency engages and invests in energy-related 

businesses, not only in Thailand but also 

abroad. 

Hydropower is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of 

a water source to produce power 

ANDRITZ AND EGAT PARTNERS IN JOINT 

DEVELOPMENT AND MODERNISATION 

OF HYDROPOWER BUSINESS 

Andritz and the Electricity Generating 

Authority of Thailand (EGAT) have signed 

a memorandum of understanding (MoU) 

to jointly explore and expand business 

opportunities for hydropower projects in 

Thailand and surrounding countries. 

EGAT is a state-owned power utility under 

the Ministry of Energy and is dubbed the 

“largest” power producer and supplier in 

Thailand. Owning and operating about 50 

power plants across the country, with a total 

installed capacity of about 16,000MW, the 

Combining the technology experience of 

Andritz and the operational expertise of 

EGAT, the partnership comprises expanding 

the digitalisation of the latter’s hydropower 

facilities and developing rehabilitation and 

also automation projects in Thailand. In 

addition, the agreement focuses on exploring 

new, joint business opportunities, including 

operation and maintenance services in 

Thailand and the surrounding region. 

To cope with Thailand’s economic growth 

and the associated increase in energy 

consumption, the government’s power 

development plan aims to increase the 

country’s total installed energy capacity from 

today’s 55,731MW to about 77,210MW by 

2037. This goal is to be achieved primarily 

through the installation of renewable energy 

facilities, with hydropower playing a critical 

role not only in generating clean energy but 

also in providing grid stability services. 

ENERGY RECOVERY WINS SWRO 

CONTRACTS IN THE GULF REGION 

Energy Recovery has received multiple contract 

awards in the Gulf region totalling over US$20 

million for its PX Pressure Exchanger energy 

recovery devices. The orders are expected 

to be fulfilled by Q4 2023 and altogether, the 

desalination plants will be able to provide over 

one million cubic metres of water each day in 

this water-scarce region of the world. 

When these projects are completed, they will 

produce enough drinking water to fill over 400 

Olympic swimming pools per day. Moreover, 

Energy Recovery estimated that the PXs 

supplied to these plants will prevent more 

than 424,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide 

emission per year. 

In just the past 20 years, the Gulf’s population 

has increased by 55%, placing strain on the 

region’s water supply. Countries in the 

Gulf region are ranked among the most 

water-stressed countries in the world. 

Rodney Clemente, senior vice-president 

of water at Energy Recovery, said: “Energy 

Recovery’s reputation for producing 

dependable products is one of the main 

reasons why customers trust our PX to 

perform even under harsh conditions, bringing 

down the costs and energy consumption of 

what was once an energy-intensive process. 

The performance of our technology remains 

reliable, repeatable and predictable, allowing 

us to contract approximately 12 million cubic 

metres of installed capacity across the region.” 

The company further pointed out its PX has 

the potential to reduce energy use in seawater 

Energy Recovery’s PX 

Pressure Exchanger provides 

energy recovery for SWRO 

desalination systems 

reverse osmosis (SWRO) facilities by up to 

60%. The PX provides low lifecycle costs 

and provides savings to plant operators by 

bringing down the cost of clean water. 


NEWS 

MERGER MARKS NEW ERA IN WATER COLLABORATION 

As the water sector, governments and 

wider society face unprecedented 

challenges, the need to embrace 

change, innovate and collaborate 

has never been more critical. 

The merger of two water sector 

organisations in the UK aims to l 

ead the way. 

In April 2022, British Water (BW) 

and the Water Industry Forum (WIF) 

announced that the merger of the 

two organisations was completed. 

The merger will increase the range 

of services on offer, strengthen 

membership support and enhance 

the opportunity for challenge-led 

thought leadership, which will 

provide greater authority and a 

stronger voice both nationally and 

internationally—elements that are 

only growing more essential in the 

current economic climate. 

Chris Loughlin, chair of British Water, 

commented: “By joining forces, we’ve 

created an even stronger organisation 

that can deliver ever greater value for 

all our members, key stakeholders, 

partners and the sector as a whole. 

There is a tremendous synergy to be 

gained from bringing our respective 

strengths together.” 

The WIF will remain as a not-forprofit 

limited company, operating 

as a subsidiary of BW. A proposed 

operating model and governance 

framework have been deployed to 

support the activities and priorities 

of the merger organisation, and more 

importantly to preserve the WIF’s 

integrity and independence. 

“BW and WIF have histories of 

achievements, for and on behalf 

of their members and the sector,” 

he concluded. “We know that by 

combining our respective strengths 

we can create a new and even 

stronger organisation that will deliver 

added value for all our members, key 

stakeholders and partners, enabling 

us to respond most effectively and 

efficiently to the challenges and 

opportunities ahead of us.” 

The merger between 

WIF and BW aims 

to encourage more 

collaborations in the 

water section 

FRESHWATER STREAMS AND RIVERS ARE 

GETTING SALTIER AND MORE ALKALINE 

ions that are dissolved in water that contribute 

to salt pollution.” 

A study led by the US National Science 

Foundation (NSF) grantee researchers at 

the University of Maryland revealed how 

salinisation from road salt combined with 

other pollutants can impact the ecological 

balance of freshwater bodies, and can 

potentially create conditions that harm 

aquatic life and pollute drinking water. 

Sujay Kaushal, lead author of the 

study, explained: “This is a problem 

that’s caused by road salt, but also 

other sources of salt pollution in our 

environment—the fertilisers we put on 

crops, the sewerage we put out, the roads 

that break down. It’s not just sodium 

chloride that’s increasing, it’s all these salt 

In addition to coining the term “Freshwater 

Salinisation Syndrome”, the team created 

a five-stage scale to assess salt pollution 

damage and a salinisation scorecard to 

evaluate water quality and salinisation 

risk. The study, published in Limnology 

and Oceanography Letters, offers an 

understanding of the effect road salt has on 

waterway ecology and details risk factors to 

the environment and infrastructure. 

Road salt affects 

water quality and harms 

freshwater bodies (Photo 

credit: Katja Schulz) 

“We developed a five-stage system to identify 

and track the unhealthy progression of 

salinisation in our rivers in much the same 

way we would track an illness or disease like 

cancer,” Kaushal concluded. “We have to look 

at this unhealthy ‘Salinisation Syndrome’ from 

a systems-level perspective if we’re going to 

develop guidelines for diagnosing harmful 

levels and treat the problem.” 


NEWS 

SINGAPORE’S HDB PILOTS URBANWATER 

HARVESTING SYSTEM IN EXISTING ESTATES 

The Housing and Development Board 

(HDB), a statutory board under the Ministry 

of National Development responsible 

for Singapore’s public housing, will be 

extending the UrbanWater Harvesting 

System (UWHS) to existing HDB estates for 

the first time through a pilot project. 

HDB called for a tender for the installation 

of UWHS to harvest rainwater for nonpotable 

uses. It is estimated that about 15 

UWHSs will be installed, potentially reaping 

water savings of about 17,500m 3 per year. 

The UWHS is designed to maximise the 

volume of rainwater collected by harvesting 

stormwater surface runoff from the ground 

area surrounding multiple residential 

blocks. The stormwater from surface 

runoff that is discharged into an estate’s 

surrounding drainage system will first be 

channelled into the UWHS’ harvesting and 

detention tank. 

The system’s rainwater harvesting capability 

and water detention capacity allow for a 

single UWHS to harvest from and dispense 

water to as many as 12 residential blocks, 

for non-potable uses. Some of these uses 

include the washing of common areas and 

watering plants in HDB estates, where the 

UWHS can save up to 50% of water usage for 

these purposes. In addition, the channelling 

of stormwater into the UWHS’ harvesting 

and detention tank can mitigate potential 

flood risks in an estate in the event of a 

heavy downpour by slowing down the rate 

of discharge of stormwater into the drainage 

system downstream. 

Tan Meng Dui, CEO of HDB, commented: 

“With the vast majority of our residents 

Schematic of how the UWHS works (Photo credit: HDB) 

staying in existing HDB estates, we have 

taken a further step to pilot the system in 

existing HDB estates. While such brownfield 

developments will be more challenging to 

implement, compared to building the system 

as part of a new HDB development, the 

extension of the UWHS to existing estates will 

help to level up the sustainability provisions of 

our existing estates, and bring the benefits of 

green and sustainable living to more residents 

and towns.” 

XYLEM CELEBRATES 5 MILLION 

FLYGT PUMPS PRODUCED 

Xylem has marked five million Flygt 

pumps produced, continuing its efforts 

in breakthrough water technology 

innovations. The Flygt Concertor 

wastewater pumping system with 

integrated digital intelligence was 

the five millionth pump to roll off the 

production line and will serve the UKbased 

water utility, Scottish Water. 

The Concertor, which delivers energy 

savings of up to 70% compared to 

a conventional pumping system, is 

among the technologies that will 

support Scottish Water’s commitment 

to achieving net-zero emissions by 

2040. 

commented: “Water utilities are 

continuously working to raise the bar 

for their communities by increasing 

their infrastructure’s efficiency, 

sustainability and affordability. 

For more than a century, we’ve 

collaborated with customers 

around the world to advance Flygt 

technologies that help address their 

biggest water challenges. 

“Today’s innovations include applying 

data analytics and decision intelligence 

to optimise water networks. These 

high-efficiency technologies also help 

utilities dramatically reduce energyrelated 

greenhouse gas emissions.” 

operational and environmental 

gains for its customers and their 

communities, including Scottish 

Water, Heathrow Airport and a 

wastewater utility in Michigan. 

Xylem’s five millionth Flygt pump 

rolled off the production line at its 

Swedish manufacturing plant, which 

is on track to recycle process water 

by 2023. 

Intelligent pumping technologies 

enable water operators to increase 

network resilience and sustainability 

Hayati Yarkadas, president of 

water infrastructure for Xylem, 

Xylem’s Flygt solutions have been 

deployed worldwide, driving 


NEWS 

STRATEGIC EXPANSION OF NX FILTRATION’S 

PRESENCE IN THE AMERICAS AND CHINA 

To further strengthen its position in the 

global water markets, NX Filtration has 

expanded its global sales team with 

country managers in the Americas and 

China. 

Hu Shoahua has been named NX 

Filtration’s country manager for China. 

He brings over 25 years of experience 

in membranes for water treatment in 

industrial and municipal markets and 

will be responsible for all commercial 

activities in China and leading the 

regional sales team. 

“Asia, and particularly China, is facing 

many water-related challenges around 

growing cities and increased industrial 

activity. In Northern China, water 

shortage, surface water pollution and 

hardness are major challenges. In 

Eastern and Southern China, industrial 

pollution and micropollutants pose 

huge challenges for the environment 

and drinking water quality,” he 

said. “NX Filtration’s hollow fibre 

nanofiltration membranes can address 

all such challenges based on its 

sustainable and efficient solution.” 

Also joining NX Filtration is Tony 

Fuhrman, who has been appointed 

as country manager for the Americas. 

Fuhrman has experience in water and 

wastewater treatment technology 

sectors through his previous roles 

as commercial director and area 

market director for LG Water 

Solutions and various key positions 

at Hydranautics and SUEZ. He will 

support NX Filtration’s commercial 

roll-out strategy of its innovative 

and sustainable direct nanofiltration 

technology for municipal and 

industrial applications. 

Tony Fuhrman (left) 

and Hu Shoahua have 

joined NX Filtration as 

country manager for the 

Americas and China, 

respectively 

ZWEEC ANALYTICS INKS PARTNERSHIP WITH YANGTZE RIVER AUTHORITY 

ZWEEC established a partnership with Yangtze 

River Authority to develop and market its ecological 

environmental monitoring platform in China 

ZWEEC Analytics has sealed a partnership 

with the Yangtze River Monitoring and 

Scientific Research Centre to jointly develop 

and market its water ecological environmental 

monitoring platform in China. 

and early intervention of water ecological 

environments. 

This move comes as ZWEEC is building 

the next evolution in water technology to 

enable the sustainable management of water 

resources management in the region. 

Qiu Guangsheng, director of the Yangtze River 

Authority, said: “We have worked with ZWEEC 

for many years and are happy to enter into 

a partnership with ZWEEC to advance the 

deployment of the ecological environment of 

the Yangtze River Basin, that will contribute 

towards bilateral trade and investment 

between Singapore and China.” 

for 45% of China’s GDP. It is also home to a 

third of China’s endangered species and 40% 

of its rare or endangered plants. 

Since the pilot project of ZWEEC’s first Fish 

Activity Monitoring System (FAMS) in China’s 

Yangtze Basin Water Environment Monitoring 

Centre began under the cooperation between 

PUB, Singapore’s national water agency 

and China’s Ministry of Water Resources in 

2013, ZWEEC has deployed, installed and 

commissioned its technologies—Aquapro and 

Algapro—for China’s south-to-north water 

diversion project in the Yangtze River Basin 

to safeguard the water quality and safety of 

China’s domestic drinking water sources. 

Tapping on ZWEEC’s advanced analytics, 

artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive 

modelling capabilities, the project would 

develop and deploy water technology 

solutions in China worth around some RMB70 

million (US$10.9 million) over the next three 

years to enable the automatic monitoring 

The Yangtze River is one of China’s most vital 

domestic waterways that accounts for around 

40% of the country’s freshwater resources. 

The Yangtze River basin covers 19 provinces 

in China’s eastern, western and central 

regions, providing a source of water for almost 

600 million people and as a region, accounting 

Liu Haobing, CEO of ZWEEC China, concluded: 

“We are delighted to bring our partnership 

with Yangtze River Authority to a new level, 

as we actively support China’s Belt and Road 

initiative and play an active role in China’s water 

environmental safety, ecological protection and 

sustainable urban water management.” 


NEWS 

ABB TECHNOLOGY SUPPORTS WATER 

SUSTAINABILITY IN VIETNAM 

Ho Chi Minh City lost nearly 30% 

— more than 150 million cubic 

metres — of clean water in a recent 

year through leaking and damaged 

pipes, at a rate considerably higher 

than in many developed cities. 

Major sections of water distribution 

infrastructure in Ho Chi Minh City 

are aged, with some sections built 

more than 30 years ago, or even 

dating to the colonial era. The 

city continues to grow, increasing 

pressure on existing infrastructure. 

The city’s local water utility 

Saigon Water Supply Corporation 

(SAWACO) has undertaken a 

major renovation of the city’s 

water distribution network and has 

adopted ABB Ability Symphony 

Plus to support the goal of 

reducing water leakage from 30% 

to 10% by 2020. 

ABB Ability Symphony Plus is an 

automation system designed for 

the power and water industries. 

This control system, which is 

part of the ABB Ability portfolio 

of digital offerings, adds value by 

collecting, analysing and providing 

actionable insights on plant and 

engineering data in systems, 

ultimately lowering project risk, 

reducing cost and throughput 

times and improving asset 

performance and profitability. 

Tran Quang Minh, deputy general 

director of SAWACO, commented: 

“Ho Chi Minh City is making the 

transition to digital technology. 

A modern water management 

system is very important to 

customers and businesses to meet 

rising demand. ABB Ability is one 

of the solutions SAWACO has been 

using to help us detect leaks and 

monitor and control the network in 

real-time.” 

The renovation includes expansion 

of the current network capacity, 

integration of more isolated 

sections, reduction of water 

leakage and real-time control and 

monitoring disruptions as part of 

the project scope. 

ABB Ability Symphony Plus 

integrates TaKaDu’s network 

management solution, supporting 

SAWACO monitoring the network 

conditions digitally through multiple 

data collection points, such as 

sensors and meters, and offering 

insights to reduce non-revenue 

water. SAWACO will then be able 

to increase the amount of water 

delivered to the city’s industries 

and eight million residents. 

At a first estimate, SAWACO will hit 

50 million cubic metres per year of 

water savings, equivalent to 20,000 

Olympic-sized swimming pools, 

while production cost savings 

could be higher than US$10 million 

a year. 

Danilo Moresco, global product 

manager, power and water, ABB, 

concluded: “This project in Ho Chi 

Minh City shows how advanced 

automation impacts our daily life. 

The smart collection of digital 

data from the field offers real-time 

insights on the network status, 

allowing SAWACO to increase the 

quality of its drinking water and 

improve living conditions for millions 

of people.” 

ABB Ability 

Symphony Plus 

SCADA for water 

industries is adopted 

by SAWACO to 

address water 

leakage challenges 

and support longterm 

growth 


NEWS 

BIO-UV WATER TREATMENT FOR FIFA WORLD CUP STADIUM 

Bio-UV Group has installed advanced 

water treatment systems at Doha’s 

Al-Bayt Stadium in the city of Al Khor, 

Qatar. The 63,000-capacity arena, 

which is set to be one of the stadiums 

that will be hosting the FIFA World 

Cup Qatar 2022, was installed with a 

range of advanced UV- and ozonebased 

systems to treat the stadium’s 

changing room pools, ornate water 

features and extensive lakes. 

Anne Julia, export director for 

Bio-UV Group, explained: “Water 

treatment and water quality are always 

important. But in warmer climates, 

particular attention needs to be paid 

to disinfection as the multiplication 

rate of bacteria, viruses and algae can 

be exponentially faster. There is also 

a greater potential for exotic diseases 

and parasites.” 

Installed by systems integrator 

Watermaster Qatar and commissioned 

prior to the FIFA Arab Cup last 

December, Bio-UV Group’s scope 

of supply included triogen 

O3 M7-520A and O3 M6-WC50S 

ozone generators, along with triogen 

CF1000 and CF220 full flow UV water 

treatment systems. 

Souheil Nasrallah, general manager 

of Watermaster Qatar, continued: 

“The lakes and rivers in the grounds 

of the stadium provide a beautiful, 

natural habitat of thousands of 

fish, so chemical-free disinfection 

and systems allowing the reuse 

of treated sewage effluent were 

environmentally very important.” 

While a minimum amount of chlorine 

must be added to public pools by 

law, the use of UV and ozone as a 

secondary source of disinfection 

reduces the chlorine demand, thus 

saving costs and improving water 

quality. 

“Oxidation and UV technologies 

destroy many contaminants from 

the water, attacking the vital DNA 

of the bacteria and microorganisms 

directly. It is also effective in 

dealing with chlorine-resistant 

pathogens such as Cryptosporidium 

and Giardia,” Khalifudeen Shafi, 

regional manager of Bio-UV Group 

concluded. 

Bio-UV Group has 

supplied advanced 

water treatment 

systems to Doha’s 

Al-Bayt Stadium 

EVOQUA WATER TECHNOLOGIES COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF 

FRONTIER WATER SYSTEMS 

Evoqua Water Technologies has 

purchased the remaining equity of 

San Diego-based Frontier Water 

Systems. The former initially 

announced its investment position in 

the latter in October 2019. 

The business adds to Evoqua’s 

portfolio of advanced wastewater 

treatment technologies, as 

Ron Keating, CEO of Evoqua, 

commented: “Evoqua and Frontier 

have successfully partnered 

on numerous projects to help 

solve water treatment needs of 

our customers. We are pleased 

to officially welcome Frontier to 

the Evoqua family and we look 

forward to continuing to deliver 

on our commitment to provide our 

customers with advanced water 

treatment solutions.” 

Frontier Water Systems is a supplier 

of engineered equipment packages 

for high-rate treatment of selenium, 

nitrate and metals in water and 

wastewater. Waste streams from 

processing containing metals and 

minerals must be treated to remove 

these contaminants prior to discharge. 

The company delivers a biological 

process that removes these metals in a 

modular bioreactor. 



BREAKTHROUGH 

in reverse osmosis 

the National Research Foundation (NRF) 

of Singapore and PUB was to develop a 

bio-mimetic ultra-permeable membrane 

with enhanced performance compared 

to existing membranes. Our team took 

inspiration from the biomolecules of 

cell membranes and succeeded in 

developing our hollow-fibre (HF) biomimetic 

membrane in 2018. 

H2MO’s HF bio-mimetic membrane 

was made with the use of cellular 

biomolecules, without the need for 

Aquaporin, and we can alter the 

characteristics of the membrane 

through modifications of our synthetic 

biomolecules. This is what we call BPM 

and this platform technology enables us 

to make a host of membranes from RO 

to nanofiltration and forward osmosis 

membranes. 

As a specialist in membrane material 

sciences, H2MO has developed and 

utilised Bio-Programmable Membrane 

(BPM) technology to manufacture 

reverse osmosis (RO) membranes in 

hollow fibre configuration. These BPM- 

RO membranes are made by forming 

a thin selective layer on a hollow fibre 

substrate with a formulation of biomaterials, 

giving the BPM membranes 

highly selective characteristics and 

enhanced water permeability. 

The applications BPM-RO membrane 

supports include potable water, 

ultrapure water, wastewater treatment 

and recycling, zero-discharge and 

desalination. 

H2MO is commercialising the BPM 

technology developed by a team 

led by Prof Wang Rong at Nanyang 

Technological University (NTU) in 

conjunction with PUB, Singapore’s 

national water agency. The company 

further worked with the team for 

technology scale-up to enable a 

new generation of membranes that 

can be used to play a key role in the 

management of Singapore’s critical 

water resources. In an interview with 

Water & Wastewater Asia, Ong Tze 

Guan, founder and CEO at H2MO, 

discussed more on this project with 

PUB and the transformative role BPM 

can bring forth to the wider RO market. 

Can you elaborate on the project 

with PUB—what are the main 

objectives and how will the 

installation of BPM-RO support 

Singapore’s quest for water 

security? 

Ong Tze Guan: The project funded by 

We currently have two pilot systems 

operating at PUB’s Ulu Pandan 

Water Reclamation Plant to verify 

its performance under real-time 

operations; we have a 14 m 3 /day 

system using 4-inch modules and 

a 100 m 3 /day system using 8-inch 

modules; the 14 m 3 /day pilot has been 

in operation for about a year and the 

larger 100 m 3 /day system was recently 

installed. 

The results from the pilot system 

revealed a 70-110% higher flux 

compared to conventional membranes, 

consumes about 40% less energy under 

similar operation and showed superior 

fouling resistance. Furthermore, there 

is a potential to achieve higher water 

recovery. 

Singapore’s water security issues stem 

from its limited freshwater resources 

and this limitation has driven Singapore 

towards water sustainability through 

the four National Taps and developing 

a circular strategy to make every drop 

count. 



The pilots showed that the BPM- 

RO can play an important part in 

Singapore’s circular water economy 

by keeping water in use for as long 

as possible, achieving better water 

sustainability, through more efficient 

water recovery technology. The BPM- 

RO also contributes to enhancing 

resilience to climate change through 

drastically lower energy consumption 

and plays a part in helping Singapore 

address increasing water demand, 

which is expected to nearly double by 

2060. 

With BPM-RO production commencing 

at the end of 2022, we look forward 

to contributing to Singapore’s 

desalination and wastewater recovery 

efforts in the coming years. 

Why is the HF configuration 

chosen over the spiral-wound (SW) 

configuration? Even so, what are 

some of the applications driving 

the HF membrane market? 

Ong: Different membrane 

configurations display different 

characteristics during use. We chose 

the HF membrane configuration over 

the SW membrane configuration 

because of several advantages. 

Firstly, HF configuration can have a 

large surface area to volume ratio, 

albeit this is dependent on the fibre 

diameter. Secondly, HF membranes 

can handle feed streams with 

higher levels of suspended solids. 

Thirdly, the ability to hydraulically 

clean the membranes, such as 

via air sparging, further enables 

the filtration of fouling prone feed 

waters. The latter two advantages 

also allow the possibility of reducing 

the necessity of pre-treatment of 

the feed stream and reducing the 

frequency of membrane chemical 

cleaning. 

Given that BPM-RO membrane 

systems function at lower pressures 

in the treatment of membrane 

bioreactor (MBR) effluent at the PUB 

pilot, it also contributes to lower 

fouling of the membranes. Hence, 

the above factors allow our HF 

configuration to operate with greater 

advantages and lower maintenance 

and operating costs. 

With membrane fouling and scaling a 

common issue with RO systems, how 

is H2MO addressing these issues 

while also extending the lifecycle of 

the membrane? 

Ong: The lifecycle of the membrane 

is primarily dictated by membrane 

fouling and scaling issues and through 

the careful selection of a more 

advantageous membrane configuration 

and an advantageous membrane 

surface chemistry. 

At our BPM-RO pilot system with 

a feed stream from a MBR effluent 

from the PUB pilot, we did a test of 

halting all chemical cleaning during the 

operation of the systems and we found 

that there was little trans-membrane 

pressure (TMP) change over a period 

of six months. 

Adding to the fact that BPM-RO 

operates at lower pressures, the 

combination of factors above 

contributes to the potential of a 

far longer lifecycle of the BPM-RO 

membranes which lowers the frequency 

of membrane replacement and further 

lowering operating cost. 



DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION: 

Reimaging water processing 

Brings forth innovations while enhancing existing systems. 

“Lacroix already provides a water loss 

solution; the challenge is accurately finding 

the location of the leak to fix it quickly and 

efficiently. In the future, the challenge will be 

to use artificial intelligence (AI) to anticipate 

leaks and perform preventative maintenance 

to ensure that leaks do not occur in the first 

place.” 

Sofrel Neo installed in an underground water manhole 

Embracing the smart water concept involves 

the monitoring, control and command of 

water networks. Digitalisation is another key 

factor which might bring added value across 

this whole process, from the water sensors 

to virtualisation solutions such as analytics 

and SCADA, Eric Woo, business development 

manager, Asia, Lacroix, suggested. 

Take SCADA for instance, it has the capability 

to remotely control and manage water 

networks, thus enabling plant operators to 

manage their networks better and optimise 

the operation of the devices they deploy. 

The SCADA central station thus serves as a 

gateway between the devices spread across 

the terrain and the operator responsible 

for analysing the network. Besides, the 

software also collects critical data such as 

the service life of technical parts and network 

outputs, allowing operators to better plan for 

supplementary installations for their network. 

Under Lacrox’s SCADA offerings include 

the Sofrel PCWin2 SCADA Central Station 

designed for operating Sofrel networks. 

It features the Interface Homme Machine 

(IHM) in HTML5, which enables operators to 

remain in contact with their installations and 

monitor their network via mobile devices or 

PCs. 

Other PCWin2 functions include a 

centralised alarm reporting via SMS and 

e-mail; automatic calculations of average 

flows, balances, formulas and more; 

curve plotting, graphic mimic diagrams; 

operating reports in Excel format; and selfconfiguration 

based on the parameters of 

the devices. 

That said, a digitised water network has 

its set of vulnerabilities, as Woo told 

Water & Wastewater Asia: “Water network 

vulnerabilities are plentiful. The main issues 

lie in the ageing water infrastructure, which 

can lead to a high risk of leaks and nonrevenue 

water, and the impact of climate 

change, particularly on combined sewer 

overflows (CSO) and water pollution. 

The solution, he suggested, could include 

monitoring the age of infrastructure, analysing 

the number of leaks and their locations 

and also increasing the density of the leak 

detection devices to improve the visibility of 

the whole water network. 

To support leakage detection and CSO 

monitoring, Lacroix developed the Sofrel 

DL4W range which consists of LS/LT, 

OpenSensor and Neo data loggers specifically 

designed for drinking water and wastewater 

networks. Watertight, operational for up to 10 

years with their high-capacity lithium battery 

and fitted with a 2G/4G antenna, the LX data 

loggers are compatible with all instruments 

used in water networks. 

Since its launch, specific features and uses 

connected to water management have been 

introduced to enhance the Sofrel data logger 

offer. They are currently deployed across 

isolated sites and, subject to severe conditions 

in the field, supply daily data used to monitor 

and react to water network performance 

levels. 

Most often placed in manholes, the Sofrel data 

logger is frequently subjected to submersion 

phenomena. Equipped with a closure system 

and military-style connector, the IoT LX enjoys 

reinforced IP68 classification, enabling it to 

function even when the manhole is flooded. 



Sofrel YDRIX RTU 

CYBERSECURITY 

In the face of increasing cyberattacks on 

water utilities and water treatment plants 

in recent years, the American Water Works 

Association has identified cybersecurity 

as a “mission-critical function” for water 

utilities. Lacroix similarly acknowledges 

the importance of cybersecurity, as Woo 

elaborated: “Smart water solutions can also 

combat technological vulnerabilities, such 

as remote device management for hardware 

updates or cybersecurity. 

“Digitalisation offers some protection 

but, at the same time, more digitalisation 

potentially means more risks. Hence, 

cybersecurity is of crucial importance 

in our products and we perform regular 

independent audits to ensure the security 

of all critical data.” 

Sofrel S4W can be installed in pumping 

stations and reservoirs as an inter-site 

communication tool between stations 

and water tanks as well as between water 

tanks and pumping stations. It can also be 

deployed in drinking water treatment plants 

and wastewater treatment plants for the 

management and monitoring of the water 

treatment and purification processes. 

To facilitate the exploitation of the data 

managed by the S4W locally or remotely, 

operators may choose between two graphical 

consultation interfaces—S4-Display and S4- 

View. The former is a colour touch-sensitive 

display that can be integrated into the front 

panel of the control cabinet. It allows the 

visualisation of mimic diagrams, data and 

curves on-site. The latter is a Windows-based 

software for viewing the data managed by 

S4W and allows remote diagnosis of its 

equipment. 

CLOSER PROXIMITY 

Smart environment has become a critical 

theme in Asia. Having invested for several 

years in Asia and established partnerships in 

various countries – from Thailand, Vietnam, 

Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, 

Cambodia and China – Lacroix opened an 

office in Singapore in 2019 and has since 

worked on improving and developing its 

The Sofrel DL4W family of 4G M2M data loggers 

for monitoring and controlling the performance 

of water networks 

existing partner network while adding new 

partners across ASEAN and China. 

“By reorganising our partnerships, we can 

focus more on the quality and efficiency of 

our customer support,” he said. “This partner 

network means that we are much closer to 

our customers and can react much more 

quickly, with the help of our strong pre- and 

after-sales support teams at the Lacroix 

headquarters.” 

Several new products were released in the 

last 12 months, such as the Sofrel Neo, an 

NB-IoT/LTE-M data logger, and the Sofrel 

YDRIX 2G/3G/4G smart water remote 

telemetry unit (RTU). These products, Woo 

noted, have been developed with ASEAN 

countries in mind and provide efficient and 

easy-to-use solutions for water networks. 

Designed to meet the needs of water network 

operators and localities, Sofrel YDRIX RTU 

combines integrated 4G communication, 

cybersecurity and process control in a single 

product. It can be interfaced with pumps, 

valves, sensors and Modbus equipment 

present at the hydraulic facilities. As for Sofrel 

Neo, it monitors water metering and flows, 

registers data, calculates flow rates and 

transmits all the data periodically or on event 

detection. 

Sofrel Neo data logger 

With cybersecurity becoming a fundamental 

issue, Lacroix offers the Sofrel S4W 

telemetry solution that provides a high level 

of protection and security for connected 

water networks. Based on IP technologies, 

S4W integrates communication modems and 

relies on specific ready-to-use water features 

to monitor the sites, alert operators in case 

of anomaly, and manage and automate 

technical failures. 



EMPOWERING 

THE NEXT STEPS 

into digitalising water 

Infrastructure modernisation, sustainability and 

decarbonisation, digital transformation, and autonomous 

operations—these are the four megatrends Emerson 

identified at the Emerson Exchange Asia-Pacific Virtual 

Edition 2021 last December. Jonas Berge, senior director at 

Emerson Automation Solutions, shares more with Water & 

Wastewater Asia on how the company is empowering the 

water industry into the next Industry 4.0 era. 

Emerson DeltaV mobile application 

How is Emerson supporting 

businesses’ digital transformation 

into the Industry 4.0 era? 

Jonas Berge: Digital transformation is 

primarily about new data-driven ways 

of working; having the information 

about the condition and performance 

of the plant down to individual pieces 

of equipment of all types, to avoid 

failure and optimise cleaning to reduce 

maintenance and energy costs while 

increasing production output. 

The goal is to see energy intensity and 

unaccounted losses of the plant down 

to individual unit processes so plant 

operators can stop leaks and reduce 

energy costs. For instance, they can 

view the process variability of the 

plant down to individual loops to tune 

to ensure quality and operate closer 

to optimal to increase throughput and 

reduce operational cost. They can 

also see corrosion and erosion in the 

plant down to individual pipe sections 

so they can avoid loss of containment 

to reduce clean-up costs and fines, 

and get a picture of the risk profile of 

the plant down to individual safety 

functions to avoid escalation in 

case of an event, thus making the 

plant a safer place to work. 

Emerson supports digital 

transformation by providing the 

software and sensors to enable 

these new data-driven ways of 

working. 

In your opinion, how will each 

of the four megatrends which 

Emerson identified have a 

sustained impact in Asia-Pacific, 

particularly in the water and 

wastewater industry? 

Berge: Asia-Pacific will have its 

fair share of ageing automation 

systems. These systems were 

the best of their kind when they 

were deployed but now lag behind 

modern systems so quality issues 

still happen, and incidents occur. 

And there are other challenges. 

Old automation components are 

becoming obsolete, cyberattack 

threats are emerging, and 

system maintenance costs are 

increasing. Plants also struggle 

with knowledge retention as 

experienced operators retire. 

Workers now want to be able 

to check the process from 

their mobile devices. As part of 

infrastructure modernisation, 

plants in Asia-Pacific are now 

modernising their automation 

systems to get support for 

integration using the OPC-UA 

standard to get data out to other 

systems that need it. That is, OPC- 

UA enables data integration while 

preserving the robustness of the 

control system at upgrades. 

Other important characteristics 

of a modern control system 

include more accurate flowmeters 



Autonomous operation means “no 

routine visits”, and this requires not 

only automatic process control but 

also automatic equipment monitoring 

and prediction. Therefore, plants 

deploy predictive analytics and add 

sensors on equipment on-site for 

data collection. 

Having participated in last 

year’s Sustainable Innovation 

Forum, what are some of the 

key takeaways you have picked 

up? More crucially, how will you 

describe the role sustainability 

plays in today’s water sector, 

and how can water management 

be sustainable for cities and 

Emerson offers 

a range of water 

treatment solutions 

such as process 

valves, control 

transfer pumps 

and transmitters 

for potable water 

applications 

and higher performance valves 

for tighter control, better alarm 

management for improved visibility 

and reduced risk, Ethernet interfaces 

instead of RS485 to be compatible 

with new automation, certified 

for cybersecurity, digital twin for 

simulation for testing and operator 

training, mobile on-the-go access 

anywhere, and virtualisation of 

servers. And these are just a few of 

the changes being made which are 

relevant to the water and wastewater 

industry. 

Water and wastewater plants do 

not use hydrocarbons; hence, 

sustainability is mostly about 

reducing electricity consumption. 

For instance, pumps are large 

consumers of electricity. As such, 

some measures to be taken include 

automation to ensure pumps are 

not running against closed valves 

and those that are not needed at the 

moment are not inadvertently left 

running. It is also important to monitor 

the pumps for deteriorating efficiency 

as well as strainers and filters for 

plugging. Lastly, monitoring for leaks 

is a critical part of water conservation. 

Although the water and wastewater 

treatment process in most plants 

is fully controlled by automation, 

there are still lots of manual tasks 

such as maintenance and reliability 

inspection, loss control, safety 

checks and operator rounds to 

name a few. Digital transformation 

is about automating these tasks. 

Plants can deploy a second layer of 

automation based on the NAMUR 

Open Architecture (NOA). This 

starts by sensing every part of the 

plant to obtain real-time equipment 

data through permanent sensing 

with advanced sensors which are 

wireless and non-intrusive. This is 

the first step in automating manual 

tasks. Next, plants deploy analytics 

software to predict failure and detect 

inefficiency and losses based on the 

data from the new sensors. 

Rural water and wastewater 

plants are located remotely, often 

unmanned, increasingly operated 

and managed from an integrated 

operations (iOps) centre. Since no 

one is on-site, reliably predicting 

problems in equipment like pumps 

in advance is very important. 

utilities? 

Berge: A vast number of new plants 

need to be built for decarbonisation 

and the hydrogen economy. And 

existing plants must be modified. 

Process units like electrolysers, 

steam methane reformers (SMR), 

carbon capture units, pipeline 

injection skid, refuelling stations 

and fuel cells all need a lot of 

automation. And a lot of this 

automation is specialised for 

hydrogen because hydrogen has 

some specific challenges such as 

permeability, embrittlement, ultralow 

temperature, ultra-high pressure, 

high flammability, invisible flame and 

more. 

Emerson is well positioned to 

help our customers because our 

products and solutions address 

these challenges. With the right 

automation components, operators 

may enjoy uninterrupted operation, 

low maintenance cost, safety, high 

throughput, high purity hydrogen, 

hydrogen and natural gas blend 

within specification and accurate 

billing. We are already helping our 

customers around the world with 

digital transformation. 



Emerson opened its South 

East Asia Service Centre last 

November. Can you share with 

us the reasons behind the 

decision of opening this new 

service centre, and the growth 

opportunities you see in the wider 

Asia-Pacific region? 

Berge: The original South East Asia 

Service Centre and flow calibration 

facility has been operating for 

several years. The reason for our 

expansion is to serve our customers 

even better by now supporting even 

larger flow meters up to 12 inches. 

This means flow meter calibration 

with much faster and lower total 

cost as flow meters need not be 

sent overseas. 

This is an ISO 17025-accredited 

calibration facility, a standard 

accepted in many countries. 

What other trends do you see 

taking place in the water and 

wastewater industry, and how will 

you envision the next milestone 

in harnessing a more sustainable 

planet through advocacy for 

water? 

Berge: Water conservation is 

a huge piece of sustainability. 

Decarbonisation is great but we 

must not forget water. 

1 

1 Sedimentation 

tank in a 

wastewater 

treatment plant 

2 Water pump 

station in a 

power plant 

Just about all industries use 

enormous amounts of water. 

Evaporation cooling towers and 

the process itself are just two 

examples. We need to manage 

industrial water responsibly; plants 

must prevent overconsumption and 

losses. For example, plants run the 

water for more cycles in cooling 

towers to reduce blowdown and 

makeup. This, in turn, means plants 

must closely monitor the water 

chemistry, fouling and corrosion. 

Also remember, the production of 

hydrogen through the electrolysis of 

water requires very clean water. 

Now, engineers can do all this 

using readily available Emerson 

automation solutions such as energy 

management information system 

(EMIS) software for water balancing 

and leak detection, as well as 

detection of water overconsumption. 

EMIS software relies on flow 

meters for submetering to pinpoint 

overconsumption and leaks with finer 

granularity. Water quality control 

requires liquid analysers for pH, 

conductivity, dissolved oxygen, ozone, 

chlorine and turbidity so we are all set 

to support this. 

2 


IN THE FIELD 

BRUNEI MAKES 

its water management 

smart with LoRaWAN 

Anian deploys a LoRaWAN network throughout the Sultanate of Brunei, serving 

the country’s government, universities and private sector to improve the 

management of cities, environment and agriculture, with a focus on smart water 

use cases, such as monitoring river water levels, wastewater pumping stations, 

water quality and infrastructure. These solutions are deployed using Actility’s 

ThingPark platform and the application provided by IoThink Solutions. 

Anian, a Brunei-based Internet 

of Things (IoT) solutions provider 

founded in 2019, has taken the lead 

in Brunei’s domestic market by 

providing IoT solutions based on 

the LoRa standard. The Sultanate’s 

Ministry of Development, which 

had a roadmap to digitise various 

services, commissioned Anian 

to develop several use cases 

around water, following a request 

for proposals, to come up with a 

solution that included sensors, 

connectivity, and data management 

and application dashboards, albeit 

with the network operation and IoT 

applications as managed services, 

with the solution hosted in the 

Brunei government’s data centre. 

The initial need was to monitor 

water levels in Brunei’s rivers, as 

flooding is very frequent and often 

unpredictable. It is important to 

be warned as soon as possible at 

the onset of a flood to prepare the 

population and limit the damage. 

Other recurring problems in the 

country included the management 

of wastewater and pumping 

stations, which often broke down, 


IN THE FIELD 

– an airport. A nearby canal has 

a water level that can go from 

zero to overflowing in 20 minutes, 

preventing operations on part of this 

airport. While waiting for the work to 

be done to divert the canal, the IoT 

solution provides immediate alerts. 

PROTECTION OF SEWAGE 

PUMPING STATIONS 

A significant portion of Brunei’s 

population lives near rivers or in 

villages on stilts. Wastewater from 

the homes is treated and released 

into the rivers. When there are 

overflows in the pumping stations, 

the discharge water pollutes the 

rivers, creating a significant odour 

A screenshot of the 

asset displacement 

dashboard 

tides and water on parking lots and 

highways, as well as the quality of 

can be triggered within hours. 

The Department of Drainage and 

nuisance for the inhabitants, who 

complain, after which technicians 

are sent to clean and reset the 

water and the state of the various 

Sewerage under the Ministry of 

pump. 

infrastructures. 

Development undertakes monitoring 

of the sewerage distribution network 

This system is rather inefficient and 

The main challenge Anian faced 

and river levels at various locations 

has negative financial risks. Pumps 

was the difficulty of finding an 

in Brunei Muara to help predict 

can shut down due to trash and 

integrated end-to-end solution 

flooding and detect abnormalities in 

debris, creating excessive vibration 

that includes all the necessary 

the sewerage system. 

that leads to overheating and 

elements, including hardware that 

explosion. Until now, monitoring of 

must adapt to complex environments 

River level monitoring has until now 

facilities and equipment has relied 

and potentially destructive weather 

been primarily based on telemetry 

primarily on telemetry and SCADA 

conditions. This starts with the 

technology or, in cases where this 

technology at only a few locations, 

sensors – Anian tested various entry- 

technology is not deployed or is 

in cases where this technology 

level sensors with a promise of IP67 

inoperable due to breakage or theft, 

is not deployed or is inoperable 

resistance that proved insufficient. 

manual monitoring with significant 

due to breakage or theft; or no 

Even the gateways required 

mobilised manpower. 

monitoring at all because of SCADA 

protection against storms. 

solutions pricing, just on reactive 

To create an effective system 

maintenance with workforce 

However, Anian successfully carried 

of preventive alerts on these 

sent on-site based on customer 

out this mission, in particular through 

hydrological events, Anian deploys 

complaints. 

a partnership with IoThink Solutions 

ultrasonic sensors connected via 

and Actility, which provided the 

LoRaWAN to monitor the water level 

The solution implemented by Anian 

bricks of the solution and all the 

in flood-prone rivers, a solution 

allows the monitoring of wastewater 

necessary technical support. 

combined with rainfall volume 

pumping stations, via continuous 

FLASH FLOOD DETECTION 

monitoring as well as rain gauges 

and tipping buckets to measure the 

measurement of pump vibrations, 

the use of floats and LoRaWAN 

Flooding is the top natural hazard in 

velocity of water currents. 

ultrasonic sensors in wells to alert 

Brunei. With a hot and rainy climate, 

if the water surface rises within 

the country experiences frequent 

The flash flooding issue affects for 

50cm of the cover, but also with 

and intense flooding episodes that 

example a critical infrastructure 

the detection of workers’ presence 


IN THE FIELD 

of intruders or subcontractors, and smoke 

and dangerous gas including CO, H2S and 

CO2. 

for telemetry with a telecom station. The 

copper cables used are rather costly and 

subject to repeated theft in Brunei. 

and deploy for any use case. The solution 

is available on a white label and also exists 

for mobile devices. 

This is predictive maintenance, as it 

involves acting upstream in a preventive 

manner before customers complain, with 

the aim of public satisfaction. The goal of 

this project is to deploy IoT sensors for use 

cases such as water level in wells and catch 

basins, vibration, energy consumption of 

pumps and pressure in pipes. 

LEAKAGE REDUCTION AND WATER 

QUALITY 

The Water department under the Ministry of 

Development was also looking to monitor 

water quality and the various related 

infrastructure to avoid many recurring 

problems. 

Anian has been deploying LoRaWAN 

sensors to detect leaks, and monitor 

pressure and water quality in pipes that 

supplies residents, with sensors placed 

directly in the pipes to alert to quality 

issues and leaks, as well as in water 

towers and pipes. The gateways are 

purchased by the Ministry and installed 

on the water towers through Actility’s 

ThingPark Enterprise and a management 

contract. A total of 11 gateways are already 

installed and 25-30 gateways are planned 

in the coming months with a goal of 200 

eventually. 

One of the major problems with current 

solutions is that SCADA sensors require 

a large infrastructure with a wired power 

supply, a shelter, and also a private network 

A screenshot of the asset displacement dashboard 

SCALABLE AND MULTI-USE IOT 

SOLUTION 

All these solutions were made possible 

through a collaboration between Anian, 

Actility, and IoThink Solutions. 

The use of LoRaWAN connectivity is one 

of the main keys to success. LoRaWAN 

is a widely-used wireless protocol 

that allows battery-powered sensors 

to communicate with IoT applications 

via a long-range, ultra-low data rate 

connection, resulting in longer battery life. 

Actility provides the LoRaWAN IoT 

connectivity management solution 

with ThingPark Enterprise, a platform 

that helps customers build network 

infrastructure by managing LoRaWAN 

gateways, adding sensors, monitoring 

network operations and controlling 

the flow of data to application servers, 

enabling the deployment of large-scale 

IoT projects in record time. 

IoThink Solutions is a software company 

specialising in IoT and machine-tomachine 

(M2M) platforms. With its suite 

of IoT tools, Kheiron IoT Suite, IoThink can 

address any IoT project in the following 

domains: smart building, smart energy, 

smart city, smart industry, and smart 

retail. The Kheiron platform is intuitive, 

quick to learn and fully interoperable, the 

solution’s customers can connect any 

sensors, use any connectivity and create 

Nicholas Guillou, co-founder and CEO at 

Anian, explained: “The Kheiron platform is 

particularly convenient because it requires 

no coding, with a responsive mobile app. 

The technical support provided by the 

IoThink and Actility teams made the project 

a success. The advantage of Actility’s 

solution is its scalability.” 

The IoT LoRaWAN network is a medium 

that is of strategic interest to the 

Government of Brunei as it allows for the 

development of broad application areas. 

In addition to drainage and sewerage 

use cases, here is a list of areas that the 

Ministries of Development and Department 

of Public Works can work on in the coming 

years: 

• Monitoring of water networks, such 

as pressure, flow, leaks, water quality, 

reservoir levels, and pumps. 

• Monitoring of tides by the departments 

concerned. 

• Use cases for intelligent buildings and 

energy savings on air quality, security, 

water and electricity consumption 

measurement, data centre environment, 

and parking. 

• Bridge and road infrastructure 

monitoring such as bridge pier 

vibration, crack monitoring, worker 

safety, and wind and rain monitoring. 

• River water quality, air quality, and 

weather information. 

Nicolas Jordan, COO at Actility, 

concluded: “Once again, IoT, LPWAN and 

a collaboration of experts are enabling 

the deployment of effective solutions that 

aim to improve people’s lives, protect 

the environment and lower costs. We 

are happy to see the progress of such 

interesting projects in the Sultanate 

of Brunei and to work with Anian and 

IoThink Solutions on more and more new 

deployments.” 


IN THE FIELD 

A NEW WATER 

PUMP STATION 

for Calgary 

To meet the ever-growing demand from Calgarians 

for potable water, the City of Calgary embarked on a 

C$35 million (US$27.9 million) project to replace the 

most critical water pump station in the city. 

Canada’s energy sector, with much 

of the current economy driven by oil 

and gas production. 

With an expanding population of 

over 1.3 million and the continued 

diversification of industry and 

commerce, the ever-growing 

demand from Calgarians for potable 

water has to be met. To satisfy both 

current and future demands for 

safe and reliable drinking water, 

the City of Calgary has embarked 

on a C$35 million (US$27.9 million) 

project to replace the most critical 

water pump station in the city. 

The existing Shaganappi Pump 

Station, originally constructed in 

1978, supplies drinking water to 

over 200,000 residents of Calgary 

and its surrounding communities. 

Shaganappi Pump Station is 

Calgary’s largest pump station and 

is a vital component of the city’s 

water transmission network, which 

consists of 41 pump stations and 

23 storage reservoirs, connected by 

over 4,500km of underground piping. 

This large number of pump stations 

and reservoirs is required due to the 

varying and often rugged topography 

of Calgary, which divides the city into 

many smaller water pressure zones 

based on elevation. 

THE PROJECT 

The City of Calgary owns and 

operates two water treatment plants 

– the Bearspaw Water Treatment 

Plant and the Glenmore Water 

Treatment Plant. These treatment 

The requirements for 

Shaganappi involved 

the supply of three 

large RDLO 600-600 

pumps rated at 

80ML/d and three 

smaller Omega 300- 

560 pumps rated at 

30ML/d 

Calgary is one of Canada’s fastestgrowing 

metropolitan cities and 

is the major urban centre for the 

southern half of the province of 

Alberta. Calgary is located in the 

foothills of the Canadian Rocky 

Mountains, at the confluence of 

the Bow and Elbow Rivers. The 

city is, perhaps, best known 

internationally for its annual July 

rodeo and outdoor show, the 

Calgary Stampede. Originally 

founded around agriculture, 

Calgary is now at the heart of 

facilities draw their source water 

from the Bow River and the Elbow 

River, respectively. Both treatment 

plants combined can produce a total 

of 950ML of clean drinking water 

per day. Treated water is stored onsite 

at the treatment plants before 

being pumped into the transmission 


IN THE FIELD 

network for distribution throughout 

the city. 

The Bearspaw plant, located in 

the northwest quadrant of the city, 

pumps water into three separate 

underground feeder mains, the 

largest of which is South Feeder, 

Calgary’s largest and most critical 

feeder main. Shaganappi Pump 

Station draws water directly from the 

South Feeder and then effectively 

splits the flow, adds hydraulic energy 

via pumping and redirects the water 

to both north and south Calgary. 

The existing Shaganappi Pump 

Station is over 40 years old and 

is past its useful life expectancy. 

Many of the mechanical and 

electrical components within the 

existing pump station are now 

obsolete, creating operational and 

maintenance challenges. Given 

the critical nature of this pump 

station and the extensive upgrades 

that would be required to ensure 

efficiency and reliability, the decision 

are designed with redundancy to 

allow them to continue to operate 

in an emergency. The existing 

supply pumps and drivers for existing 

and new water pump stations. 

KSB Canada was the successful 

The new Shaganappi 

Pump Station has a 

design capacity of 

220ML/d 

was made to replace the existing 

Shaganappi Pump Station utilises 

proponent in this stringent RFP 

pump station with a new pump 

natural gas engines to drive backup 

process, which saw the contract 

station. 

pumps in the event of a power 

awarded in May 2018. The contract 

outage. The new pump station 

included the supply of pumps and 

The new Shaganappi Pump 

will utilise a 944kW natural gas 

drivers for the new Shaganappi Pump 

Station, which was completed this 

generator that will be capable of 

Station project, along with other 

January, is located approximately 

starting and running one or more 

projects such as the Palliser Drive 

200m west of the existing facility. 

pumps in the event of a utility 

Pump Station retrofit. 

This will allow the city to reuse 

outage. The use of natural gas 

much of the existing underground 

generators in the new pump station 

Pasha Barazandeh, regional 

infrastructure, including the original 

installations offers an efficient, 

sales manager for KSB Canada, 

piping connection to the 1,950mm 

flexible and safe solution that meets 

commented: “The Palliser Drive 

diameter South Feeder. This location 

the city’s critical infrastructure 

project enabled us to demonstrate 

was chosen to reduce construction 

requirements. 

to the City of Calgary the capabilities 

costs, minimise disruption of the 

water system and surrounding 

THE CHALLENGE FOR KSB 

and benefits of our Omega pumps. 

For this project, we supplied two 

communities, and facilitate a smooth 

Establishing a working relationship 

electrically-driven pumps and one 

transition between the existing and 

between KSB Canada and the City 

natural gas engine-driven pump to 

new facilities. 

of Calgary has been advantageous 

meet a pumping requirement of up to 

to both parties. The city issued 

60ML/d. The city was pleased with 

Calgary’s water pump stations are 

a Request for Proposal (RFP) in 

this installation and 12 months on it 

considered critical infrastructure and 

late 2017, in search of a vendor to 

continues to run well.” 


IN THE FIELD 

While the Palliser Drive Pump 

Station project was underway, 

details for the new Shaganappi 

Pump Station were being finalised 

and the pump supply was put 

into motion. The requirements for 

Shaganappi involved the supply 

of three large RDLO 600-600 

pumps rated at 80ML/d and three 

smaller Omega 300-560 pumps 

rated at 30ML/d to give a station 

design capacity of 220ML/d. This 

allows for a total capacity of over 

300ML/d with all six pumps in 

operation. 

However, such a situation is 

not anticipated to happen, as 

Barazandeh explained: “For 80% 

of the time, only one of each 

pump type might be working 

at the same time, servicing two 

different pressure zones for the 

water supply system.” 

One of the key challenges for 

KSB Canada was the size of 

the natural gas generator at 

Shaganappi Pump Station. “The 

configuration of the pumps and 

their power requirement had to 

be modified to meet and exceed 

the duty condition. To meet this 

condition, we needed to modify 

the pump hydraulics to maximise 

efficiency for the most frequent 

operating conditions,” he said. 

“This led to delivering the lowest 

lifecycle costs and optimum 

operating reliability.” 

trim diameter to be no more than 

98% of the full size and removable 

wearing rings on the impeller and 

casing. There were also several 

specific material requirements to 

satisfy national and international 

standards relevant to the handling 

of potable water. 

THE SOLUTION 

Supporting many water applications 

around the globe, the RDLO and 

Omega pumps were identified 

as being more than capable of 

meeting the customer’s specific 

demands. KSB’s axially split, single 

volute casing RDLO and Omega 

pumps feature a double-entry radial 

impeller and are designed to the 

requirement of the water pumping 

stations. They transport fluids with 

a minimum of low resistance, thus 

lowering the energy and lifecycle 

costs of the systems in which they 

are installed. Computational fluid 

dynamics (CFD) optimised hydraulic 

systems deliver both the best duty 

point and give operating efficiency 

levels of above 86%. 

The double-entry impeller balances 

the axial forces so the load on 

the maintenance-free bearings is 

minimal. The combination of solid 

bearing brackets, a short and 

rigid shaft and pre-loaded bearings 

ensures low vibration and extended 

operating life for the bearings, seals 

and coupling. Being axially split 

case pumps simplifies maintenance 

procedures, enabling ready access 

to all parts for a thorough inspection. 

The drive may be positioned on both 

the left and right of the pump without 

additional parts or modifications to 

the casing being necessary. 

SUMMARY 

From the original RFP process 

through the construction of the new 

facility, KSB Canada has worked with 

the City of Calgary, the consultant 

engineer Associated Engineering, and 

the contractor Graham Infrastructure. 

Fast response, technical assistance 

and project management were key 

contributions from KSB Canada. 

“We were faced with a very exacting 

RFP issued by the City of Calgary,” 

Barazandeh concluded. “We 

identified the most appropriate and 

proven pump types and customised 

them to the city’s specifications. 

Providing optimum hydraulics to 

meet or exceed these requirements, 

along with configuring the pumps to 

meet the duty conditions, were major 

factors in delivering a successful 

project.” 

The City of Calgary 

specifications stated that they 

required between-bearings, 

axially split case centrifugal 

pumps. Other specific 

requirements included suction 

and discharge nozzles provided 

with integrally cast flanges to 

ANSI/ASME B16.1, the impeller 

The configuration of the pumps and their power 

requirement had to be modified to meet and 

exceed the duty condition. To meet this condition, 

we needed to modify the pump hydraulics to 

maximise efficiency for the most frequent operating 

conditions, this led to delivering the lowest lifecycle 

costs and optimum operating reliability.” 

Pasha Barazandeh 

Regional Sales M7 anager for KSB Canada, 


IN THE FIELD 

WASTEWATER 

TREATMENT 

SOLUTION FOR 

a critical airport 

application 

1 

When a utility and services provider was 

commissioned to create an environmentallycritical 

application for one of the world’s 

busiest airports, they collaborated with 

SEKO for a failsafe solution. 

The European airport manages more 

than 80 million passengers each 

year. Among the logistical challenges 

management faced to ensure a safe 

and efficient operation is managing the 

effect of cold weather on aircraft. 

During winter, the presence of snow 

and ice disrupts airflow over the wings 

and tail of an aircraft, hindering its 

ability to create lift and consequently 

preventing pilots from taking off. 

could contaminate waterways with 

glycol, having a devasting effect on 

surrounding waterborne wildlife. With 

up to 1,000 litres of de-icer required to 

clear an Airbus A380 and hundreds of 

flights departing daily, the pollution risk 

was significant. 

With a clear vision for sustainable 

growth, the airport has been working 

to reduce its environmental impact 

for several years. Hence, any 

contamination incident would be seen 

whereby contaminated particles in 

liquid clump together and eventually 

sink, allowing them to be separated 

and the remaining clean water safely 

discharged. 

Looking for a solution capable of 

managing this complex and demanding 

process, SEKO was approached to 

supply an automated polymer batching 

system that could separate pollutants 

and allow treated water to be safely 

discharged into a nearby watercourse. 

1 PolyCendos from 

SEKO 

2 A utility and services 

provider approached 

SEKO to develop an 

automated polymer 

batching system 

3 PolyCendos is 

equipped with 

three chambers for 

dissolving, maturing 

and storage which 

are interconnected 

by syphons, forming 

a flow necessary for 

the formation of a 

high-quality solution 

To avoid delay or cancellation of 

as a significant setback that results 

potentially hundreds of flights and the 

in negative publicity and impacts its 

Following an extensive assessment 

subsequent disruption to travellers, the 

public profile. 

of the site and application, SEKO 

airport invested in de-icing cannons to 

recommended its PolyCendos 

spray airliners with a heated glycol fluid. 

The airport management, therefore, 

polymer preparation unit (PPU) that 

This process ensured that settled snow 

commissioned a utility provider to build 

automatically doses up to 200 litres of 

and ice melted while preventing further 

and operate treatment works adjacent 

wastewater per second with flocculant. 

build-up once planes were airborne. 

A COMMITMENT TO MINIMISING 

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT 

to the site to improve the quality of 

wastewater being discharged. 

When designing the plant, the 

SAFETY, RELIABILITY AND 

PERFORMANCE IN ONE 

PolyCendos is an all-in-one system 

The airport was concerned that 

utility company decided to treat the 

for the preparation of polymer 

wastewater from this process 

wastewater via a flocculation process, 

solutions, supplied complete with 


IN THE FIELD 

2 3 

an IP65-rated electric control panel, dosing 

pumps and powder feeder. 

The unit has three chambers for 

dissolving, maturing and storage which are 

interconnected by syphons, forming a flow 

necessary for the formation of a high-quality 

solution. The chambers include inspection 

covers and emptying valves, and are made 

in polypropylene homopolymer (PPH) for 

chemical resistance and a low-friction 

surface. 

PolyCendos’ comprehensive safety 

features include a safety pressure switch 

for the automatic water supply system, an 

emergency stop for all components and a 

separate safety level switch for overflow 

levels. 

DATA ON DEMAND 

SEKO also supplied its Spring pumps 

coupled with Elektra digital controllers for 

the precise dosing of anti-foam, commonly 

required in wastewater processes. Elektra’s 

“data on demand” technology meant 

users could control anti-form dosing 

from any location via PC, laptop or smart 

HOW POLYCENDOS WORKS 

1. Operators tip powdered polymer into 

a hopper from 20kg bags, ensuring 

compliance with manual handling 

regulations. When the level of the 

prepared solution falls below the 

minimum level, an alarm indicates that 

the powder tank must be replenished. 

2. The powdered polymer enters the 

system via a stainless-steel batching 

screw – managed by a precise 

speed regulator – and mixes with 

water before the resulting solution 

drops into tank one below and 

the dissolving phase begins. A 

customised stainless-steel agitator 

slowly and continuously turns the 

contents of the tank, ensuring 

thorough homogenisation of the 

solutions. 

device. Because some of the client’s site 

management operated multiple plants and 

were not always present at the airport, being 

able to remotely view and adjust dosage was 

a benefit. 

3. The siphon transfers the solution 

to the maturing chamber, where 

another slow agitator keeps the 

mixture uniform until maturing is 

complete. 

4. The solution is transferred to a 

storage chamber from where it 

can be transferred for use. When 

this tank is full, the powder dosing 

pump automatically stops and the 

water inlet is closed, preventing 

further solution from being batched. 

5. Two motor-driven PS2 Spring series 

pumps dose the polymer solution 

into the wastewater, with flow-rate 

adjustment performed automatically 

by an Aktua control unit, which can 

be calibrated during operation for 

maximum efficiency. 

With this comprehensive water-treatment 

system in place, airport management could 

ensure the quality of its discharged water, 

protect local wildlife and enhance its drive 

towards sustainable growth. 


IN THE FIELD 

QDOS CWT PUMP 

addresses pipeline 

pressure challenge 

Faced with chlorine degassing issues in its 80m pipe 

run, a French water purification plant deploys Qdos 

CWT chemical metering pumps to overcome this 

issue with an innovative operational concept. 

The Villejean water treatment plant 

near the City of Rennes in Brittany 

faced a structural challenge in 

adding sodium hypochlorite to a 

drinking water storage reservoir due 

to the unusually long length of the 

pipeline transporting the chlorine. 

Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology 

Solutions (WMFTS), a manufacturer 

of peristaltic pumps for water 

treatment, has worked with most 

of the water treatment plants in the 

Collectivité Eau du Bassin Rennais, 

or Rennes Basin Water Authority, for 

several years. The authority manages 

the entire local water system from 

abstraction to tap, with responsibility 

for maintenance, monitoring and 

repair of 11 treatment plants. 

These assets include a 5,000m 3 

drinking water storage reservoir, 

which serves around 500,000 people 

in the region, distributing an average 

of 25,000m 3 of water through the 

network each day. This reservoir 

is fed by both the Villejean plant 

and the Rophémel plants, which 

are nearby, and the water requires 

chlorination at 0.3mg/litre. 

The plant has already employed 

several Qdos pumps, each fitted with 

a ReNu pumphead optimised for 

sodium hypochlorite, sulphuric acid 

and hydrogen peroxide applications, 

with discharge pressures up to 4 bar. 

Photo credit: kobu-agency 

The use of Qdos pumps for both 

sulphuric acid and hydrogen 

peroxide at the plant enabled “fast, 

simple and safe maintenance” 

compared with the diaphragm 

pumps deployed previously, Watson- 

Marlow claimed. Furthermore, 

replacing ReNu pumpheads 

requires no tools, specific training or 

maintenance technician intervention, 

the company added. 


IN THE FIELD 

However, the discharge pressure for 

the 15% sodium hypochlorite dosing 

when being added to the storage 

reservoir remained a concern and a 

priority for improvement. 

For structural reasons, the sodium 

hypochlorite tank is located inside 

the Villejean plant, with chlorine 

distributed to various injection points 

throughout the facility via pumps at 

an adjacent location. However, the 

linear pipe run that brings chlorine 

to the water storage reservoir is 80m 

long and along this length, chlorine 

degasses in the pipeline, raising the 

discharge pressure beyond 7 bar and 

causing pump accuracy issues. 

by other technologies to achieve 

a constant level of accuracy are 

avoided. 

The Qdos CWT pump runs at 

2 litre/hour on average, with a 

4-20mQ input signal. The pump has 

already reduced the frequency of 

maintenance interventions at the 

Villejean plant, which produces 7-11 

million cubic metres of drinking water 

per year, by 75% since its installation 

in December 2020. 

Kevin Brard, the operator of the 

Villejean water purification plant, 

said: “The Qdos CWT pump 

easily withstands overpressure 

in the long pipe run, as well as 

the aggressive nature of chlorine. 

As a result, its service life is 

significantly longer. 

“We were already satisfied with 

the performance of Watson- 

Marlow’s Qdos pumps for metering 

of sulphuric acid and hydrogen 

peroxide, as well as two Bredel 50 

hose pumps for lime slurry. Now, 

we have a new Qdos CWT pump 

model to feed the blench solution 

into our tank already.” 

WMFTS’s Qdos Conveying Wave 

Technology (CWT) chemical 

metering pump, launched globally 

last year, was initially introduced at 

Villejean on a trial basis in December 

2020. It met the abnormally 

high-pressure constraints of the 

installation. The Qdos CWT pump 

offers the advantages of the 

standard peristaltic pump, but with 

significantly longer service life. 

To achieve the peristaltic pumping 

action, the Qdos CWT pump 

incorporates an EPDM element 

rather than a tube, which acts 

against a PEEK track. The element 

in contact with the fluid is subject to 

very low stress levels, which means 

that the Qdos CWT pump offers a 

significantly longer service life than a 

conventional alternative, even at high 

pressure. 

In addition, Qdos CWT pumps 

allow the dosing of chemicals, 

including sodium hypochlorite for 

post-chlorination cycles, with high 

precision and regularity over the 

entire life of the pump. This means 

overdosing practices often required 

Qdos CWT installed at Villejean water treatment works 


IN THE FIELD 

RESEARCHERS 

COLLECT CRITICAL 

WATER QUALITY DATA 

on Africa’s Okavango Delta 

The Wild Bird Trust, in partnership with National Geographic, launched a yearslong 

project to explore the rivers of the Okavango Delta in Southern Africa and 

collect baseline data on virtually every aspect of the environment in this remote 

region. The open-access data will be used to assess the health of the river basin 

over time and prompt action to protect an area that is the primary water source 

for a million people and one of the most biodiverse regions in Africa. 

The NGOWP researchers deploy In-Situ’s Aqua TROLLs to monitor 

water quality in the rivers of the Okavango Delta in Southern Africa 

(Photo credit: Wild Bird Trust) 

Back from a two-month expedition 

in the wilds of the Okavango Delta, in 

Southwest Africa, Rainer von Brandis, 

research director, and Götz Neef, 

research director and collections 

manager of the National Geographic 

Okavango Wilderness Project (NGOWP) 

team, recalled the challenges of 

data collection in one of the most 

remote and biodiverse regions on the 

continent. 

Their latest journey along the Okavango 

River, from Namibia’s northern border 

with Angola to the Okavango Delta in 

Botswana, was the latest in a series 

of trips to explore all the major rivers 

that sustain the delta and collect 

data on virtually every aspect of the 

environment, including water quality, 

water discharge, biodiversity and 

climate. 

Since 2015, a small team of researchers 

and regional experts have made more 

than a dozen river trips, paddling 

thousands of kilometres in dugout 

canoes called mekoros and collecting 

data critical to understanding 

environmental change in the 

region. Specific to water quality 

data collection, the team required 

instrumentation designed for spot 

checking along the route and for 

continuous water monitoring at several 

permanent stations. 

SOLUTION 

On the river trips, Neef utilised the 

Aqua TROLL 600 for spot checking. 

Every 10km, he collected data on 

dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, oxidationreduction 

potential (ORP), temperature 

and nitrate, with a separate device 

used to measure turbidity. 

During the trips, Neef would carry two 

Aqua TROLLs, in case he needs a 

spare. “Space is limited on the boat, so 

it’s helpful that they’re compact, and 

you can measure multiple parameters 

with one device,” he said. “The Aqua 

TROLL is easy to use, robust and 

completely submersible.” 


IN THE FIELD 

Aqua TROLL 600s are also deployed at 

three permanent monitoring stations in the 

delta, and plans are underway to install 

eight more stations, which will be outfitted 

with Aqua TROLLS 500s. “We’ll have solar 

power at those locations, so we won’t need 

the battery power the 600 provides,” Neef 

added. 

The continuous monitoring stations 

collect and transmit data on DO, pH, ORP, 

conductivity and pressure, which when 

paired with velocity data, can be used to 

determine water discharge. 

“It’s so important to get this baseline data 

because it hasn’t been done before,” he 

continued. “And this is good, credible 

data. I’ve been working with these sorts of 

devices for a long time and there used to 

At every 10km, the Aqua 

TROLL is used to collect 

data on DO, pH, ORP, 

temperature and nitrate 

(Photo credit: 

Wild Bird Trust) 

be a high level of inaccuracy. But the Aqua 

TROLL has performed well in that regard.” 

RESULTS 

Once the additional monitoring stations are in 

place, the additional data will help complete 

the picture of the region’s environmental 

health. 

In the meantime, back from their latest 

excursion, Neef, von Brandis and others will 

analyse the fresh data and produce a series of 

technical reports and scientific publications. 

Then, they will return to the field to do it 

again. The project, organised by the Wild Bird 

Trust and funded by National Geographic, is 

expected to continue for years, in the hope 

that the data can be used to support crucial 

decisions needed to protect this essential 

habitat. 

“One of our biggest failures as humans 

towards our environment has been the 

inability to monitor change in the environment 

over time,” said von Brandis. “That failure to 

monitor change has brought us down and 

made us slow to respond. This baseline data 

is a starting point for trying to fix that.” 

SMART WATER NETWORK MANAGEMENT 

Optimize resOurces - ensure water quality - reduce cOsts 

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Data logger 

Flow and pressure monitoring 

Night flow analysis 

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Secure communication 

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learn mOre: 

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www.lacroix-environment.com 


FOCUS 

CERAMAC: 

A sustainable ceramic 

microfiltration system for 

water treatment 

Utilities are seeking sustainable solutions for their water and wastewater 

treatment needs. Engineers and solution providers have always looked to costeffective 

solutions, but the new focus dives deeper into what is sustainable, with 

metrics and goals for achieving a net neutral carbon outcome. 

By Reinout Holland And Dr Holly Shorney-Darby 

challenges as other filter technologies. Sand 

filters, while still the work-horse of surface 

water treatment globally, can be compromised 

allowing harmful pathogens to pass through. 

Filtration with polymeric membranes, while 

providing a barrier for pathogens, has had 

issues with fibre breaks, lesser ability to 

withstand higher backwash pressures for 

cleaning, high labour costs and downtime 

associated with fibre breakage repairs, loss 

of permeability and in many cases, a shorterthan-expected 

membrane service life. 

CeraMac is an innovative and cost-effective ceramic membrane filtration process designed by PWNT 

While sustainability is a goal to set our 

well for any society. The goal of producing 

sights upon, decisions about water 

safe, even palatable, drinking water does 

treatment must be also focused on other not change, but sustainability will play an 

metrics, such as the ability to meet water increasingly important role in evaluating 

quality objectives, reliability and robustness different alternatives for treatment. 

in managing challenging feed water. 

Drinking water treatment is such a critical Ceramic membranes for filtration have 

aspect of public health and community been gaining wider acceptance and usage 

prosperity that any solutions must work because they do not succumb to the same 

Ceramic membranes do not share the issues 

common to polymeric membranes, but 

instead, present a challenge for higher initial 

capital cost. However, utilities that evaluate 

on a lifecycle cost basis, for example, over 

20 years, have discovered that the initial 

costs of ceramic-based solutions often 

become less significant because operational 

costs are often on par or are even less with 

ceramic membranes. This ties directly into 

sustainability in the longer term. 

CeraMac is a ceramic membrane 

microfiltration system that was developed 

by PWNT in the Netherlands to manage the 

highly-polluted waters of Lake Ijssel and 


FOCUS 

became commercially available in 

2009. Multiple ceramic monolith 

modules are housed in a vessel 

specially designed for a pressurised 

membrane system that is operated 

in dead-end mode. A quick view of a 

CeraMac system implies durability, 

due to the industrial look of the 

steel infrastructure that houses the 

membranes. A closer examination of 

the individual sustainability aspects 

reveals a robust and sustainable 

solution that is future-proof. 

The CeraMac system has been 

validated and used at full-scale in 

Singapore (180 MLD), the UK (90 

MLD), Switzerland (30 MLD) and the 

Netherlands (120 MLD). 

ENERGY CONSUMPTION 

In terms of pore size, the focus is 

usually on the log removal credits of 

a membrane for pathogens. Typically, 

ultrafiltration—approximately 0.04nm 

pore size—systems are compared 

of Public Health. Ultrafiltration 

membranes have the same removal 

credits for Cryptosporidium and 

Giardia but achieve higher virus log 

removals due to the smaller pore size. 

The installation at 

Choa Chu Kang 

Waterworks in 

Singapore includes 

12 CeraMac vessels, 

each with 90 

membranes 

The CeraMac system is a 

to microfiltration—approximately 

This extra log removal for viruses 

microfiltration system, which 

0.1μm pore size—systems for water 

comes with higher power consumption 

means that the nominal pore size 

treatment. The smaller pore size will, 

for filtration over the life of the system. 

is 0.1μm. Ultrafiltration, and even 

certainly, require higher pressure for 

For many locations, disinfection is 

nanofiltration, ceramic membranes 

filtration at equivalent conditions and 

required with membrane systems to 

are available in the marketplace, 

flux. 

achieve a multi-barrier approach to 

but their smaller pore size requires 

treatment, and virus inactivation by 

a higher feed pressure for filtration. 

CeraMac installations typically operate 

disinfection is easy to achieve with 

Carbon footprint analysis of any 

at transmembrane (TMP) pressures 

typical disinfection chemicals like 

treatment solution will include 

20-50kPa when the pre-treatment is 

chlorine. 

energy consumption, and PWNT’s 

suitable for the feed water. Smaller 

analysis shows it is the main 

pore size membrane systems will 

For membranes, the pressure gradient 

contributor to the carbon footprint 

undoubtedly operate at higher 

across the membrane measured as 

of technology over its lifecycle. 

pressures to achieve an equivalent 

TMP becomes an important factor to 

flux. The actual filtration layer of the 

consider. As an example, polymeric 

If an operator has access to 

ceramic MF membrane in the CeraMac 

ultrafiltration of a 0.04μm pore size 

renewable energy, the impact of 

is 0.1μm, and the remaining part of the 

membrane will have typically a 10kPa 

power consumption can become 

membrane is the support structure. 

higher TMP than a ceramic microfilter, 

less than with a non-renewable 

This means that the maximum 

and this leads to about a 25% increase 

energy source, however, over 

pressure is necessary for the 

of pump energy at equal flux or 

the 20-year service life, energy 

filtration layer and not the body of the 

throughput. This added energy adds 

consumption remains the main 

membrane, and claims that the depth 

up to over a 20-year plant life. 

contributor to the system’s carbon 

of ceramic impacts system pressure 

footprint. 

are unfounded. 

The low TMP operation for a CeraMac 

allows also gravity as the main filtration 

Energy consumption for a 

Also, the microfiltration membrane in 

driving force of the feed flow, where 

membrane can be viewed in terms 

the CeraMac system is credited with a 

applicable, such as in locations where 

of pore size, operation pressure 

4 log Cryptosporidium, 4 log Giardia, 

there is already a high head for water 

across the membrane, backwash 

and 1.0 log virus removal credit, 

delivery to the plant. This is already 

pressure and feed pressure. 

according to the California Department 

operating at a full-scale plant in the 


FOCUS 

mountains of Switzerland, where 

the feed water head is more than 

enough to yield sufficient pressure 

for filtration. 

In addition to the low TMP 

operations of a ceramic 

microfiltration (MF) membrane, 

backwashing energy use is less 

than in other membrane systems. 

The CeraMac system utilises no 

backwash pumps, but instead 

conserves and stores kinetic energy 

for backwashing in an air-spring 

system. This air-spring system drives 

the high-pressure backwash at a low 

energy expenditure, which further 

contributes to lower overall energy 

use for operations. 

MATERIALS OF CONSTRUCTION 

Materials of the system also must 

be factored into the sustainability 

of a system. CeraMac systems are 

built to match the expected service 

life of the CeraMac microfiltration 

membranes, which in practice have 

already proven to exceed more than 

20 years of service life. Ceramic 

membranes have a high tolerance 

for cleaning chemicals, and this 

means a wider pH range or higher 

oxidant or temperature exposure. 

Due to the high durability of ceramic 

materials, they can be backwashed 

aggressively, with higher pressure up 

to 5 bar. 

The CeraMac design philosophy of 

having a long service life without frequent 

membrane replacements and with lower 

overall power consumption has led to 

a truly sustainable solution for water 

utilities for the sustainable production of 

safe, clean drinking water. 

Each aspect of the ceramic 

membrane requires materials of 

the systems to be durable and 

strong, and with sustainability 

in mind, also long-lasting. Steel 

is versatile and meets these 

requirements. Plastics are not 

and would become brittle over 

time, possibly before the end of 

the service life of the ceramic 

membranes used by PWNT, these 

lasting more than 23 years in 

continuous operation. 

Materials other than the membrane 

also must factor into the 

sustainability review of a system 

and are critical to the durability and 

flexibility of use over the system’s 

service life. 

RECYCLABLE 

Breaking down a system into 

its individual components and 

considering the materials, it 

becomes clear if these can be 

recyclable for beneficial reuse. 

Some materials can be “pure” 

and some mixed components. 

Recycling is a key aspect of 

sustainability, with a cradle-tograve 

view of the materials. Mixed 

or combined materials, such as 

glass fibre reinforced plastics, are 

problematic in this regard, as the 

recycling process works best with 

single-component materials. 

Looking closely at the operational 

details, energy use and the materials 

of a filtration technology is necessary 

to evaluate sustainability and compare 

its merits against alternatives. Due 

to its long service life and individual 

component construction, the 

CeraMac ceramic membrane system 

is capable of yielding excellent 

finished water quality sustainably. 

Meeting these objectives allows 

utilities to meet many goals with a 

single technology. 

Reinout Holland is head of business 

development, and Dr Holly-Shorney-Darby is 

head of technology application and piloting 

at PWNT. 

To produce water of 

better quality with 

lower environmental 

impact and 

decreased energy 

consumption, the 

Andijk plant in the 

Netherlands deploys 

PWNT’s suspended 

ion exchange (SIX) 

and CeraMac 


FOCUS 

Photo credit: Adobe Stock Image 

ADDRESSING TOXICITY 

of wastewater influent with 

Hach EZ7900 

Removing obstinate wastewater residues and extra sludge 

can be a difficult but necessary treatment process with 

considerable economic and environmental benefits. 

Influent toxicity represents a major risk to the 

treatment efficiency of biological wastewater 

treatment plants. Hence, it is critical to 

understand that if a hazardous influent 

suppresses wastewater biology, it can lead 

to permit violations, fines and extended 

process upsets. It will also necessitate more 

operator hours and change the public’s 

image of the facility. 

Wastewater treatment plant managers are 

increasingly being required to accommodate 

greater capacity, whilst at the same time 

complying with tighter discharge consents. 

Consequently, they are under pressure to 

optimise processes, lower process risks and 

improve the quality of treated effluent. 

There is constant pressure to increase 

the efficiency of wastewater treatment 

plants (WWTP). The efficiency of these 

plants is mostly measured by their rate of 

biodegradation and removal of nutrients 

which can be optimised by controlling the 

effect of toxic substances before reaching 

the plant. All substances that are detrimental 

to the respiration rate of bacteria can lead to 

a significant reduction of biodegradation in 

WWTP. 

Activated sludge used in the treatment plant is 

a mixture of different bacteria species which 

degrade substrates to grow, mainly based on 

the continuous consumption of oxygen. This 

process is conventionally named respiration 

and has a direct relationship between growth 


FOCUS 

and biodegradation. Experiments 

microorganisms. A considerable 

show that with advanced respiration 

increase in the sugar content of the 

technology, online monitoring of 

influent, for example, would raise the 

toxicity in wastewater treatment plants 

organic load but not necessarily harm 

is possible. 

the bacteria. 

A biological wastewater treatment 

A sudden rise of alcohols from a 

plant with a high rate of organics 

production line or cleaning chemicals 

and nutrient removal has a high 

from a wash-down would dramatically 

throughput of wastewater with a high 

dimmish the plant’s biological 

rate of organics and nutrient removal 

treatment potential. 

under ideal conditions. This is an area 

where Hach is well cognizant. The 

As such, Hach launched an online 

self-cleaning sample preconditioning 

monitoring solution that can detect 

panels of the EZ7900 toxicity analyser 

influent toxicity and send timely 

allow for continuous monitoring of 

data to operators of biological 

toxicity levels at the input. It employs 

WWTPs, protecting activated sludge, 

real plant sludge so that dynamic 

maintaining treatment efficiency and 

changes in biomass viability may 

minimising plant downtime and failure 

be detected quickly, allowing for 

to obtain discharge consent. 

effective mitigating strategies to be 

implemented. 

The results of the toxicity analysis are 

Input toxicity, on the other hand, might 

impact normal plant performance, 

used to determine if the influent should 

be diverted to an emergency buffer 

tank. 

from an industrial discharge. It could 

EZ Series EZ7900 

toxicity analyser 

making it critical to monitor this non- 

result from a change in manufacturing, 

specific metric. The correct balance of 

microorganisms will be maintained and 

treatment will proceed with maximum 

efficiency, if the influent remains 

consistent, supplying appropriate 

nutrients and at the right proportion of 

aeration. 

Any abrupt or unexpected changes in 

the influent, on the other hand, have 

the potential to disrupt the microbial 

Online monitoring of influent 

toxicity mitigates risk and helps 

plant operators stay compliant: 

• Improves treatment efficiency 

and avoids sudden drop in 

performance 

• Avoids downtime and plant 

failure 

• Helps avoid discharge 

compliance failure 

a cleaning process, a spill or 

inadvertent release of dangerous 

chemicals at an industrial WWTP. 

The Hach EZ7900 toxicity analyser 

can provide timely warnings by 

continually sampling and measuring 

influent toxicity. This allows for 

suitable mitigation measures to be 

implemented. The instrument’s cycle 

time is about 10-15 minutes. Hach 

balance and impair wastewater 

reported that many of its customers 

treatment efficiency. A toxic influent 

ADVANTAGES OF ONLINE TOXICITY 

regularly sample once every hour, 24 

can injure microorganisms to the 

point that the treatment lane must be 

MONITORING 

1. Reduction of risk 

hours a day, seven days a week. This 

ensures that any toxicity issues are 

blocked, emptied and regenerated in 

Hach has eliminated one of the key 

identified at any time of the day or 

extreme cases. 

risk factors impacting the operation 

night. 

of biological WWTPs by automating 

To predict influent toxicity, total 

the monitoring of influent toxicity. 

2. Process optimisation 

organic carbon (TOC), occasionally 

Toxic influents can come from several 

Online monitoring aids process 

paired with total nitrogen, has been 

various places. Toxicity can occur 

optimisation by efficiently protecting 

utilised in the past. It is crucial to 

in a municipal wastewater treatment 

plant biomass from toxicity, 

remember, however, that not all 

facility because of the intentional or 

maximising treatment capacity and 

influent changes are harmful to 

unintentional release of toxic waste 

lowering aeration energy and financial 


FOCUS 

costs. Continuous monitoring also 

aids in sludge loading optimisation, 

nitrification maintenance and sludge 

waste with effluent prevention. 

Integration of 

EZ7900 toxicity 

analyser 

3. Process insights from plantspecific 

measurements 

The Hach EZ7900 uses a self-cleaning 

sampling-filtration system to gather 

sludge that has been sampled from 

the treatment facility. With plantspecific 

sludge, the data from the 

analyser is specific to the biomass 

of that treatment plant and dynamic 

changes in viability are quickly 

observed. Importantly, continual 

toxicity monitoring aids in a better 

understanding of the biological 

processes of the plant. This has 

produced insights for many users, 

which have been leveraged to improve 

process control. 

It is not commonplace for plants to 

deflect influent when it exceeds 50% 

of the dose that would be deadly to the 

biomass, as a rule of thumb. Several 

EZ7900 users have been able to 

examine the impacts of greater dose 

rates with the benefits of continuous 

toxicity monitoring, and some have 

discovered that the action and divert 

level can be set as high as 85% for 

their plant. 

Potential sources of influent 

toxicity 

• Production dependent 

wastewater 

• Clean-in-place (CIP) processes 

• High salt concentrations 

• Toxic waste in the collection 

system 

• Increased heavy metal 

discharges 

• Tank truck cleaning station 

• Chemical toilet disposal 

• Collection’s system chemical 

root clean 

CONTINUOUS MONITORING — 

HOW IT WORKS 

Prior to analysis, a representative 

sample of influent and a homogenous 

sample of sludge from the plant’s 

aeration lanes must be obtained. 

The EZ9110/9120 series automatic 

sampling and sample preconditioning 

devices, which Hach developed with 

several years of field experience, make 

this possible. These self-cleaning 

preconditioning systems employ 

pressured air and rinse water, and are 

designed for completely automated, 

unattended operation. 

The EZ7900 toxicity analyser features 

an industrial panel PC with controller 

software and a 5.7-inch TFT colour 

user interface for data visualisation onsite. 

Visibility and analysis parameters 

can be changed, and data trends 

can be seen using the software. It 

manages the functioning of up to 

eight influent sample streams in a 

single analyser, with results conveyed 

via distinct outputs such as mA or 

Modbus for each stream. 

This multichannel capacity lowers the 

cost per sample point substantially, 

and each channel can have a 

conventional 4-20mA signal output 

with alarm processing so that 

necessary and timely action can 

be taken. The filters and analyser 

are cleaned automatically, and the 

user can specify the calibration and 

validation frequency. 

Intelligent, automated features help 

to improve analytical performance, 

reduce downtime and reduce human 

intervention. Nonetheless, Hach 

offers a variety of Service Agreements 

to ensure that plant operators’ 

systems run smoothly and reliably. 

The health of the biomass in a 

biological wastewater treatment plant 

is critical to the plant’s long-term 

effectiveness, so being able to detect 

chronic and acute influent toxicity 

in enough time to adopt appropriate 

mitigation measures is critical. Some 

toxicity incidents may be overlooked 

due to manual sampling, or alarms 

may be provided too late. 

Artificial biomass is not indicative of 

plant circumstances, hence online 

approaches that do not employ the 

plant’s actual biomass to estimate 

the oxygen update rate (OUR) of 

microbial respiration will be of limited 

utility. 

The Hach EZ7900 provides the option 

for limiting the risk posed by toxic 

influents while also giving insights 

for process control, improving 

performance and avoiding discharge 

consent failure by employing the 

plant’s biomass and automating the 

process to enable 24/7 monitoring. 

The EZ7900 can play a significant 

role in optimisation of the treatment 

processes leading to increased 

efficiency of the plant operation 

because of the relationship between 

biodegrading and respiration, toxicity 

analysis is a key parameter to control 

and protect the WWTP. 


FOCUS 

ONE STEP FORWARD, 

two steps back 

Organisations worldwide are helping to solve 

water scarcity, but more has to be done to meet 

the United Nations’ sustainability goals. 

By Sandra DiMatteo 

preventing them from attending school and 

obtaining a good education. Since water is 

the top priority of the villages, these women 

are also prevented from earning the wages 

they need to support their families. 

INDIA AIMS TO PROVIDE CLEAN 

WATER FOR ITS PEOPLE 

The Uttar Pradesh State Water and 

Sanitation has been improving the state’s 

water infrastructure with a mission to bring 

drinking water to every household. One of 

its projects is the Khatan Group of Villages 

Water Supply Scheme, awarded to Larsen 

& Toubro Construction. 

Women in Khatan walk several kilometres daily to fetch water 

Around the globe, water scarcity affects In India, the government is also looking for 

millions of people each year. From the ways to have clean water available across the 

mountainous region of Tibet, where they country, particularly in small rural villages. 

need to consider building dams for water To illustrate, the state of Uttar Pradesh has 

conservation, to the subtropical area 

approximately 1.5 million people living in 

of Santa Catarina in Brazil, where they nearly 400 villages, such as the small village 

face the worst crisis in nearly 30 years, of Khatan that struggle every day to access 

we can see that access to potable water clean water. In these villages, many women 

is the most challenging issue the world walk several kilometres each day to fetch 

faces. 

water—often taking their children along, 

The project includes designing and 

constructing an intake well to collect water 

from the Yamuna River, as well as an 

approach bridge that connects to a water 

treatment plant, 40 intermediate booster 

pumping stations, 121 elevated storage 

tanks to distribute the water through a 

1,531km pipeline network, and a 2,129km 

distribution pipeline network that serves the 

community. Larsen & Toubro Construction 

needed to provide a complete solution, 

from concept to commissioning, that 

extends into 10 years of operation and 

maintenance for what will be an integrated 

smart water system. 

There were many engineering challenges, 

magnified by a very tight timeline. Within 

six months, the team had to generate 890 

BIM models for 200 different structures, 


FOCUS 

all considering various soil interactions. 

The design of the water supply system 

proved to be a significant challenge, so the 

team turned to Bentley software to help 

determine the best and most economical 

design. 

Larsen & Toubro used an in-house 

electronic document management 

system (EDMS) to manage the five 

disciplines involved in the drawings. The 

documents were uploaded to the EDMS 

database for verification by corresponding 

section heads. The section heads of the 

corresponding disciplines reviewed the 

drawings and gave clearance that all of 

the requirements were updated. After 

clearance, the workflow was automatically 

routed for interfacing to the respective 

disciplines, then re-routed to the design 

division head for final review. 

Using OpenFlows WaterGEMS, the 

engineering team rapidly designed 

the network, putting them ahead of 

schedule. With the help of STAAD.Pro, 

the team was able to quickly design the 

structural foundations for the treatment 

facility, elevated storage tanks and other 

structures, allowing the design work 

to be completed 30% faster than they 

would have using manual methods. They 

used PLAXIS to secure the safety of the 

work area, determining safe excavation 

sloping and saving time and money. The 

engineering design phase was ahead of 

schedule, saving two precious months 

due to digitalisation support from Bentley 

applications, helping them to deliver the 

project 25% faster. 

WORKING SMARTER TO IMPROVE 

THE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND 

LIVELIHOOD OF PEOPLE IN THE 

COMMUNITY 

Enabling access to water for the community 

and completing this project faster will have 

enormous value for the local households, 

food, culture, health, education, economics 

as well as the integrity of the natural 

environment. The project will enable 

1.5 million people to achieve sustainable 

health through quality drinking water. From 

improving access to education to enabling 

women to earn a wage instead of fetching 

water, this social commitment is impacting 

the quality of life in this area. 

A key consideration in the engineering of 

this project was that the treatment facility 

had to fit within a very limited area. Larsen 

& Toubro were sensitive and considerate in 

keeping the sacred grounds of the nearby 

temple untouched. Located directly in the 

middle of the space to avoid upsetting the 

local community, they found innovative 

ways to connect pipelines around the 

temple grounds. It is a testament to Larsen 

& Toubro’s values, skills and caring culture 

that they prided themselves on this attention 

to detail. 

The Indian government has long trusted 

Larsen & Toubro and their sustainability 

practices shine as evidence in their work 

for economic, environmental and social 

responsibility. As a builder of major 

infrastructure projects in India, they are 

constantly contributing to the quality of 

life of the communities they impact. Their 

team fosters continuous growth towards 

ESG-related concerns such as climate 

stewardship, green initiatives and the 

circular economy with a dedication to reuse, 

recycle, repair and refurbish as long as 

possible. 

WATER CONSERVANCY INITIATIVE 

REDUCES ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT 

Located in the high-altitude alpine region of 

Tibet, the PZ Dam is a hydro complex that 

is part of a water conservancy initiative. 

It is focused on irrigating 2,600 hectares 

downstream and generating power to 

help improve both urban and rural water 

supply and the regional water ecological 

environment. Knowing the importance of 

subsurface findings, the survey and design 

team faced challenging terrain, extreme 

environmental conditions and a short 

construction period. 

Given the fragile ecological environment and 

extreme cold, traditional survey methods 

could not accommodate the investigation. 

China Water Resources Beifang Investigation, 

Design and Research explored digital data 

acquisition and 3D modelling of geological 

data but found that many software products 

could not integrate and maximise data 

potential. 

Using Bentley’s ContextCapture, China 

Water found they could more easily process 

data for geological visibility. They also 

deployed ProjectWise for multidiscipline 


FOCUS 

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 

6 established this lofty universal call to 

action as part of the 17 sustainability 

goals agreed upon by the UN General 

Assembly in 2015 to achieve a better and 

more sustainable future for all by the year 

2030. SDG 6 is to ensure the availability 

and sustainable management of water 

and sanitation for all. It encompasses 

six outcome-oriented targets, including 

safe and affordable drinking water and 

improving water quality. 

Water crisis is a serious threats in India and worldwide 

collaboration and to streamline data sharing. 

The team digitalised the entire survey 

process, including field data acquisition and 

transmission, data storage and analysis, 3D 

geological modelling, and data simulation and 

analysis. The solution saved RMB¥400,000 

(US$62,809) in survey costs and over 50% in 

survey time, improving data accuracy by over 

10% and work efficiency by over 15%. 

Establishing a digital twin enhanced project 

management by 10% and set an industry 

benchmark. By going digital the team saw 

their efficiency improve from 40% to 95% 

compared to traditional survey methods. Using 

a digital twin approach, the construction team 

reduced the amount of excavation needed 

during construction and the impact on the 

environment and provided a successful and 

proven plan for similar high-altitude projects 

both in China and throughout the world. 

A CONTINGENCY PLAN TO ENSURE 

SUPPLY IN THE EVENT OF DROUGHT 

After a severe water crisis, over 100 

municipalities in Brazil declared a state of 

emergency and rationing and supply rotation 

went into effect. This water crisis triggered the 

city of Joinville to develop contingency plans 

to maintain the water supply during drought 

conditions. Preliminary simulations produced 

water shortages, so they sought a more 

comprehensive network study. 

They used Bentley applications to create a 

digital twin and perform hydraulic analysis 

of the distribution system, ensuring 

water supply while saving R$4.5 million 

(US$962,361) as a result of maximising 

operational performance and efficiency. It 

was technology that enabled this innovative 

solution and gave residents peace of mind. 

At Bentley, our mission is to provide 

innovative software and services for 

the enterprises and professionals who 

design, build and operate the world’s 

infrastructure—advancing both the global 

economy and the environment for improved 

quality of life. Connecting the entire water 

cycle, engineering firms trust Bentley 

software to accelerate the design and 

construction phase, then once in operation, 

utilities can optimise the water system 

to avoid supply interruptions, ensure 

compliance with regulations and mitigate 

risks. Partnering for success to digitalise 

the water project and asset lifecycle, 

Bentley is leading the way to the digital 

water future. 

ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS 

BACK ON UN’S 2030 SUSTAINABILITY 

GOAL FOR WATER 

The Larsen & Toubro project demonstrates 

the importance of accelerating access 

to clean water. The United Nations (UN) 

But globally, we need more. We are 

making good progress with Bentley and 

Larsen & Toubro working together to 

accelerate the delivery of water supply 

to the communities of India. However, 

it is estimated, overall globally, that 

by 2025, the number of people that 

will live in water-scarce regions due 

to growing drought issues caused by 

climate change and population growth 

will in fact increase, not decrease. In 

many places, we will be in a worse 

position than we were in 2015 when 

the goal was established. More people 

will have difficulty accessing a clean, 

safe water supply daily. And by 2050, 

more than half of the world’s population 

could be living in water-stressed regions 

due to the impact of climate change 

and droughts, urbanisation as well as 

conflict and war. 

Water safety and sustainability are more 

fragile than we think. There are no other 

alternatives when it comes to water goals 

and failure is not an option. We are all 

part of the solution and technology will 

help us get there faster. Sustainability 

means rethinking how we do things and 

doing them smarter and with greater 

transparency. Collaborating with 

stakeholders in a connected digital twin 

environment will help us learn from the 

past, make better decisions today and 

create a better future for all. 

Sandra DiMatteo is industry marketing director of 

water infrastructure at Bentley Systems. 


FOCUS 

AUTOMATIC SCRAPER 

STRAINERS PROTECT 

critical membrane systems 

Automated scraper strainers pre-filter water and wastewater to protect 

fragile membrane systems from damage caused by large, suspended 

particles, reducing maintenance and replacement costs. 

By Del Williams 

Automatic scraper strainers 

are motorised and designed to 

continually remove suspended 

particulates in industrial 

process water and wastewater 

to the specific size required 

down to 0.003 inches 

For industrial process facilities, 

membrane filtration is a valuable, 

commonly used means of filtering 

water and wastewater. The challenge 

is that membrane systems are 

delicate and can be easily damaged 

by large particulates in the water. A 

pre-filtration step eliminates this risk 

by removing oversized suspended 

solids to prevent damage, eliminate 

unnecessary maintenance, and 

reduce the cost of premature 

membrane replacement. 

Among the pre-filtering options 

available, automatic self-cleaning 

scraper strainers are increasingly 

popular because they are affordable, 

require very minimal maintenance 

or attention, and can remove solids 

down to 75µm. The strainers allow 

for continuous, uninterrupted flows 

even during blowdown cycles. 

When compared to filters that 

must be manually cleaned or even 

conventional backwash systems, 

automatic scraper strainers can save 

substantial costs on maintenance and 

membrane replacement. 

INDUSTRIAL WATER TREATMENT 

AND MEMBRANE SYSTEMS 

Although various filtration methods 

use membranes, the most mature is 

pressure-driven membrane filtration, 

which relies on a liquid being forced 

through a filter membrane with a 

large surface area. Depending on 

the size and type of the particles 

involved, the process could be 

categorised as reverse osmosis 

(RO), nanofiltration, ultrafiltration or 

microfiltration. 

In general, RO is used to produce 

potable water or deionised water. 

Nanofiltration is used in wastewater 

treatment as well as by the 

petrochemical industry to purify 

gas condensates and the chemical 

industry for solvent recovery. 

Ultrafiltration and microfiltration 

are increasingly used in water and 

wastewater treatments. 

Numerous industries have high 

water usage that can require 

further treatment of water, including 

automotive, aerospace, oil and gas 

extraction, refining, textiles, and pulp 

and paper mills. Ultrapure water, 

which must meet strict limits of 

certain constituents in the water such 

as suspended and dissolved solids, 

dissolved gases, organic carbon 

and biological organisms, is utilised 

in electronics and pharmaceutical 

manufacturing processes. 


FOCUS 

1 2 

In industrial applications, water treatment is 

also vital to protect downstream equipment 

from fouling, scaling, corrosion and other 

forms of damage or premature wear due to 

contaminants present in the source water. For 

these reasons, cooling towers and boiler feed 

water are generally pre-treated. 

Membrane filtration is also utilised to treat 

non-potable water sources such as gray 

water and reclaimed and recycled “purple 

pipe” water. 

Because the membranes are made using 

thin, porous sheets of material, failing to 

sufficiently pre-filter any large, suspended 

particles from the water can cause severe 

damage and fouling – leading to premature 

replacement and unnecessary maintenance, 

according to Robert Presser, vice-president 

of Acme Engineering, a North American 

manufacturer of industrial self-cleaning 

strainers. 

“Most membrane filter manufacturers 

recommend that all influents be pre-screened 

from 100-500µm to maintain membrane filter 

efficiency,” said Presser, whose company 

manufacturers environmental controls 

and systems with integrated mechanical, 

electrical and electronic capabilities. 

He added that automatic scraper strainers 

are typically installed before the intake 

plenum of membrane filters, after the supply 

pumps. 

EXTENDING MEMBRANE LIFE 

As an alternative to sand filters, centrifugal 

separators and basket types strainers, 

automatic scraper strainers provide 

improved membrane protection while 

reducing required maintenance. 

Automatic scraper strainers from Acme 

Engineering can provide continuous removal 

of suspended solids to comprehensively 

protect membrane systems. The automatic 

units are motorised and designed to 

continually remove suspended particulates 

in industrial process water and wastewater 

to the specific size required down to 0.003 

inches. 

Conventional manual strainers can become 

clogged quickly due to limitations in 

straining areas. When that occurs, cleaning 

or media replacement is required, which 

increases maintenance costs. The other 

alternative for fine straining is automated 

backwash-style strainers of various designs. 

As particle sizes grow larger, however, large 

contaminants can clog up the backwash 

system or remain in the body of the strainer, 

requiring manual removal and interruption of 

the process flow. 

With the automatic scraper strainer, 

cleaning is accomplished by a springloaded 

blade and brush system, managed 

by a fully automatic control system. Four 

scraper brushes rotate at 8rpm, resulting 

in a cleaning rate of 32 strokes per 

1 Automated scraper strainers pre-filter water and 

wastewater to protect fragile membrane systems 

from damage caused by large, suspended 

particles, reducing maintenance and replacement 

costs 

2 Automatic self-cleaning scraper strainers are 

increasingly popular because they are affordable, 

require minimal maintenance or attention, and can 

remove solids down to 75µm 

minute. The scraper brushes get into the 

wedge-wire slots and dislodge resistant 

particulates and solids. This approach 

enables the scraper strainers to resist 

clogging and fouling when faced with 

large solids and high solids concentration. 

It ensures a complete cleaning and is 

effective against even organic matter 

“biofouling”. 

With this type of system, manual 

maintenance for cleaning is eliminated. 

Blowdown occurs only at the end of the 

intermittent scraping cycle when a valve is 

opened for a few seconds to remove solids 

from the collector area. Liquid loss is below 

1% of total flow. 

With so much to gain, industrial 

plant managers might consider selecting 

an automated, self-cleaning system that 

is essentially “set-and-forget”, where 

automatic scraper strainers comprehensively 

protect delicate membranes and allow 

personnel to focus on other aspects 

of the facility. 

Del William is a technical writer. 


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HOTSEAT 

WATER SECTOR MUST 

invest in our planet 

A scheme from innovation consultancy Isle – called the Trial Reservoir (TR) 

– aims to save the equivalent of 30,000 people’s worth of carbon emissions 

per year by driving water innovation. Dr Joss Burgess, head of the TR project 

at Isle, provides a look at the first tranche of trials in this initiative. 

An aerial view of 

Gambia, where one 

of the first Trial 

Reservoir projects is 

taking place 

The climate crisis is one of the biggest 

challenges of our time and requires 

urgent, global attention. So how can 

the water sector respond to these 

challenges and act more boldly to 

meet these urgent challenges head 

on? 

The water sector itself is a major 

contributor to greenhouse gas 

emissions worldwide and it stands to 

reason more needs to be done to help 

the sector invest in, and accelerate 

the adoption of, technologies which 

can help the water sector achieve 

carbon neutrality. 

The sector is also traditionally 

very risk-averse, which often 

results in the slow uptake of 

mitigation technologies. Meanwhile, 

innovations undergo trials without 

implementation due to diverse 

barriers including cost. 

This is where Isle’s Trial Reservoir 

(TR) comes in – by providing 

technology companies with access 

to trial loan funding. Launched in 

November last year, it is evergreen, 

as the repaid loans are recycled into 

further trials. 

A look at the first three trials 

demonstrates the scope and aims of 

the TR project, whether in developing 

nations or the UK. 


HOTSEAT 

GAMBIA 

eWater’s treatment, supply and 

e-wallet billing and metering system 

provides customers in Wellingaraba 

with potable water 24/7 using solar 

power and gravity. It uses pre-payment 

SmartTags to enable SmartTaps that 

dispense water and deduct credit. 

Local technicians maintain the system 

and local shops sell credit. Each 

SmartTap dispenses 1,000 litres/day 

and each litre is said to save 3.03kg 

CO2 equivalent to reduced fossil fuel 

use. 

This trial supplies 500 previously 

unserved consumers and eliminates 

the use of paraffin and charcoal for 

boiling water at home. 

SPAIN 

iVapps’ reusable combined inline 

sensors and isolation valves for supply 

networks, which are being trialled on 

the island of Mallorca, can be repaired, 

replaced, upgraded and recalibrated 

under full line pressure, avoiding costly 

and disruptive shut-offs. 

The cartridges self-generate energy 

from flow, considerably reducing the 

operational carbon footprint compared 

to similar systems. Their carbon cost 

of fabrication is lower than competing 

technologies, and when they eventually 

become irreparable, they are 

recyclable. 

UK 

Orege’s Seamer, which is being trialled 

in Yorkshire, delivers sludge at higher 

thicknesses than traditional equipment, 

but the sludge is still pumpable and 

with the high-quality filtrate. 

The volumes of sludge transported 

are often reduced by more than 

two-thirds, reducing carbon footprint 

and expenditure on haulage. Seamer 

requires minimal engineering and 

construction outlay, lowering the 

carbon footprint of construction and 

capital expenditure too. 

The TR project provides trial funding, 

enabling end-users to adopt 

technology with minimal financial 

risk, while simultaneously guiding 

and supporting trials from start to 

finish and ensuring best scientific 

practice is adopted. 

Access to loans depends on a trial 

and purchase agreement between 

the technology vendor and the 

user that describes the trial’s key 

performance indicators (KPIs) and 

critical success factors (CSFs) and 

the post-trial purchase if the trial 

meets its KPIs. This enables enduser 

implementation with minimal 

financial risk and forces the cultural 

barriers to implementation to be 

addressed. 

Its objectives are to: 

• Accelerate the industry towards 

net zero carbon by supporting 

over 10 trials per year through to 

implementation, 

• Deploy £1 million (US$1.2 million) 

per year in trials, 

• Achieve a success rate of six out 

of 10 trials and 70% by amount 

invested, 

• Reduce pilot-to-implementation 

time by 80%, and 

• Alleviate 120,000 tonnes of 

carbon per year. 

The TR is supported by 10 

international partners, including 

engineering, procurement and 

construction (EPC) companies, 

investors and utilities. It brings 

together end-users, start-ups and 

non-profits – helping overcome the 

barrier of who pays for trials and 

defining the path and processes to 

implementation. 

The parameters for ‘success’ are 

bespoke to each trial and agreed 

upon by the vendor and end-user 

before the trial commences. The 

trials’ CSFs are whatever would 

trigger purchase by the user, 

including cost, ease of use, reliability 

and technical performance. 

Before each trial, Isle’s team works 

with the end-user and vendor to 

identify a suitable trial location and 

format. Isle undertakes due diligence 

of the technology, vendor and user 

and administers legal documentation 

and loan payments. 

Working with end-user and vendors, 

they design a robust, credible 

trial. At the end of the trial, Isle 

disseminates positive news in 

collaboration with vendors and enduser 

to more than 1,700 industry 

professionals in over 100 countries 

via Isle’s World Water Innovation 

Forum, Water Action Platform, and 

Utility CEO Forum. 

The TR has the potential to globally 

increase and accelerate the uptake 

of clean technologies. By adopting 

this model, the industry can be 

catapulted to where it needs to be in 

the race against catastrophic climate 

change. 

The positive impacts could reach far 

beyond climate change mitigation 

– the TR model of money, plus 

technical validation and immediate 

implementation could be applied to 

other issues, such as water quality. 

As this model becomes more 

common, it will lead to a seismic shift 

in the industry’s attitude towards 

technology trials, making it more 

forward-thinking, responsive and 

effective overall. 


HOTSEAT 

TSURUMI AVANT 

MQ-SERIES 

internal closed-loop 

cooling system 

Cooling the motor is one of 

the most crucial elements 

in pumping – it is even more 

important in submersible 

pumps that operate in dry 

conditions or with partially 

submerged motors. 

Pushing the boundaries 

of pumping, the Tsurumi 

AVANT MQ-series comes 

with an integrated internal 

closed-loop cooling system 

that allows continuous dry 

operation of sewage pumps. 

Tsurumi’s response to the growing 

market demand for fully dry operation 

of submersible pumps in applications 

like sewage ejector dry-pits or tanks 

with extreme water level fluctuations 

is its Tsurumi AVANT MQ-series. 

Integrated with the internal closedloop 

cooling system, the MQ-series 

can be utilised in fully submerged 

conditions, where periodic nonsubmergence 

of the motor can be 

expected. 


HOTSEAT 

Tsurumi AVANT MQ-series pumps 

are equipped with IE3 efficiency 

motors, which can be operated under 

continuous S1 duty in dry conditions 

when paired with the internal closedloop 

cooling system. The MQ-series 

pumps in the dry specification are 

equipped with double stainlesssteel 

jackets, effectively creating two 

separate chambers around the motor 

body. 

Inside these stainless-steel jackets, a 

coolant mixture of glycol and water is 

circulated in a closed-loop. Through 

the inner chamber, the coolant rises 

while the heat from the stator and 

motor frame is transferred to the 

coolant. And from the outer chamber, 

the hot coolant flows down below the 

oil chamber to exchange heat through 

the coolant cover with the pumping 

media. A specially designed fibreglass 

reinforced plastic axial impeller 

ensures continuous recirculation of the 

coolant inside the jacket around the 

closed loop. 

SUBMERSIBLE SEWAGE PUMPS 

MQ-series 

Discharge Bore: 50 – 600mm 

Motor Output: 1.8 – 355 kW 

The low viscosity of the mixture and 

high heat transfer capacity ensures 

quick cooling with minimal energy 

required to circulate the coolant. The 

coolant maintains its properties in subzero 

conditions up to -10ºC, providing 

consistent performance in a wide 

range of operating conditions. 

As the cooling jacket is completely 

isolated from the pumping media, 

waste material or debris in the 

wastewater does not come into direct 

contact with the coolant. Even when 

pumping heavily fouled liquid, Tsurumi 

claimed that there is “zero possibility” 

of coolant contamination and any 

compromise in cooling efficiency. 

With full prevention of ingress of the 

solid matter in the cooling jacket, 

the cooling efficiency is “insensitive 

to impurities” and is consistent for a 

longer period ensuring trouble-free 

pumping, the company added. 

Furthermore, the closed-loop cooling 

system runs on a different chamber 

independent from the mechanical seal 

chamber. This innovation prevents 

any form of contamination of the 

coolant from the pumping media, 

even if the first mechanical seal fails. 

And while the pump maintenance has 

been scheduled for mechanical seal 

inspection, the cooling system can still 

operate continuously. 

The integrated closed-loop cooling 

system can be furnished into all 

MQ-series pumps. Therefore, 

hydraulics with open channel 

impellers, chopper impellers, 

vortex impellers, grinder impellers 

and high head impellers can 

be operated in completely dry 

conditions. The flexibility available 

to the pump users through the 

variations which are customised 

to match the site requirements 

provides a custom-built touch to 

the pumping world. 


HOTSEAT 

PREVENTING BOILER 

CORROSION DURING 

SHUTDOWN 

What’s your style? 

Seasonal layup is just around the corner for many 

industries that rely on boilers for winter heating. But 

regardless of the time of the year, proper protection 

during boiler shutdown is critical to avoiding 

serious corrosion issues that can lead to plugging, 

leakage or shortened service life. Cortec’s boiler 

layup “animals” are designed to address these 

issues and improve traditional layup methods that 

can be cumbersome at best and non-existent or 

dangerous at worst. The only question is which 

Cortec boiler layup style to choose. 

DRY LAYUP OPTIONS 

Dry layup is an option for long-term 

soluble packaging and close the 

boiler openings. VpCI fills the boiler 

drained and cooled. There is no need 

for product removal or additional 

Boiler Lizard VpCI 

powder 

corrosion protection – whether for 

internals with protective vapours that 

flushing at boiler start-up. One Boiler 

a seasonal shutdown or a facility 

form a corrosion inhibiting layer on 

Gecko protects approximately 100 

mothballing project. Instead of 

the metal surfaces. When it is time to 

gallons of enclosed boiler volume. 

relying on desiccants or nitrogen 

return the boiler to service, the Boiler 

purges, which can lose their 

Lizard can be left to dissolve in the 

Boiler Dragon is designed to meet 

effectiveness or threaten worker 

makeup water. Boiler Lizard is most 

the dry layup protection needs of 

safety in the latter case, Cortec 

commonly used for mid-size boilers. 

the largest boilers. This ready-to- 

boiler “animals” for dry layup are 

use waterborne multi-metal VpCI is 

easy to handle. 

Facilities with smaller boilers may 

applied by fogging into the drained 

choose to adopt the Boiler Gecko. 

boiler and steam components. 

For instance, Boiler Lizard contains 

This ready-to-use VpCI fogging fluid 

Cortec claimed this as a “safer 

vapour phase corrosion inhibitor 

is packaged in an air-powered spray 

alternative to nitrogen blankets” and 

(VpCI) powder packaged inside 

can for a quick and easy layup for 

more effective and convenient than 

a water-soluble film tubing. 

waterside and fireside components 

desiccant. Boiler systems preserved 

Application is simple – place 

where Boiler Lizard is not practical. 

with Boiler Dragon can be returned 

the Boiler Lizard into the boiler 

Boiler Gecko should be sprayed 

to service quickly by simply filling the 

waterside, slit open the water- 

inside the boiler after it has been 

boiler with makeup water. 


HOTSEAT 

WET LAYUP OPTIONS 

For situations like short-term 

boiler layup or boiler redundancy 

when the boiler needs to remain 

filled, a wet layup option might be 

preferred. 

Cortec offers the Boiler Iguana as 

an option for boilers on standby. 

The procedure for protection of 

boilers on standby is to apply sulfite 

and maintain high pH levels. This 

requires frequent testing, which 

often falls by the wayside and leads 

to corrosion issues after all. 

The Boiler Iguana can eliminate 

these high-maintenance activities. 

The corrosion inhibitor can 

be added to the feedwater or 

condensate system and pumped 

to the boiler. The boiler can either 

be shut down for layup or kept on 

low fire for standby. Multi-phase 

corrosion inhibitors protect metal 

below and above the water level. 

Start-up is fast because the Boiler 

Iguana is compatible with other 

water treatment chemicals and 

there is no need to drain or refill the 

boiler before bringing it back online. 

The Boiler Salamander is a 

wet-layup option for high-purity 

steam boilers. It is effective at 

low concentrations in deionised 

or reverse osmosis water. The 

boiler does not need to be drained 

or opened to apply the Boiler 

Salamander or to bring the boiler 

back online. 

WET-DRY LAYUP 

The Boiler Turtle can be used for 

wet or dry layup and is ideal when 

the boiler may need to be brought 

back online much quicker than 

a dry layup allows. The Boiler 

Turtle can be added directly to the 

feedwater and condensate system, 

pumped to the boiler and left to sit in 

the offline system for 24 hours. The 

boiler can then be drained for dry 

layup or left at a high-water level for 

wet layup. 

PLAN AHEAD FOR GOOD 

START-UP 

When performing dry layup with the 

Boiler Lizard, users can plan for a 

good start-up by using Boiler Egg 

as a companion product. Although 

applied at the same time, the Boiler 

Egg remains dormant until the boiler 

is refilled at start-up. This is a critical 

time when cold untreated makeup 

water rushes into the system and 

heightens the risk of oxygen pitting 

and subsequent corrosion problems. 

The Boiler Egg comes in a pouch 

that is readily dissolved upon water 

contact, releasing active ingredients 

that scavenge oxygen and passivate 

metal during the initial filling of the 

system. 

WHAT’S YOUR STYLE? 

Cortec has many options to ensure 

boilers are kept in the best possible 

condition during a shutdown. The 

remaining decision is to choose which 

boiler treatment matches the boiler’s 

size and layup requirements. 


HOTSEAT 

ENGINEERING FOR 

TURNKEY WASTEWATER 

treatment 

plants 

Mutag BioChip MBBR carrier media 

Combining expertise from 

both companies, a strategic 

alliance between DMT 

and Mutag aims to jointly 

implement turnkey wastewater 

treatment projects for the 

industrial sector worldwide. 

The age of “survival of the fittest” 

is over – the future will be won by 

companies that cooperate with 

each other, according to the trend 

monitor of the German Future 

Institute. International engineering and 

consulting company DMT has been 

working on this since 1737, enabling 

joint progress in complex engineering 

assignments across the world. 

A new milestone is the recently sealed 

strategic cooperation with Mutag, 

a German specialist in the field of 

biological wastewater treatment, by 

signing a cooperation agreement. This 

collaboration aims to jointly implement 

turnkey wastewater treatment projects 

for the industrial sector worldwide. 

To this end, both companies offered 

individual, customised solutions 

that are designed for technologically 

demanding applications. 

Creating more efficient processes 

and saving costs, pooling resources 

to position themselves sustainably 

in the market for large orders – 

corporate cooperation offers several 

advantages. Especially when 

companies complement each other’s 

skills, as is the case with DMT and 

Mutag. 

Responsible for EPC and EPCM in 

plant construction was Christian 

Heiermann, head of industrial 

engineering for DMT, who said: 

“Thanks to the cooperation with 

Mutag, we can jointly offer turnkey 

wastewater treatment plants 

worldwide. And that from the initial 

planning to turnkey construction 

and commissioning.” This offer is 

particularly relevant for companies in 

the steel, chemical and petrochemical, 

paper and food industries. 

“The treatment of wastewater 

consists of several individual steps 

in engineering, so it makes sense 

to combine the synergies of the two 

companies to map all the steps,” 

Heiermann continued. While Mutag 

specialises mainly in the area of 

design and engineering, DMT can 

complement its competencies to 

implement turnkey projects and plants 

for wastewater treatment, as he added: 

“We have many years of experience in 

process engineering, in the planning 

and construction of plants for a wide 

range of industries. Mutag brings us 

the expertise in the field of wastewater 

treatment.” 

In addition, Mutag contributes its 

developments, such as the Mutag 

BioChip moving bed biofilm reactor 

(MBBR) carrier media, which enables 

savings in investment and operating 


HOTSEAT 

DMT seals cooperation with Mutag to jointly implement turnkey wastewater treatment projects for the industrial sector worldwide 

costs. Jesper Brix, CEO of 

Mutag, explained: “We are 

proud of contributing with our 

product and proven technology. 

Our sustainable vision and 

purpose align with the DNA and 

foundation of DMT. Therefore, 

we see great possibilities in 

combining our competencies in 

future projects.” 

Gas processing is another 

DMT’s strength. For instance, 

the company has developed a 

process to make the purification 

of coke-oven gas more resourceconserving 

and energy-friendly, 

as Umalan Gogilan, project 

manager at DMT, elaborated: “As 

soon as ancillary recovery plants 

are operated, there is always the 

task of treating wastewater. Our 

clients have often brought Mutag 

on board for this.” 

Gogilan recalled the first joint 

orders and described the 

cooperation as a partnership 

of equals. “We maintain good 

communication with each 

other,” he said. “Our customers 

also benefit from this. To be 

able to offer them solutions 

from a single source with a 

central contact partner in the 

future, transparency, trust and 

commitment form the foundation 

of the high-quality cooperation.” 

The advantages and synergy 

effects of this agile, dynamic 

cooperation have since been 

recognised by the customers 

of both companies who are 

already using them. Looking 

forward to future joint projects, 

Heiermann concluded: “Although 

the foundation stone for the 

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[Webinar] IFAT 2022 Technology Mission 

e-Roadshow 

Jointly organised with IFAT, GWP and DWA 

24 Feb 2022, Webex 

NEWSLETTER 

OF THE 

SINGAPORE 

WATER 

ASSOCIATION 

BRINGING 

A NEW VIBRANCY 

TO SINGAPORE’S 

GROWING 

WATER INDUSTRY 

The Singapore Water Association (SWA) will be leading a Technology 

Mission in conjunction with IFAT 2022, a trade fair for water, sewage, waste 

and raw materials management which will take place from 30 May-3 Jun 

2022 in Munich, Germany. This mission will focus on business opportunities 

and challenges in Europe in the post-COVID era while gaining insights, R&D 

technologies, products, trends and developing potential cross-border 

technology and business collaboration with exhibiting companies. 

Katharina Schlegel, exhibition director of IFAT, Rebekka Neef, public 

relations officer of GWP, and Rüdiger Heidebrecht, head of department 

training and international corporation at DWA, shared the latest on the 

exhibition and what is expected from the mission. 

[Webinar] Nitro 

– Shortcut Nitrogen Removal 

Jointly organised with Fluence Corporation 

3 Mar 2022, Webex 

More than 120 participants attended the informative webinar Nitro 

– Shortcut Nitrogen Removal co-organised by SWA and Fluence 

Corporation. Dr Wendy Tu, business development director for South East 

Asia of Fluence Corporation, gave an introductory welcome address while 

Gilad Yogev, global MABR product manager for Fluence Corporation, 

shared the breakthrough technology with some case references.

ESG Differentiators: Sustainability Risks and Opportunities in the Water Sector 

16 Nov 2021, Complimentary, Webex 

Climate-related risks and the 

expected transition to a lowercarbon 

economy impact most 

economic sectors and industries. 

While changes associated with 

a transition to a lower-carbon 

economy present a significant risk, 

they also create opportunities for 

organisations focused on climate 

change mitigation and adaptation 

solutions. Transitioning to a 

lower-carbon economy requires a 

transformation of business models 

and leveraging of innovative 

technologies. 

Dr Augustine Quek, senior 

environmental engineer at ESG, 

shared how businesses can manage 

sustainability risks for organisational 

resilience. More than 80 participants 

attended this webinar. 

Technical Visit: Sembcorp Tengeh 

Floating Solar Farm 

Jointly organised with NWSDB, Sri Lanka 

24 Mar 2022, Webex 

To explore water opportunities in Sri Lanka, SWA hosted the 

webinar entitled Access to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation to 

All with the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB). 

More than 50 attendees learnt how NWSDB covered 40% of its 

population with piped drinking water to SLS standards in the past 

40 years, plans of doubling this reach to 80% by 2025 and increase 

the plant capacity by 2 million cubic meters per day and laying 

40,000km of pipes within four years. 

[Technical Site Visit] Takeda 

Singapore Plant 

25 Mar 2022, Singapore Island Country Club 

A total of 15 SWA members visited the Takeda Singapore Plant. 

The agenda includes a video play of the Takeda Singapore Plant, a 

plant tour of Takeda’s manufacturing areas, Takeda’s zero-carbon 

emissions building, a tour of utility rooms and glycol chillers as 

well as the wastewater treatment plant. 

[PUB Sharing Session] Coastal Protection Department Strategies and Plans 

Jointly organised with PUB, 31 Mar 2022, Webex 

More than 80 participants attended the quarterly PUB Sharing Zoe 

Ong, senior engineer of the coastal protection department at PUB, 

gained insightful knowledge on coastal protection strategies and 

regulatory framework, lead site-specific engineering studies as well 

as the preparations for the implementation of subsequent coastal 

protection measures. Ong also shared about the upcoming coastal 

protection research programme to support the development 

of solutions that are effective, multi-functional, adaptive and 

sustainable.

SWA Golf @ SIWW 2022 

17 Apr 2022, Singapore Island Country Club 

In conjunction with the Singapore 

International Water Week (SIWW) 

2022, the SWA Golf tournament was 

held for the fifth time on 17 Apr 2022 

at the Singapore Island Country Club. 

The SWA Golf 2022 attracted 144 

golfers—including foreign government 

officials, PUB, regional water utility 

leaders, and global and local water 

professionals in the water industry— 

and was a social gathering while golfing 

for business networking. Guests were 

treated to a sumptuous fusion lunch 

and lucky draws were won. Desmond 

Tan, Minister of State, Ministry of Home 

Affairs and Ministry of Sustainability 

and the Environment was the guest of 

honour. 

Singapore International Water Week 2022 

18-20 Apr 2022, Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre 

After four years, Singapore 

International Water Week (SIWW) 

returned as an in-person event with 

over 15,000 international attendees 

descending on the city-state’s 

shores with 240 exhibitors. A total 

of 47 companies exhibited under 

the Singapore Pavilion where over 

200 B2B meetings took place. 

It was a fruitful event where SWA 

and Singapore Business Federation 

co-hosted the Singapore Business 

Forum, which comprises three 

main segments—MoU signing 

ceremonies, panel discussion 

and introduction of 12 Singapore 

companies. SWA is honoured to 

have established the MoU signing 

ceremonies with British Water, 

International Water Association, 

Nanjing International Water Hub 

and IES Academy, the training arm 

of The Institution of Engineers 

Singapore. 

The panel discussion was moderated 

by Sean Ong, deputy director of 

urban solutions and infrastructure 

services, Enterprise Singapore, with 

panellists Chew Men Leong of ST 

Engineering, Tan Cheng Guan of 

Sembcorp Industries, Tan Boon Leng 

and Tay Peng Cheng of Water-Waste 

Subcommittee, who provided the 

audience with a new perspective 

in fostering partnerships with 

technology. 

Some 29 exhibitors presented and 

shared more about their products 

and capabilities at the Singapore 

Pavilion Product Showcase at The 

Stage. More than 150 attendees 

were present and the opening 

remarks were delivered by Chew 

Men Leong, president of SWA. The 

event was also graced by Michèle 

Blom, Dutch Vice Minister for Water 

Management, and Margriet Vonno, 

Ambassador to the Kingdom of the 

Netherlands to Singapore. 

To the end of the week of SIWW 

2022, SWA co-hosted the second 

edition of the Canadian Water Tech 

Forum with The High Commission 

of Canada in Singapore on Earth 

Day. Jean-Dominique Ieraci, 

High Commissioner of Canada to 

Singapore, delivered his welcome 

address followed by presentations 

of the Canadian delegates as well 

as PUB, Enterprise Singapore, 

Sembcorp Industries and Asian 

Development Bank in the morning, 

and was followed by a business 

matchmaking session in the 

afternoon. The forum ended with 

nice wines on a high note.

UPCOMING SWA 

ACTIVITIES 

43rd Singapore Water Industry Nite 

(SWIN) 

12 May 2022 

Venue: PUB Waterhub Auditorium Level 2 @ SgWA 

Sponsors: China Harbour (Singapore) Engineering Company 

and UES Holdings 

SWA will be hosting the 43rd Singapore Water Industry Nite 

(SWIN) after more than two years. Programme highlights 

include sharing sessions by China Harbour Engineering Company 

(CHEC) and UES Holdings (UESH), updates on SWA activities and 

presentations by PUB Singapore and Imagine H2O Asia. The sitdown 

dinner with wines will follow at Marina Point, SgWA Level 

1 for registrants and guests. 

SWA Technology Mission to IFAT 2022 

30 May-3 Jun 2022 

As part of SWA’s continuous effort to enhance its members’ 

competitiveness through exploring new markets and business 

opportunities, SWA will lead a Technology Mission in conjunction 

with IFAT 2022 from 30 May-3 Jun 2022. The mission will focus 

on a better understanding of post-COVID business opportunities 

and challenges in Europe. 

Key takeaways for delegates: 

• Pre-arranged networking sessions and customised B2B 

meetings to seek new areas of cooperation and synergies. 

• Meet with key agencies, industry groups, institutes, 

municipalities and regional trade associations in Europe. 

• Site visits to relevant plants to understand their current and 

future infrastructure developments. 

• Gain the latest market insights, products and trends and 

develop potential cross-border technology and business 

collaboration with exhibiting companies. 

SWA WELCOMES NEW 

MEMBERS 

(joined from February to April 2022) 

ORDINARY 

1. ATL Industries Pte. Ltd. 

2. Bosons Consulting Group Pte. Ltd. 

3. Pall Filtration Pte. Ltd. (Hach Singapore) 

ASSOCIATE 

1. JD Waters Pte. Ltd. 

2. Innoveng (S) Pte. Ltd. 

3. Spencer Ogden Pte. Ltd. 

4. Wam Spore BHM Pte. Ltd. 

5. Wateroam Pte. Ltd. 

INDIVIDUAL 

1. George Yuan Gaoqiang 

2. Neo Hong Glap 

2022 EVENTS CALENDAR 

2022 will be bustlingly filled with water shows, technology and business 

missions, networking events and webinars. SWA has an exciting and 

interesting line-up of water series with PUB, Singapore’s national water 

agency. 

Download the SWA Events Calendar at https://www.swa.org.sg/wp-content/ 

uploads/2021/10/Events-Calendar-2022.V6.pdf. 

To stay connected to the latest updates on SWA, visit https://www.swa.org. 

sg, and follow us on LinkedIn or Telegram. 

INTERESTED TO JOIN SWA? 

SWA welcomes all organisations who are actively involved and interested 

in the water and wastewater industry to join the agency as either Ordinary, 

Associate or Institutional members. 

Sign up at https://www.swa.org.sg/membership/sign-up-online.

ON OUR RADAR 

SURFCLEANER LAUNCHES 

wastewater “skimmer-separator” 

tackling floating sludge 

Stockholm-based SurfCleaner has 

introduced the SCW 6000 skimmer 

separator to its portfolio of innovative 

solutions. Designed to address the 

challenge of managing floating sludge, 

the SCW 6000 can collect, separate and 

recover 6,000 litres of sludge, grease 

and other floating debris, empowering 

wastewater treatment plants to reduce 

water use, power consumption, manual 

work, aeration and use of active carbon 

and chemicals. 

Accumulating in large volumes, sludge 

residue is created as a by-product of 

the wastewater treatment processes, 

coming in the form of solid, semisolid or 

slurry residual material. Floating sludge, 

in particular, is costly, time-intensive and 

energy-draining to manage, according to 

SurfCleaner, with operators traditionally 

resorting to manual flushing and pumping 

with vast quantities of water. The surfacelevel 

sludge rots after about 15 days, 

releasing noxious odours. 

SurfCleaner presents a fully automated 

solution with the SCW 6000, minimising the 

labour-intensive process while improving 

working conditions and general health and 

safety. In addition to sludge collection, 

the system also separates the material, 

presenting an opportunity for reuse in the 

form of biogas or fertiliser, thus contributing 

to the circular economy. 

Johan Jubner, vice-president of sales at 

SurfCleaner, revealed the firm will initially 

target the Nordics with Sweden presenting 

“major opportunities” alone with circa 2,300 

wastewater plants. However, attention will 

soon turn global, through SurfCleaner’s 

extensive distributor networking spanning 

the European Union (EU), Middle East and 

Americas. 

He explained: “The product has been 

developed in response to industry demand, 

specifically addressing the challenges 

presented by floating sludge. It offers 

several core benefits, including eliminating 

manual work and heavy pumping which 

boosts environmental standards and general 

working conditions. 

“From a commercial standpoint, it 

streamlines several operational processes 

while slashing water and energy usage. 

It further increases the overall supply of 

renewable energy through the recycling 

of waste. In terms of figures, based on 

calculations from current pilot projects, 

clients have estimated annual savings 

approaching SEK600,000 (US$64,334) per 

year.” 

SurfCleaner has been finalising pilot stage 

testing with three separate machines 

installed in live working environments across 

Sweden. Estimations from one wastewater 

operator, based on initial findings revealed 

by SurfCleaner, showed the SCW 6000 has 

a separation capacity to process around 66 

tonnes of liquid sludge per year. This, the 

company added, could be converted into 

5% dry matter content and further used to 

produce biochar or biogas corresponding to 

370MWh of renewable energy per annum. 

SurfCleaner’s vice-president of sales, Johan Jubner 

(left), and vice-president of international sales, Stefan 

Wall Qvist, with the SCW 6000 

“The considerable amount of water used 

to treat floating sludge, through traditional 

flushing and pumping techniques leads 

to major water mixing. This means the 

energy contained within the floating sludge 

is ultimately lost,” Jubner elaborated. “In 

addition, floating sludge which is pumped 

away is not used as a resource either, 

as energy-intensive and costly drainage 

and drying would be required. Our pilot 

projects have shown that the SCW 6000 

can revolutionise this process with the 

more efficient collection and separation 

of floating sludge for reuse in the circular 

economy. The machine also demonstrated a 

direct impact on treatment plants’ process 

parameters, enabling further energy 

efficiency.” 


ON OUR RADAR 

BENTLEY SYSTEMS ADDS 

LCA and carbon calculations 

to iTwin platform 

Bentley Systems has announced the 

availability of integrated workflows for 

lifecycle assessment (LCA) and embodied 

carbon calculation capabilities in the 

Bentley iTwin platform to support the 

sustainable development goals (SDGs) of 

infrastructure projects. This integration 

is a result of Bentley’s collaboration with 

One Click LCA, a Finnish provider of LCA 

and environmental product declaration 

software. 

The partnership marks a “natural step” 

in Bentley’s strategy for empowering 

its users to achieve SDGs, particularly 

in addressing climate action and 

decarbonising infrastructure. 

Infrastructure digital twin solutions will 

be an essential enabler and accelerator 

of carbon transparency and disclosure 

use cases, and the adoption of digital 

twin solutions will help accelerate 

the transformation of infrastructure 

performance. 

impact of an infrastructure project 

involves a constant stream of design 

changes coming from various engineering 

disciplines. By unifying these data streams, 

users can quickly create a quantity 

takeoff report at the right aggregation 

level required for LCA calculations while 

reducing the LCA workflow from weeks to 

hours.” 

The One Click LCA integration is 

designed to create time savings and 

improve accuracy. Users can incorporate 

engineering data created by diverse 

design tools into a single view using the 

Bentley iTwin platform, generate a unified 

report of materials and quantities and 

share it with One Click LCA via the cloud. 

This integration gives users the ability to 

analyse environmental footprint, accelerate 

environmental reporting, perform project 

optioneering and optimise the selection of 

materials and products. 

Rodrigo Fernandes, director of empowering 

sustainable development goals at Bentley 

Systems, added: “One Click LCA can actively 

contribute by helping our users accelerate their 

low-carbon pathways – adopting low-carbon 

materials and products, minimising resource 

consumption, and optimising structural design 

– in every type of infrastructure, not just vertical 

infrastructure.” 

With the ability to integrate LCA workflows 

with the Bentley iTwin platform, users will 

be empowered with new opportunities for 

environmental intelligence around embodied 

carbon and environmental footprints of linear 

infrastructure projects. 

With this integration, Bentley’s 

infrastructure digital twin solutions 

powered by iTwin, and third-party 

applications built on the Bentley iTwin 

platform can unlock infrastructure LCA 

workflows. The Bentley iTwin platform is 

an open, scalable, platform-as-a-service 

offering, enabling an ecosystem of 

developers to create and bring to market 

solutions that address infrastructure issues 

by leveraging digital twins. 

Kaustubh Page, director of product 

management of the Bentley iTwin platform, 

explained: “Tracking the environmental 

Exporting quantities to One Click LCA from an infrastructure digital twin via the Bentley iTwin platform 


ON OUR RADAR 

PULSAR 

MEASUREMENT 

Pulsar Measurement’s 

PTFM 6.1 portable 

transit time 

flow meter 

RELEASES NEW 

portable transit 

time flow meter 

Pulsar Measurement has 

introduced the PTFM 6.1 portable 

transit time flow meter. Designed 

for challenging flow applications 

in industrial environments, 

the PTFM 6.1 unit is a marked 

improvement on the PTFM 1.0 

model, with enhanced signal 

processing hardware and three 

interchangeable and non-invasive 

transducer sizes optimised for a 

wide range of pipe sizes and materials, 

and a new rugged IP67 design. 

INTUITIVE AND POWERFUL 

Setup is relatively simple as it only 

requires “a couple of minutes” to 

configure the PTFM 6.1 with the 

specific application parameters, 

Pulsar Measurement claimed. Multiple 

transducer sets optimised for a wide 

range of pipe sizes and materials, 

improved signal processing hardware, 

standard factory calibration and 

intuitive on-screen diagnostics provide 

maximum confidence in the accuracy 

and reliability of the measurements. 

UP TO THE CHALLENGE 

With a rugged IP67 design, enhanced 

signal processing, interchangeable 

transducers and an intuitive user 

interface with a built-in data logger, the 

PTFM 6.1 is readily equipped to meet 

challenging installation environments 

and applications. 

READY FOR THE FUTURE 

Designed to reduce waste and ready 

for the uncertain requirements of the 

future, the integrated USB-C port 

allows the PTFM 6.1 to expand its input 

and output capability without having to 

replace the whole meter. Regardless 

of the requirements flow measurement 

might require in the future, Pulsar 

Measurement is confident in meeting 

these challenges and supporting 

operators in their future equipment 

upgrades required. 


SNEAK PEEK 

ACHIEVING ENERGY 

EFFICIENCY IN 

DESALINATION, 

water and wastewater 


A webinar that highlights how Danfoss’ systems can 

work coherently to help operators enhance energy 

efficiency in the desalination process in their water 

and wastewater plants. 

Shortage of freshwater has spurred 

innovation to find efficient and climatefriendly 

solutions that turn seawater into 

fresh, clean water. Reverse osmosis is one 

such technology that requires less energy 

than other desalination techniques. 

Danfoss has attempted to innovate and set 

new standards for high-pressure pumps 

in making freshwater in a sustainable and 

energy-efficient way. 

Typically, water and wastewater treatment 

processes account for 25-40% of the 

municipal electricity consumption from 

its energy-intensive processes and 

continuous operation cycle. By using AC 

drives to control the speed of motors in 

pumps, blowers, mixers and dewatering 

applications, Danfoss can help reduce 

energy consumption and optimise energy 

production from wastewater treatment 

plants. 

As such, Danfoss will be hosting a 

webinar titled Achieving Energy Efficiency 

in Desalination, Water and Wastewater 

Treatment Plants. Speaking at the webinar 

are Vijaykumar Subramaniam, regional 

sales manager, ASEAN region, and Glenn 

Lemoncito, business development manager, 

water and wastewater, Asia-Pacific, from 

Danfoss. Both Lemoncito and Subramaniam 

will highlight the distinctive technology of 

Danfoss’ drives, high-pressure pumps and 

iSave energy-recovery devices and share 

how these systems can work coherently in 

helping plant operators to enhance energy 

efficiency in the desalination and water and 

wastewater treatment process. 

Water and wastewater 

treatment process is 

energy-intensive and 

requires a continuous 

operation cycle 

Subramaniam has more than 27 years in the 

water and wastewater industry, spending 

the majority of his time with OEMs such as 

Enersave, Veolia, Nalco, Sigma Water and 

many more. For Lemoncito, he has been 

with Danfoss for more than a decade and 

is a professional with more than 20 years’ 

experience in variable frequency drive (VFD) 

application and knowledge in the water and 

wastewater business. With his record in 

business development and sales by engaging 

with different stakeholders of project sales, 

Lemoncito creates differentiation through the 

value of a product. 

Hosted on Zoom, the webinar will take place 

on 31 May 2022. The webinar is open to all, 

particularly municipal facility managers, design 

engineers, wastewater plant operators, process 

engineers and facility owners. 

Participants can discover the latest technology 

in desalination and wastewater treatment that 

Danfoss has to offer and how they can reduce 

their desalination costs with Danfoss’ four 

core technologies. Furthermore, participants 

can also find out how they can reduce energy 

consumption in their desalination and water 

treatment process; achieve an energy-efficient 

design of desalination and wastewater 

treatment using high-pressure pumps, drives, 

energy-recovery devices 

and pressure and fluid 

control devices; and 

optimise, control and 

monitor the performance 

of the motors of pumps, 

blowers and mixers. 

Register here 

Vijaykumar Subramaniam (left) and Glenn Lemoncito 

will be the speakers for Danfoss’ Achieving Energy 

Efficiency in Desalination, Water and Wastewater 

Treatment Plants webinar on 31 May 2022 


SHOW REVIEW 

SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL 

WATER WEEK 2022 

successfully enabled 

partnerships for climate action 

SIWW2022 concluded on a high note, bringing together 

the global water community to accelerate climate action 

and the co-creation of mitigation and adaptation solutions. 

on Climate Change (IPCC) report 

urging immediate action to tackle 

climate change, the programmes at 

SIWW2022 were designed to spur 

synergistic exchange and the cocreation 

of mitigation and adaption 

solutions. 

To this end, SIWW2022 paved the 

way for a wide range of key initiatives 

and public-private partnerships that 

would strengthen climate resilience 

in Singapore and beyond, push 

new sustainability frontiers and 

open the door to potential business 

opportunities. 

These include: 

• Official opening of the Jurong Island 

Desalination Plant, which marked 

another important milestone in 

Singapore’s journey for water 

sustainability and the enhancement 

of water security. 

• Establishment of RSK Centre of 

Grace Fu, Minister 

for Sustainability 

and the Environment, 

Singapore, and 

Dr Amy Khor, 

Senior Minister of 

State, Ministry of 

Sustainability and 

the Environment, 

Ministry of Transport, 

Singapore, gracing 

the Water Expo at 

SIWW2022 

Wide-ranging strategic partnerships, 

initiatives and memorandum of 

understanding (MoU) were announced 

at the Singapore International Water 

Week (SIWW) 2022, organised by 

PUB, Singapore’s national water 

agency. These announcements are 

expected to contribute to the region’s 

climate resilience, underscoring the 

strategic role SIWW plays in facilitating 

Held between 17-21 Apr 2022, SIWW 

hosted physical attendees comprising 

leaders in government, industry and 

academia from around the world, who 

came together to advance international 

collaboration to accelerate climate 

action. 

Against the backdrop of the 2021 

United Nations Climate Change 

Excellence for Sustainability, which 

will consolidate the services of 130 

environment businesses under RSK 

to provide solutions for industry and 

businesses, meeting the demand 

for sustainability services in the 

region. 

• MoU signing between Enterprise 

Singapore and Manila Water, as 

well as PUB and Rwanda Water & 

Sanitation Corporation to promote 

industry collaboration to address the 

Conference (COP26) and the 

the exchange of best practices, 

challenges of climate change. 

recent Intergovernmental Panel 

test-bedding and deployment of 


SHOW REVIEW 

1 2 3 

technologies to enhance water 

resilience. 

• MoU signings between the 

Singapore Water Association (SWA) 

and a series of public and private 

organisations to foster partnerships 

and deepen knowledge exchange. 

These include British Water, 

International Water Association 

(IWA) and International Water Hub 

(IWH). 

• Supply deals for the upcoming Tuas 

Water Reclamation Plant (TWRP) 

between Koh Brothers with Meiden 

and Xylem to provide ceramic 

membrane bioreactor (MBR) 

technology and biological aeration 

diffuser systems respectively. The 

deals are part of the S$200.7 million 

contract awarded by PUB for the 

TWRP announced previously. 

• MoU signings between ZWEEC 

Analytics, IONI Water and partners 

from China and India totalling about 

$75 million to provide access to 

safe drinking water in the region 

and water ecological environment 

monitoring in the Yangtze River 

Basin. 

The Environment & Water Leaders 

Forum (EWLF), a combined SIWW- 

CESG (CleanEnviro Summit Singapore) 

high-level forum, shone the spotlight 

on how cities and organisations can 

transform sustainability challenges 

into opportunities as the industry 

works towards a climate-resilient 

future. Speakers included Mariam 

bint Mohanned Almheiri, Minister of 

Climate Change and Environment, 

Ministry of Climate Change and 

Environment, UAE; Michèle Blom, 

Vice Minister for Water Management, 

Ministry of Infrastructure and Water 

Management, Netherlands; Els 

van Doesburg, Vice Mayor, City of 

Antwerp, Belgium; Patrick Blethon, 

CEO of Saur Group; Dechen Tsering, 

regional director and representative 

for Asia and the Pacific, United 

Nations Environment Programme; 

and Li Guoying, Minister of Water 

Resources, Ministry of Water 

Resources, People’s Republic of 

China. 

The message from leaders who 

spoke during the week is clear—that 

urgent action is required to mitigate 

and adapt to climate change. 

“We don’t have decades for 

something that is put into a legally 

binding instrument to roll down to 

society,” United Nations Environment 

Programme’s Tsering said. “These 

amazing innovations, technologies 

and finance—it’s not happening fast 

enough and we don’t have enough 

time.” 

Saur Group’s Blethon, said on a 

positive note: “I couldn’t imagine 

such a meeting 15 years ago talking 

about water and environment. This is 

a big change we are seeing today in 

the world, and especially in the past 

five years; everyone is talking and 

acting. The world is changing.” 

The Water Expo at SIWW and 

Environment Expo at CESG featured 

more than 300 local and international 

exhibitors, showcasing the latest 

innovations in water and environmental 

management, with digital solutions 

emerging as capable levers for change. 

About 30% of the exhibitors at the 

Environment Expo featured digital 

solutions, with robotics solutions 

commonplace. The Water Expo also 

featured a dedicated Digital Pavilion for 

the first time. In addition, the Imagine 

H2O and Ripple2Wave Pavilions also 

provided opportunities for some 

27 water start-ups to connect with 

investors, partners and buyers to 

advance the commercialisation of 

existing and new water technologies. 

Ryan Yuen, managing director of 

Singapore International Water Week, 

commented: “SIWW2022 is proud 

to have returned as Asia’s first largescale 

water show since the pandemic, 

bringing together the world’s brightest 

minds to conduct meaningful 

conversations and developments 

to galvanise the international water 

community into accelerating climate 

mitigation and adaptation efforts. The 

active participation of international 

businesses at the Water Expo further 

underscores the importance of SIWW 

as a platform for the co-creation of 

innovative and scalable solutions for 

urban water challenges.” 

The next editions of SIWW and CESG 

will return from 16-20 Jun 2024. 

1 The contract 

between Meiden 

Singapore and 

Koh Brothers 

will see the 

former providing 

ceramic 

membranes for 

the upcoming 

TWRP 

2 RSK Group 

launches Centre 

for Sustainability 

Excellence in 

Singapore 

3 Professor Kazuo 

Yamamoto, 

Lee Kuan Yew 

Water Prize 

2020 laureate, 

delivers a 

keynote lecture 


SHOW REVIEW 

Prof Yamamoto said: “It is a great privilege 

to be bestowed the distinguished Lee 

Kuan Yew Water Prize. This award 

nurtures the spearheading soul and 

innovative outlook needed to inspire future 

generations of water leaders to preserve 

and continue our objective of benefitting 

communities around the world in the areas 

of sanitation and water reuse.” 

(From left to right) Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean, Prize Council Chairman; Professor Kazuo Yamamoto, Lee Kuan 

Yew Water Prize 2020 laureate; Halimah Yacob, President of the Republic of Singapore; and Professor Leo Tan, 

board member of Temasek Foundation (Photo credit: SIWW2022) 

JAPANESE RESEARCHER 

CLINCHES LEE KUAN 

YEW WATER PRIZE 2020 

for pioneering solutions 

in advanced used water 

treatment 

Japanese Professor Kazuo Yamamoto’s pioneering 

invention of the world’s first operationally and 

commercially viable submerged membrane 

bioreactor benefitted millions worldwide. 

When Prof Kazuo Yamamoto first shared 

his idea of submerging membranes in used 

water to improve the efficiency and quality 

of used water treatment in the mid-1980s, 

it was met with much scepticism from the 

membrane community as it went against 

the conventional scientific thinking of the 

time. 

Not one to concede defeat easily, Prof 

Yamamoto held fast to his convictions and 

preserved his research to successfully 

develop the world’s first operationally 

viable submerged membrane bioreactor 

(MBR) prototype in 1988. For his pioneering 

invention that has since benefitted millions 

worldwide with enhanced public health and 

water security, 67-year-old Prof Yamamoto 

was awarded the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 

2020. 

The Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize, sponsored 

by Temasek Foundation, awards the winning 

recipient with a S$300,000 cash prize, a 

certificate and a gold medallion. They were 

presented to Prof Yamamoto by Singapore 

President Halimah Yacob at an award 

ceremony. 

Prof Yamamoto is the ninth recipient 

of this award. He is currently Emeritus 

Professor at the University of Tokyo and 

an audit and supervisory board member 

of IDEA consultants, an environmental and 

infrastructure consultancy firm based in 

Tokyo, Japan. 

Beyond his invention, Prof Yamamoto 

has also advised on national used 

water treatment projects around the 

world since 2007, such as a lowenergy 

demo used water treatment 

plant (WWTP) for industrial used water 

reuse in Saudi Arabia and Myanmar’s 

first MBR-based WWTP. In 2011, he 

chaired the Sewage Technical Meeting 

on Membrane Technology to develop 

guidelines for introducing membrane 

technology in sewage works. 

Today, submerged MBR technology is 

recognised as an effective technology 

to achieve effluent quality standards 

beneficial for water reuse, which also 

reduces the environmental impact of 

used water discharge. The technology 

has paved way for governments and 

water solutions providers across the 

world to develop higher standards 

of public health. It has reduced the 

impact of used water discharges to 

the environment and enabled savings 

on infrastructural costs, facilitated by 

shorter outfall pipelines, due to the 

effluent suited for potable reuse. It is also 

a sustainable treatment option for fastgrowing 

communities due to the speed 

and ability of it bring retrofitted into 

existing plants. 


WHAT’S NEXT 

EVENT CALENDAR 

2022 AND 2023 

2022 

AUGUST 

4 – 6 Aug 

LankaWater 

Colombo, Sri Lanka 

SEPTEMBER 

8 – 10 Sep 

DanangWater 

Da Nang, Vietnam 

14 – 16 Sep 

ThaiWater 

Bangkok, Thailand 

14 – 16 Sep 

Pumps & Valves Asia 

Bangkok, Thailand 

OCTOBER 

20 – 22 Oct 

LaoWater 

Vientiane, Laos 

NOVEMBER 

3 – 5 Nov 

MyanWater 2022 

Yangon, Myanmar 

3 – 5 Nov 

Pump+Valve Myanmar 

Yangon, Myanmar 

16 – 18 Nov 

CamWater 2022 

Phnom Penh, Cambodia 

DECEMBER 

7 – 9 Dec 

Asia Water 2022 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 

2023 

JANUARY 

16 – 18 Jan 

Water Future Energy Summit 

Abu Dhabi, UAE 

FEBRUARY 

1 – 3 Feb 

Inter Aqua 

Tokyo, Japan 

20 – 22 Feb 

World Water 

– Tech Innovation Summit 

London, UK 

*Due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has resulted in 

closed borders and travel restrictions, please check the 

events’ websites for the latest updates and changes. 


ADVERTISERS’ INDEX 

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS 

ADVERTISER 

PAGE 

DUPONT 1 

GUANGDONG LIANSU TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD 19 

HARBIN FIRSTLINE ENVIRONMENT TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD 13 

LACROIX SOFREL 31 

PULSAR MEASUREMENT 51 

PWNT PTE LTD 

OBC 

SEKO UK LTD 

IFC 

TSURUMI MANUFACTURING CO., LTD 

IBC 

VAUGHAN CO., INC 3 

WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA HOUSE AD 43, 64 

FOLLOW US 

@waterwastewaterasia 


W: www.PWNT.com 

W: www.PWNT.com 

SIX ® 

Suspended Ion Exchange 

- A 

process 

process 

wholly 

wholly 

developed 

developed 

by 

by 

PWNT 

PWNT - 

DOC removal for 

better finished 

water quality 

Full-scale references for 

Full-scale references for 

SIX® include: 

SIX® include: 

• Andijk III, The 

Andijk III, The 

Netherlands (120MLD) 

Netherlands (120MLD) 

• Mayflower Water 

Mayflower Water 

Treatment Works, 

Treatment Works, 

United Kingdom 

United Kingdom 

(90MLD) 

(90MLD) 

The advantages of SIX® are: 

The advantages of SIX® are: 

‣ Efficient removal of organics (60-90%) 

Efficient removal of organics (60-90%) 

‣ High UV transmission achieved (>90%) 

High UV transmission achieved (>90%) 

‣ No iron or aluminium based sludge 

No iron or aluminium based sludge 

‣ Compatibility with a variety of commercially-available 

Compatibility resins to achieve with a wide variety range of commercially-available 

of required water 

resins quality to targets, achieve allowing wide flexibility range of required to meet different water 

quality conditions targets, allowing flexibility to meet different 

conditions 

‣ Very minimal chemical requirement - the only major 

Very chemical minimal requirement chemical is requirement salt (sodium chloride) the only major for 

chemical regeneration requirement is salt (sodium chloride) for 

regeneration 

‣ Resin is recycled with low resin attrition and loss, thus 

Resin low additional is recycled resin with is low needed resin over attrition time and loss, thus 

low additional resin is needed over time 

‣ Short resin contact times, implying no risk of resin 

Short blinding resin and contact biofouling times, implying no risk of resin 

blinding and biofouling 

‣ Full-scale resin service life > five years 

Full-scale resin service life five years 

‣ Other anions, such as sulfate and nitrate, are also 

Other removed anions, such as sulfate and nitrate, are also 

removed 

‣ Possible regeneration with sodium bicarbonate 

Possible regeneration with sodium bicarbonate 

Contact us today to discover how PWNT can be your 

Contact us today to discover how PWNT can be your 

partner in advanced, sustainable water treatment. 

partner in advanced, sustainable water treatment. 

INNOVATION ENGINE 

INNOVATION WATER TREATMENT ENGINE 

IN WATER TREATMENT 

info@PWNT.com 

info@PWNT.com 

visit 

www.PWNT.com 

visit 

www.PWNT.com 

SINGAPORE 1 Kim Seng Promenade, #16-03 Great World City East Tower Singapore 237994 | T: +65 6735 6890 

SINGAPORE 1 Kim Seng Promenade, #16-03 Great World City East Tower Singapore 237994 | T: +65 6735 6890 

THE NETHERLANDS Rijksweg 501, 1991 AS Velserbroek, The Netherlands | T:+31 23 541 3740 

THE NETHERLANDS Rijksweg 501, 1991 AS Velserbroek, The Netherlands | T:+31 23 541 3740

Water & Wastewater Asia May/June 2022

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