Water & Wastewater Asia Jul PDF

Water & Wastewater Asia
I N C O R P O R AT I N G T H E O F F I C I A L N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E S I N G A P O R E WAT E R A S S O C I AT I O N
MICA (P) No: 076/05/2019 • ISSN: 2010-233X • KDN: PPS 1501/11/2012(022878) • www.waterwastewaterasia.com • JULY/AUGUST 2019
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WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA
CONTENTS JULY / AUGUST 2019
4 Editor’s Note
6 News
48 SWA Newsletter
63 Events Calendar
64 Advertiser’s Index
Market Report
11 Water Leaders Chart the Digital Transformation Journey for Utilities
Myanmar Water Portal

12 The Gyo Phyu Pipeline and its companions
11
In Person
14 Soren Kvorning: “More must be done for Water Sector”
From the Ground

16 Co-Digestion: The Way Forward
18 Securing the best delivery through PipeLine
20 Building a more resilient water network in the Philippines
22 Another major success in the US for inge
24 In Seabrook, love thy neighbour
26 SUEZ Uses Outcome Driven Analytics to Deliver 24/7 Water Supply to Growing
Communities in India
14 28 Echologics® ePulse® Acoustic Technology Helps German Water Utility Assess
Asset Health and Predict Network Failures
Insight
30 Valve Stations 101
34 Green pump technology against the drought
36 Bringing success to Asia’s renewable energy projects
38 Using the Vortex Layer of Ferromagnetic Particles in Wastewater Treatment:
Part One
Opinion
42 A New Look at the Industrial Internet of Things as an Enabler for the
22 Asian Water Industry
46 Technology is key to ensuring clean water access
Company Profile
52 Keeping it Fresh: Gradiant’s Claim to Fame
Tech Round Up
54 Tsurumi Submersible Pumps for High Temperature Liquids of up to 90°C
56 Getting your sensor data faster with VEGA Tools app
58 Duperon Launches Low Flow System for Wastewater Screening,
Washing and Compacting
30 60 Show Previews
EDITOR’S
NOTE
WHAT CAN WE DO FOR

THE WATER SECTOR?
M ORE MUST BE DONE – that is the common consensus that is being agreed upon lately.
We’ve established that the water industry is currently in crisis mode, and serious
discussion about the importance of sustainability and renewable energies is no longer a
novel idea.
NATALIE CHEW More and more, we see how companies are developing more innova ve technologies
Assistant Editor to bridge the water supply gap, or to ease the strain that our resources are under.
Black & Veatch’s Mitesh Patel expands more on possible solu ons such as floa ng solar
systems, also known as floatovoltaics (p. 36), and why they hold such strong interest in the
LET'S CONNECT! current market.
@waterwastewaterasia In the same vein, Singapore has plans to deploy its own floa ng solar photovoltaic (PV)
™ system in Tengah Reservoir (p. 10). It’s s ll in the works, but will be Singapore’s first single
large-scale floa ng solar PV system when completed in 2020.
Other innova ve solu ons to current issues include tackling other facets of the problem,
like the high cost of green technology. In this aspect, Gradiant Corpora on’s answer lies in
its in-house technologies, which aim to help companies fulfil Singapore’s green objec ves
without breaking the bank (p. 52).
It takes two hands to clap, of course, and besides expanding on more innova ve solu ons to
deal with the water crisis, organisa ons are also focusing on constantly spreading awareness
about the issue. Take the Interna onal Water Associa on’s (IWA) new Global Opera ons
Hub in Nanjing, China (p. 6) – recently inaugurated, the hub will support the IWA’s global
ac vi es and drive to achieve a water-wise world, and will develop and organise a new
biennial “IWA Nanjing Interna onal Water Week”.
Beyond the conversa on of making water more sustainable, there is also increased discussion
on how to make water safer for everyone. Leong Chee Kuan, General Manager from Grundfos
Pumps explores how be er technology can be used as safer alterna ves to chlorine gas in
disinfec ng water networks (p. 46).
Part one of a two-part series with Globecore (p. 38) also looks at how the humble
electromagne c vortex layer device, used for intensifying purposes in wastewater treatment,
plays a big part in the process, and why it’s so effec ve.
It’s said that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and it’s certainly
true in this regard, as we push on towards achieving more sustainable prac ces that will
lead to a zero-liquid-discharge (ZLD), zero-waste industry. We’ve got a very long way to go,
but we’re ge ng there.
All rights reserved. Views of writers do not necessarily reflect the views of the Publisher and the Singapore Water Association. No part of this publication
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is the official publication of the ensure accuracy of the information in this publication, the Publisher accepts no liability for damages caused by misinterpretation of information, expressed
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Water & Wastewater Asia • July / August 2019

ADVERTORIAL
6 | NEWS
Inauguration of Nanjing IWA Global Operations Hub

A new IWA global operation hub based in economy and leads innovations in the water expertise. And it is going to play a pivotal
Asia is an important and strategic step to and other relevant industries. While Nanjing, role in bridging the chasm between research
achieve IWA’s vision of a water-wise world. the capital city of Jiangsu Province, is leading and practice to accelerate the development
Aligned with the UN Sustainable Development the efforts to develop innovative solutions to and diffusion of innovation in the global
Goals, particularly SDG6, IWA inspires water concerns around water. water sector.
professionals to deliver water and sanitation
for all. “I do believe this IWA Global Operations Hub Kala Vairavamoorthy, IWA Executive
in Nanjing will develop a range of activities Director, stated in his speech: “We are an
From many perspectives, Nanjing is a perfect that leverage our professional networks association created or re-created every day
place for IWA to establish its global operation to create value for the water sector and to by our members and for our members. I hope
hub. Being home to over 2,000 environment serve our members and partners from the through all the businesses undertaken by the
companies and 100 universities and research region and the globe” said IWA President, Global Operation Hub in Nanjing, IWA can
institutes, Jiangsu Province boosts China’s Diane d’Arras. better serve our members in the region and
the world by delivering innovative, pragmatic
The IWA new hub in Nanjing will support and sustainable solutions to challenging
IWA’s global activities, and will develop global needs for safe water.”
and organise a new biennial global water
“IWA Nanjing International Water Week” IWA President, Diane D’Arras, concluded:
from 2021, focusing on new ‘ready to “There is much we have to do to achieve a
market’ water technologies and insights into water-wise world together. This common
transformative water innovations. future will see a sustainable use of our water
resources. With emphasis on re-using Water,
The hub in Nanjing is going to undertake replenish Water Sources and reducing Water
IWA Executive Director horizon scanning on the future of the water consumption, we look forward to working
Kala Vairavamoorthy sector, and will support the consolidation together with you all and deliver a water-wise
speaking at the
inauguration ceremony of global water science and technology world to all.” WWA

Embracing Digital Transformation for Asia’s water utilities
THE water and wastewater industries are Water Association, the two-day MIWC water specialists using Asian case studies.
facing many challenges today, and utilities conference is designed to prepare industry The convention aims to help water utilities
have to do more with less especially as we professionals to be future-ready, embracing discover cutting-edge technologies, and
are on the verge of great transformation. disruptions to the water sector that will both learn how digital disruptions affect the
While it may be premature to claim the arrival transform and secure the future of water. water utilities value chain, as well as what
of water management in the digital age of best practices can help to transform water
today, we can herald its eventuality, chart its The theme for this year, “Advancing utilities.
progress, and examine potential implications. Innovation, Embracing Transformation and
Securing the future”, sets out to understand The Conference promises an excellent return
This year’s Malaysia International Water water 4.0, digital adoption and IoT, along with on investment with a range of progressive
Convention (MIWC) and Water Loss Asia intelligent water management systems and and stimulating sessions. Formats include
aims to attract high-level executives from their role in the future of sustainable water inspirational keynote addresses, five
industry, municipal and international water management. Visitors will gain practical conference streams, a networking reception,
companies. Organised by the Malaysian insights and strategies from non-revenue and illuminating panel discussions. WWA

8 | NEWS
Innovation awards winners announced at BlueTech Forum

A meter-to-customer software and services means it is more important than ever to increased revenue, decreased costs, and
platform and an advanced self-cleaning take an imaginative approach to solving decreased water demand in a way that is less
filter have been named as two of the most problems. expensive, less risky and easier to adopt.
innovative technologies in the water industry
today. FATHOM Water Management, Inc. “Both FATHOM and Spiral Water have Through FATHOM, utilities can build
from Arizona and Spiral Water Technologies developed products which could have a huge sustainable, data-driven, customer-centric
of California were selected by BlueTech impact on the water industry. FATHOM’s geo- enterprises while managing the realities
Research as likely to transform the shape of spatial Smart Grid for Water platform was of water volatility and the increasing
the water industry of the future. created specifically for the water industry expectations of customers. FATHOM is
to manage every interaction between a already used by 4 million water customers
FATHOM won the Blue Truffle Award and utility and its customers, while Spiral Water in the US.
Spiral Water won the Disrupt-O-Meter Award have engineered a self-cleaning filter which
at the fifth annual BlueTech Forum, in San outperforms its rivals while cutting both Trevor Hill, chairman and chief executive
Francisco on 1 June. The winners, chosen maintenance and energy costs.” officer at FATHOM said: “It is tremendous
from a shortlist of eleven companies, will to have been awarded the Blue Truffle
be invited to join the Innovation Pavilion at INTELLIGENT SOFTWARE Award in recognition of the impact big
the Water Environment Federation Technical FATHOM is the software-as-a-service, data and the FATHOM platform are having
Exhibition & Conference (WEFTEC) in New cloud-based data integration platform that on creating more financially sustainable
Orleans in September. is changing the water utility paradigm and utilities. FATHOM was born in the water-
enabling the water internet of things with scarce southwest United States, as a way
REAL CHALLENGES its technology-agnostic way of integrating of assuring revenues and managing budgets
Chief executive and founder of BlueTech software, databases and equipment. while addressing water scarcity and the
Research Paul O’Callaghan said: “Utilities Developed by the Arizona-based water and changing needs of customers. “Created by
and industrial users of water around the wastewater utility Global Water Resources, a water utility, for a water utility, FATHOM is
world are facing real challenges – which Inc., FATHOM generates value through redefining the meter-to-customer journey

NEWS | 9
and addressing the financial needs of the Award is a fantastic confirmation of the huge Forum was a great opportunity to take a
water utilities.” potential of this technology. It has been put look at some of the most inventive, clever
to use in difficult-to-treat applications – and creative ideas emerging from around
HARD-TO-TREAT WATER including oils, grease, high solids and food the world.”
Winner of the Disrupt-O-Meter Award was and beverage manufacture – but could have
California-based Spiral Water for its self- a huge range of applications for industrial Also shortlisted for the Innovation Awards
cleaning water filter, which can be used for users. were Apana, Hitachi Pegasus, Nanospun,
hard-to-treat water and can be used on Oasys Water, OptiRTC, Organica Water,
wastewater, seawater and water produced “Not only does it cut the energy costs for Pasteurization Technology Group, Water
from oil processing. Originally developed for processing hard-to-treat wastewater it also Planet and Xylem. The fifth annual BlueTech
biofuel production the revolutionary design offers a way to concentrate solids which can Forum was attended by leading academics,
features a spiral brush, which continuously be reused.” representatives of clean tech companies and
cleans the filter element. The filter can deal water industry decision makers from around
with a high level of suspended solids, and WIDESPREAD USES the world. WWA
can reclaim more than 99 per cent of water, BlueTech Research founder Paul O’Callaghan
as well as separating solids for reuse. said: “Both FATHOM and Spiral Water have
found innovative ways to solve problems
Spiral Water Chief Executive Ashwin Gulati which could have widespread uses across
said: “Winning the BlueTech Disrupt-O-Meter the water industry worldwide. The BlueTech

10 | NEWS
PUB to deploy Singapore’s first large-scale floating

solar system
SINGAPORE’S national water agency PUB Because solar energy does not involve the PUB is actively implementing the deployment
intends to deploy a 50 megawatt-peak burning of fossil fuels, the floating Tengeh of solar PV systems on the roofs of Singapore’s
(MWp) floating solar photovoltaic (PV) system will eliminate the need to emit water infrastructure and reservoirs in order
system on Tengeh Reservoir by 2021. When 28,000 tons of carbon dioxide every year to generate renewable energy and reduce the
installed, it will be Singapore’s first single that it is in operation – the equivalent of country’s carbon footprint.
large-scale floating solar PV system. removing 6000 cars from
Singapore’s roads. When the floating systems
The Request for Proposal (RFP) was launched on Bedok, Lower Seletar
on 7 June, inviting private sector companies PUB is also in the process and Tengeh reservoirs
to design, build, own and operate, for o f i m p l e m e n t i n g tw o are completed, PUB will
25 years, the floating solar PV system on other smaller 1.5MWp have a total solar capacity
Tengeh Reservoir. floating solar PV systems of some 57MWp. Solar
o n B e d o k a n d Lo w e r panels on the roof of Tuas
The 50MWp Tengeh floating solar PV system Seletar reservoirs. The Water Reclamation Plant,
will be one of the largest single floating construction tender for when it is finished in 2025,
solar PV systems in the world when it is these two projects has will add another 5MWp to
completed, and will generate green energy closed and will be awarded this. WWA
to power water treatment – this is expected in the third quarter of this
to offset seven per cent of PUB’s current year. The systems are
energy needs, and reduce its carbon expected to be in place by
footprint. early 2020.
Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2020 Call for Nominations

THE call for nominations to the Lee Kuan Yew the world’s water challenges by developing held during SIWW 2020.
Water Prize is now open. or applying innovative technologies, policies
or programmes which benefit humanity. The Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2020 laureate
A key highlight of the Singapore International will be announced in March 2020. For more
Water Week (SIWW), the Lee Kuan Yew Water The Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2020 laureate information, please visit the SIWW website.
Prize honours outstanding contributions by will receive S$300,000, a certificate, and a WWA
individuals or organisations towards solving gold medallion at the award ceremony to be

MARKET REPORT | 11
International Water Association (IWA) and Xylem White Paper Maps Digital Adoption Trends and
Identifies Key Learnings to Help Drive Migration
T
he International Water Association (IWA) and global water
technology company Xylem have released a comprehensive
white paper titled: “Digital Water: Industry Leaders Chart the
Transformation Journey.” Water thought leader and author Will Sarni,
CEO of Water Foundry, served as a key author of the report.
The white paper examines how digitalisation is transforming the water

sector, and introduces the Digital Water Adoption Curve, a new tool to
help utilities assess their digital maturity and map their digital future.
Key takeaways from the report include:

• The importance of building a holistic digital roadmap and a
clear business strategy: Utilities must create internal
consensus on how the digital journey will unfold, maintain the
customer and business outcomes as focal points throughout
the digitalisation process, and educate key stakeholders
(consumers, politicians, shareholders, management and
employees)
• The creation of an innovation culture: Utility operators, IT
staff, finance, technicians, executives, and others have to be
the scouts for identifying new technologies. However, to drive
adoption, utilities must focus on fostering an organisation-wide
curiosity and competency for embracing digital innovation
• Leveraging pilots for an agile mindset: Pilot projects offer
a means to explore new technologies, build momentum,
and create a more holistic understanding of their physical and
financial effects on operations before committing to large-scale
implementation
• Developing architecture for optimising data use: Developing a solutions, and have reported that accessing data from legacy systems
data warehouse, where operational data sets become available still presents a challenge, even as water utilities are increasingly
to functions such as finance, engineering and IT specialists dealing with large volumes of data that are both structured and
who can use the data to optimise business processes, is critical unstructured coming from disparate sources. This has led to an
to creating value from data and effectively digitalising utility increase in the usage of application programming interfaces (APIs).
infrastructure and connectivity
“At a time when global water challenges are escalating, digital
Digital technologies cannot be sought as simply surface-level solutions offer communities around the world bold, new ways to
solutions. To operate effectively, they must be incorporated optimise, manage and conserve this most precious resource,” said
into the very backbone of water and wastewater utilities. From Kala Vairavamoorthy, IWA Executive Director. “‘Digital Water: Industry
physical infrastructure and business services to data management Leaders Chart the Transformation Journey’ leverages the insights
and customer relations, digital technologies can and should of IWA members to help utilities learn from their peers, harness the
become interwoven with all levels of a utility’s operations. power of digital technologies and enable communities around the
world to become more water secure,” states Kala Vairavamoorthy.
Many utilities are still navigating how to extract value from digital “Only together can we shape our water future.” WWA

24 | FROM THE GROUND
Gyo Phyu reservoir is located

about 64 kilometres north of
Yangon. Completed in 1940,
the pipeline boasts a capacity
of 166,000 million gallons and
a dependable yield of 93,300
cubic metres per day.
T
he Water Agency recently sat down with Raphael Monnier, communities, all they want is to create a better life for their family
co-founder of Yangon-based architecture and design and children, and more importantly create a home for themselves.
company Blue Temple. Monnier is currently working on The children attend the local public school, the husbands are workers
renovating the Gyo Phyu pipeline with a diverse, multi-skilled team, or night guards around the area. By including these communities in
and shared his thoughts and visions regarding the project. the processes of design, construction and maintenance, this project
opts to protect them and guarantee their safety and stay in the area.
The Water Agency (TWA): What’s the plan for Gyo Phyu Pipeline? This project isn’t just an architectural intervention for the sake of
Raphael Monnier (RM): Built in the 40s by English Engineers using public space design; it is also an anti-eviction programme.
American products, the Gyo Phyu pipeline is now the home of many Through this pilot project, we hope to propose a new form of
local communities. Today it has become a community centre, a socially responsible and ecological development in Yangon, by using
meeting place for young people, a playground for kids, a pedestrian innovation as a tool of leverage.
highway for local dwellers, a home for homeless families, a dating
area, and much more. Reflecting on the innovative ways local TWA: How can we improve the pipeline in the perspective point of
communities were able to adapt to this uncanny environment and landscape architects?
build a home, the future development of the pipeline will enhance this RM: The pipeline is 9.8 kilometres all the way to the airport
behaviour by incrementally upgrading the pipeline into purposeful and almost 15 kilometres more to the reservoir. The scale of this
public spaces. infrastructure goes beyond the scope of architecture and into urban
planning and landscape design. Similar to other linear parks like the
TWA: Why is there a need to renovate the pipeline? “HighLine” in New York or “La Coulée Verte” in Paris, the pipeline in
RM: Informal settlements can be found on both sides of the Yangon presents an incredible opportunity to create a green corridor
pipeline, and they’re now threatened with eviction despite having that joins the whole city together. The pipeline passes through remote
lived there for over 15 years. The people living in these settlements urban areas where nature is still very present; many initiatives can
were previously living in other settlements in Yangon, but got kicked be implemented such as urban bee hives, wetlands, urban farming,
out due to development projects without being given any other place and bird watching. Moreover, by upgrading the pipeline into an
to go. accessible pedestrian highway the project can definitely help to
promote alternative car-free circulation networks in the city.
Their contribution to the healthy neighbourhood goes from
barber shops, small tea shops, trash picking, 20-litre water bottle TWA: Could you share some examples of pipeline renovation
distribution, and much more. While the public looks down on these projects in other countries?

FROM THE GROUND | 25
RM: The inspiration of this project comes directly from a

creative appropriation and usage of the pipeline by the local
community living around it. It is therefore a very localised and
contextual project that is not replicable in other places. This
concept doesn’t come from technocrat experts, applying well-
conceived ideas into a neighbourhood; it is not part of a pattern
that can be seen elsewhere; it is proper to Yangon’s Gyo Phyu
pipeline context.
I did, however, come across another pipeline renovation project

in Mumbai called “ The Landlink Design Prototype” designed
by Mumbai City Lab and MARS architect. The project hopes to
create a rickshaw highway to connect two major slums together,
and on the long term build bigger substantial infrastructure to
host working areas.
TWA: What’s the next step for Gyo Phyu pipeline and its
community?
RM: The idea of a photography participatory workshop was an
appropriate way to continue dialoguing with the community and
better understand the site and its context through their own lens.
By handing out 10 cameras to young community members as we

teach them photography and storytelling basics; with the help of
Yuyu Myint Than, a recognised Burmese photographer; we aim to
set the ground for them to become advocates of their own living
conditions and explore their environment and daily life as well.
Once the workshop is finished, we plan to set up an exhibition

at an abandoned warehouse within the community along the
pipeline, where the stories of the participants will be shared. For
this exhibition we will renovate the warehouse into a space that
in the future will be able to foster social and creative exchange.
Moreover, by setting up this exhibition in the community space
we also aim to raise awareness on some of the issues we want to
address through our project, such as decentralisation, promoting
low-tech innovation, and informal settlement protection. WWA
News source credited to Kyaw Nyunt Linn (The Water Agency).

Photos credited to Raphael Monnier (Blue Temple).

President of Danfoss
Asia Pacific Region Soren
Kvorning speaking at the
Energy Efficiency Summit
hosted by Danfoss
A
ccording to a report done by the Institute
of Southeast Asian Studies, almost 50 per
cent of the Southeast Asian (SEA) population
will be living in cities, and governments across SEA
are under immense pressure to meet the demands
of surging populations and find a balance between
keeping cities liveable yet sustainable.
With all our advancements in technology, how do our

cities become “climate-smart”? Water & Wastewater
Asia sits down with Soren Kvorning, President of
Danfoss Asia Pacific Region, to find out more about
current efforts to encourage sustainability in the
water sector, and what more can be done.
Water & Wastewater Asia (WWA): What part do you

think the water and wastewater industry has to play
in the drive to develop more “climate-smart” cities?
Soren Kvorning (SK): When we move people into

cities, the supply chain is getting more and more
critical, and the water supply is a big part of this
food supply chain. So, water, food, fossil fuels, these
resources are under pressure. Water is a key part of
the infrastructure, and we have areas today where
we don’t have access to clean water for everybody.
The infrastructure cannot stand alone – it requires
the water supply and wastewater handling as well.

IN PERSON | 15
When you talk about wastewater, it’s another element of the So, it’s not about solving it in a few places, we need to lift the overall
infrastructure where you also need sustainability in the way you treat infrastructure of our water. And to do that it also requires that we
water, in the before and after. We also need to accelerate the way look at the waste, at the sewage, the other part of the equation is
we are increasing our access to water by desalination plants, as an the wastewater treatment, therefore we all play a role regardless of
example, or clean the sewage water again, and that’s part of what whether we are in a developed area or not, to make sure all of us are
we’re doing in Singapore so the wastewater plants for the future are lifting it together. We need the acceleration and to take the low hanging
also fuelling the potable water. fruits today instead of waiting. The standard we developed five years
back is no longer the standard we should be having now.
WWA: In sustainable energy and development, how big a role does
water and wastewater play? WWA: What do you think the potential of the region is?
SK: I believe approximately four to five per cent of the overall SK: I don’t think we know the limit – what we want to achieve is
energy consumption comes from the water industry. Here not necessarily what we can achieve. I think at this point of time we
the water sector plays a role in educating, and they play a role in don’t know what we can actually achieve. We know what we want to
enabling the technologies available already, to reduce the energy achieve, and if we make it or not is a question of our actions.
consumption and pump water smarter. We can move water smarter
from one place to another, and save 15-25 per cent of the energy And I still see that with the technologies available today we could see
consumed. more clean water, like cleaning wastewater or seawater to make it
drinkable and potable for all. So potentially we could open up some of
At the same time, when you have a wastewater plant, you the initiatives like sustainable energy for all. What about sustainable
have inertia in the water, in the CO tanks where the biological water for all? I’d recommend that we create a sustainable water initiative
treatment is happening. And that inertia can be reused to generate that could potentially be regional or global. It requires the partnership
energy, and as such you can at the same time convert it so it becomes between public and private sectors, supported by institutions.
energy neutral, or even energy producing for the wastewater
handling. And that’s why I like the quote I mentioned from Dr Vivian Balakrishnan,
he said something about “if the ambition is not fulfilled, don’t wait.
WWA: What are some of the challenges that the industry will React, do it, act – be creative and make the change.”
encounter in improving sustainability?
SK: It depends on where we are. If we take Singapore as an WWA: Tell us more about how Danfoss is helping the water industry
example, we’re pretty far along with our water supply and we’re in saving water.
working on being independent, but we still have challenges or SK: Danfoss has never been more relevant than what we currently
requirements that have been putting pressure on Singapore’s are, and there are certain trends in the world like urbanisation and
development. We have pretty well-developed water supply systems, an increasing need for water which are clearly making us even more
but we still have leakages, so the water sector also plays a role in relevant. Our technologies are innovated to support the sustainability
enabling and identifying the technology to stop these leakages. Again, of the water sector. We also have individual components like high-
it’s looking at the whole system. pressure pumps that generate the pressure needed to push the water
through the reverse osmosis filter. We have pumps that are installed
If we’re not demanding the pressure control in our system, the in island resorts, to generate potable water.
leakage and volume leaked will be higher. To reduce pending demand,
we will reduce the leakages as well. At the same time, we need to We also have various technologies today where you can control and
detect the leakages so we save water, and I think that’s the biggest predict when there is a low season in water needs or demands, and
portion of making it sustainable. then you can control the pumping of the water based on that. We
can increase the uptime of the pumps and systems, where we are
WWA: What about the water and wastewater industry in the Asian synchronising and balancing the pumps; instead of one pump we have
region? Is the region developing fast enough? two, and we control the ups and downs so we can take one out for
SK: When it comes to energy saving or our climate change, which repair, while we are continuously running with the other one.
includes challenges and limitations on the water supply, time is never
enough, and I honestly believe that we need more speed in this. We We previously set an ambitious target of doubling our energy productivity
have ambitions, we have plans, but we need the implementation by 2030, but we have reached 77 per cent and expect to make the target
ready to go. We have a growing middle class that will require and by 2020. Now we have a new ambition of doubling this target one more
demand more water, and they will move to places where the water time over the next 10 years. We need to have these ambitions, and people
is available and that will put pressure on these areas. and societies to remind (us) to think bolder, and really go for it. WWA

Co-Digestion: The Way Forward

With Singapore’s water consumption expected to double by 2060, how do we as a nation look toward
more sustainable efforts? Water & Wastewater Asia speaks to Dr Kelvin Koh, General Manager of the
Ulu Pandan Water Reclamation Plant, to find out more.
WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA (WWA): reclamation plants which uses only as much Reclamation Plants (WRPs) achieve the
How far is co-digestion projected to get energy as its treatment process generates. long-term target of energy self-sufficiency
Singapore in economic terms, including Co-digestion of used water sludge and food for used water treatment processes, and
electricity offsets and the sludge not waste is one of the key initiatives towards 50 per cent reduction in sludge generation.
needing to be incinerated? In terms of achieving this target. The current biogas
PUB’s roadmap for Singapore’s water production from the anaerobic digestion Co-digestion also promotes a circular
sustainability, where does co-digestion stage of used water treatment in Ulu Pandan e c o n o m y a p p ro a c h t o w a rd s w a s t e
put us? Water Reclamation Plant (without food waste management. It maximises resource recovery
addition) can supplement approximately from food waste and supports Singapore’s
DR KOH (DK): Water demand is projected 25 per cent of the plant’s total electricity vision towards a Zero Waste Nation. By co-
to double by 2060 from our current consumption. Results have shown that the locating a used water treatment plant and
430 million gallons per day (MGD). Our synergistic effects in co-digesting used waste management facility in the Tuas Nexus,
energy needs and waste generation would water sludge and food waste can increase it allows us to harness potential synergies
increase significantly if we continue to biogas production by up to 40 per cent, and benefits of a Water-Energy-Waste Nexus.
function as usual. A key pillar of Singapore’s compared to if the two waste sources are This maximises both resource and energy
water sustainability is to meet future water digested separately. This could potentially recovery while minimising environmental
demand at today’s energy footprint. This increase our biogas production, and when footprint. In the long run, co-digestion
means creating energy self-sufficient water implemented on a full scale, could help Water will allow both PUB and NEA to lower cost
of operating the facilities,
making waste management
more sustainable.
W WA : Is co-digestion
projected to help alleviate
Singapore’s water-energy
nexus, where the price of
water is paid with energy?
DK: Higher biogas yield from

co-digestion means more
energy can be produced using
the biogas. This energy can
then be used to offset the
energy required to treat used
water and enable us to meet
future water demand in a
sustainable way. Our goal is
to make used water treatment
fully energy self-sufficient while
reducing sludge generation in
the long run.
Dr Kelvin Koh, General Manager of Ulu Pandan Water Reclamation Plant, Water Reclamation Plants Department, PUB

WWA: Other than the Tuas Nexus Plant, ensure that co-digestion is implementable embarked on a trial to validate the feasibility
which will likely feature co-digestion, as in Singapore’s context. Some of the key of co-digestion in Singapore’s context before
referenced during the media trip, are there lessons learnt from one of our study trips the demonstration facility was constructed.
any other plans to scale up the co-digestion to the US is ensuring a constant source- Insights to the design of several parameters,
process? segregated feed, and the design of an such as the ratio of food waste and sludge
appropriate pre-treatment method that suits to feed to our digesters, feeding rate, were
DK: The existing Water Reclamation Plants local food waste. This is to ensure that the gained through a feasibility study with NTU
(WRPs) are not designed to receive, treat and anaerobic co-digestion process remains at the initial stage.
co-digest food waste. Nonetheless, we will stable to produce biogas for electricity
continue to explore the food-water-energy- generation. WWA: How has water demand in Singapore
waste nexus for synergies and will implement changed over the past five to ten years, and
co-digestion in all new WRP developments. WWA: What key transformational issues how has this affected sludge, in turn?
had to be addressed in the plant, as this is
WWA: Hungary and the United States are Singapore’s first demonstration plant? DK: Singapore’s total water demand
the leaders in co-digestion technology – is currently 430 MGD and is projected to
what lessons did PUB learn from them and DK: As Singapore’s first demonstration almost double by 2060. Correspondingly,
what was successfully implemented? facility at the Ulu Pandan Water Reclamation used water discharge is expected to
Plant, research efforts had to be calibrated increase, and so too our sludge production,
DK: PUB has gleaned experience and and planned carefully to ensure its success. which is expected to double to more than
expertise from these overseas projects to As with other R&D projects in PUB, we 600,000 tonnes per year. WWA

F
or many businesses, achieving
sust ainable growth is the real
challenge. For PipeLine Process &
Systems (‘PipeLine’) from Singapore, a
solutions provider for water treatment plants
for the past 15 years, it has always taken
growth in its stride. Even as it expands into
Myanmar in recent years, PipeLine is taking
one steady step at a time. WWA speaks
to Leck Chye Chuah, marketing and sales
director of PipeLine to find out more.
Leck Chye Chuah (right), marketing and sales director of PipeLine Process & Systems, with
senior manager, Yong Khim Foo
THE STORY
PipeLine was founded in 2004 when Leck was the next level and they could start quoting Through the years, PipeLine’s principles
invited by a group of friends to make a small for bigger projects and achieve larger sale have not changed. “We are constantly
investment in a trading business involving volumes. Four years after starting business, improving our service and knowledge to
valves. Soon after, they started the business they scored their first major project – a ensure our supply chain partners remain
from scratch. semiconductor project from an American relevant. We communicate frequently with
multinational corporation. From then on, our partners to improve product quality
“When we began operation, we had no business took off. and coordination of operation as well as
specific product in mind, so we decided logistics support for our overseas projects.
to kickstart our OEM brand to create an Currently, their main target clients are from Most importantly, we listen keenly to
identity for our products. Meanwhile we the water sector, though over the years, our customers to truly understand their
were also seeking product representation their range of products have been supplied needs.”
from international brands to boost our to local semiconductor plants, chemical
company image. My previous boss also plants, marine offshores as well as local and The most recent deal secured by PipeLine
offered opportunities for us to market overseas power plants. belongs to a well-known semiconductor
plastic piping, fittings and valves.” project in Singapore, for which PipeLine
And so, PipeLine grew from a small supplied its range of flow control valves for
Having a clear strategy helped, within a business selling a piece of stainless- utilities services, ball valves for LNG lines
few years, Leck and his team steadily but steel valve for $10 and UL/FM approved gate valves for fire
rapidly established a strong customer base and a plastic fitting protection services.
and OEM branding. “We strongly believe in at less than $1, to
differentiating and positioning ourselves as becoming a prominent 1 EXPANDING INTO MYANMAR
a service provider, rather than a material player with a growth Currently, the company is setting its
supplier. Besides investing time and effort averaging 10 per sight on the emerging Myanmar market
to improve marketing materials, we started cent in OEM products and has taken a few small steps towards
to keep stock to serve local customers fast, annually, according to working on more projects there since
even for bulk orders. Quick delivery and Leck. Last year, their early 2017.
competitive pricing are a must.” turnover amounted
to US$1.1million for Between 2017 and 2018, they sealed
Following this approach, PipeLine achieved their OEM range of deals mainly for OEM products valued at
its first milestone – sales volume elevated to products. more than US$100,000 in Myanmar.

UNDERSTANDING MYANMAR THE SINGAPORE BRAND AS A

In recent years, PipeLine has also seen many of GUARANTEE OF QUALITY
their local clients - most of whom are local Also, being a Singaporean company places
water treatment companies- take up PipeLine in an advantageous position as the
overseas projects especially in Some of PipeLine’s OEM Singapore brand is viewed as a guarantee for
products:
the regional South East Asian 1) Resilient seated gate valve quality and reliability in the region.
countries, and entering the 2) ball valve
3) Dual plate check valve
energy as well as oil and gas “Our progress in Myanmar has been positive and
sectors. we have been doing well for the past few years.
We do not set high expectations when entering
In PipeLine’s case, Myanmar a new market as we want to give ourselves ample time to understand
was chosen for its young 2 the market, culture, policies as well as the political situation,” said
population and great potential Leck, “We have been receiving positive responses from customers on
as a market for Singapore our product quality when submitting project proposals.”
b ra n d s . A s a n e m e rg i n g
economy which is still full FUTURE PLANS
of uncertainties, Leck thinks In the next few years, PipeLine plans to strengthen its Singapore quality
t h at i t w i l l b e n e f i t f ro m image in the regional marketplace, as well as expand its distribution
Singapore brands’ reliability network of OEM products into regional and emerging markets.
and experience.
“Several important policies are changing. We are prepared to adapt
Myanmar ’s economy is 3 as our work progresses in these countries.” WWA
expected to grow 6.6 per cent
in 2019 and 6.8 per cent in 2020, according to the Asian
Development Bank. With the government’s commitment to
make investing in the country easier, such as standardising
FDI application and implementation procedures, foreign
investment in Myanmar is expected to pick up significantly. The
number of FDI approvals reached about $1.5 billion between
October 2018 and January 2019, compared with $823 million
year-on-year. In particular, the increase was largely due to
higher investment commitments from Singapore and other Asian
investors.
So far, the challenges faced by PipeLine include communication,

unclear policies and technical knowledge, which are common and
anticipated by Leck.
To overcome them, Leck’s team puts in extra effort in providing

assistance and consistently communicating with customers. They
also talk to the experts at various levels to stay updated.
“Also, learning from my own experience, Singapore business

operators need to tune down our pace to match the local culture.
It is an important skill that we must learn,” Leck added.
It helped that friendly bilateral ties between both governments

allow Singaporean companies to find easy acceptance within the
local business communities. “Most Burmese business owners
have experience working with Singaporeans and prefer working
with Singaporean companies. They see us as trusted partners,”
said Leck.

By Leong Chee Khuan,

Area Managing Director for South Asia and
General Manager for Grundfos Pumps Sdn Bhd
W
ater is a precious and increasingly in densely populated areas during the dry casted on-site, which not only means
critical resource. Water security season. greater time spent on construction and
has become one of our most detailed planning, but also susceptibility to
urgent environmental crises as well as A recent example was when Manila chemical corrosion and subsequent leakage
our fastest-growing social, political and experienced its worst water crisis in nearly over time.
economic challenges faced today. Increasing a decade earlier this year. The crisis comes
water scarcity and pollution, rapid population as a stark reminder that water security They also occupy a lot of space, which is
growth and urbanisation are major factors needs to be a top priority. We need to not an issue for the rapidly urbanising country.
posing fundamental challenges to the global only review existing water networks and put Grundfos has introduced a prefabricated
water cycle, with a particular pressure on the in place plans to expand national water pumping station, which has been developed
urban water supply. systems capable of moving water effectively to optimise pumping station design and
and efficiently, but the government and operation and reduce energy consumption.
Most countries in Asia are not spared, private sector need to work together and The prefabricated pumping station is
and this includes the Philippines, which is coordinate more effectively on development designed to be energy efficient and operates
experiencing rapid population growth, with a issues. reliably in the long run. Made of hard-
projected population of 150 million by 20501, wearing plastic, its greater durability paired
and is becoming increasingly urbanised. BUILDING RESILIENT WATER with an advanced control system means
Water supply and sanitation has been unable NETWORKS optimised operations and in turn greater
to keep up with the growing population and The local infrastructure capacity in the energy savings.
rate of urbanisation. Additionally, climate Philippines is unable to keep up with demand
change, inefficient and excessive water use, and efficiency levels are not optimised. Requiring a shorter construction timeframe,
pollution and increasing volumes of food While the Philippine government has been Grundfos’ prefabricated pumping station
production put pressure on the country’s driving greater efforts through increased can support the expansion of a water
water systems. investment towards its water networks, network in a shorter timeline. Compared
industry players are also responsible for to traditional pumping stations,
In the Philippines, water comes from introducing innovative solutions given their this prefabricated pumping station is
various sources – groundwater, rainfall and expertise in the water sector. produced in the Grundfos factory and
surface water, such as reservoirs, rivers, sent to the site as a complete package,
and lakes. Despite the abundance in water For example, a key part of the water making installation easier. This reduces
sources, significant seasonal variations network is pumping stations that collect and installation time by as much as
and imbalanced geographical distribution transport wastewater. However, traditional 80 per cent, ensuring minimal disruption to
often result in water shortages, especially pumping stations are made of concrete people and infrastructure.

internet-based system. This allows

for changes in performance and
energy consumption to be tracked
and documented, even automatically
generating reports and trend graphs,
giving an indication of wear or
damage to businesses to plan service
and maintenance accordingly.
COLLABORATION IS STILL
KEY
We ultimately need public-private
partnerships to ensure that new
innovations are not only developed,
but also incorporated on a large
scale. Industry players can introduce
innovative solutions to address
water-related issues, as well as
bring unique expertise to the table; while a
INFRASTRUCTURE ADAPTABLE SMART MONITORING mandate and support from the government
TO CLIMATE CHANGE Additionally, the expansion of water systems is critical to a project’s success.
With rainfall being one of the key sources will put greater management challenges on
of water for the Philippines, stormwater operators and owners, making it necessary By leveraging synergies in research and
management is also a key in the entire water to put in place advanced monitoring systems development, and through the exchange of
network – keeping enough reservoir storage to control increasingly complex networks. best practices, such partnerships ensure
space available to manage floods during faster and more effective development and
heavy precipitation, but also storing enough W i t h i n t e l l i g e n t t e c h n o l o g y, w a t e r deployment of innovative and efficient water
water to protect against drought. management can be pre-emptive and management solutions.
predictive, ensuring that we are constantly
Flooding is a constant issue for the monitoring the conditions of our water Water management is one of the biggest
Philippines. Heavy precipitation, storm systems and attending to each and every socio-economic-ecological issues of the
and flood events are expected to increase, change adequately and addressing any issue 21st century, not just for the Philippines
putting pressure on many regions, urban before it happens. Water providers around but across the globe. Innovation is key for
systems and transport infrastructure. the world are increasingly leveraging real- governments and industry to drive water
The Philippines is situated in an area time sensors and data analytics to support efficiency and inculcate a culture of water
experiencing severe weather conditions their daily operations. conservation at the critical rate and scale
on a frequent basis, with an average of we need. WWA
20 typhoons each year. These events are With digitalisation, water providers can use
expected to become more severe. technologies that intelligently adjusts water Reference:
flow according to demand through the use 1
United Nations (2015). The World
Each situation for flood control and water of remote sensors. This reduces any excess Population Prospects: 2015 Revision
management comes with its own unique water pressure, which in turn limits water
issues and requires very specific approaches. leakages and losses, minimising cost and
Whether it is urban, coastal or river flooding, energy.
the ability to provide a customised solution
for every installation is crucial, as waters Digitalisation also empowers distribution
from muddy and sometimes polluted models that can recommend when assets
confluences, will require different pump need to be replaced. Pumps, sensors,
capabilities to those operating in sea water meters and pump controllers can now all be
barrages or freshwater lakes. connected to a centrally hosted server via an

Another major success

Filtrate from the RO stage is fed back into
the feed of the UF stage. H2O Innovation was
selected as a partner for the construction of
in the US for inge the new UF membrane plant. Five membrane

providers were qualified for the project
and three were later shortlisted. The H2O
Innovation/inge® team ultimately came out
ahead of the two remaining competitors and
was selected as the Membrane Filtration
System supplier for Montevina.
The highly robust Multibore® membranes

guarantee maximum reliability for crypto
and virus retention, extremely low energy
requirement and minimal use of chemicals
during operation. Another advantage was the
highly compact design of the module racks.
Space in the plant is limited, so these proved
to be an ideal option, especially since they
also meet the seismic requirements of the
inge® managing director Daniela Calleri at the opening ceremony of the new water treatment plant
California Building Standards Code.
J
ust a few 100 Nephelometric PROOF OF PERFORMANCE (POP)
minutes’ Los Gatos in California Tu r b i d i t y U n i t s A PoP test was conducted for 90 days to
drive from the enjoys drinking water (NTU), as well as confirm the inge® membrane’s ability to
centre of the town from nature to tap using occasional spikes up operate at the design setpoints of the bid.
of Los Gatos, San In-to-Out Ultrafiltration to 500 NTU during All aspects of membrane performance were
Jose Water (SJW) wet seasons and
technology from Germany evaluated, such as transmembrane pressure
has been supplying after heavy rainfall (TMP), flux, filtrate turbidity, membrane
fresh drinking water while meeting all integrity, permeability, cleanability, and
to residents and state and federal chemical usage. The PoP results met the
businesses in the greater San Jose area for standards. Other goals included reducing approvals of the owner and consulting
the past 150 years. Today it serves over one energy consumption in the water treatment engineer.
million people, providing them with clean, process and minimising the amount of
pathogen-free water from the creeks in the “waste” that must be disposed of at the THE RESULTS
nearby mountains, wells, and purchased end of the process. The plant needed to be The construction and commissioning of the
treated water. designed as near Zero Liquid Discharge once plant was completed in November 2017.
the modernisation project was complete. The upgraded Montevina WTP was ready for
THE CHALLENGE
At 44 years old, the existing plant had a THE DESIGN
capacity of 30 million gallons per day (MGD), HDR was commissioned by SJW to plan
and was in dire need of an upgrade. SJW the Montevina upgrade and supervise the
specified the very highest quality standards in execution of the project. After carefully
both the planning and implementation stages examining the pros and cons, and the lifecycle
to ensure that the local population would costs of a number of technologies, HDR
continue to enjoy a reliable supply of high- and SJW embarked on an elaborate
quality water at the lowest possible price. SJW selection procedure. This ultimately led to a
had a long tradition of innovation to uphold solution with coagulation and sedimentation
and an excellent reputation to protect. followed by ultrafiltration (UF). All the
resulting chemical wastewater is neutralised
The upgraded Montevina plant needed to be and then treated with reverse osmosis One advantage was the highly compact design of the
able to treat water with high turbidity up to (RO). module racks

• Lower energy consumption during • A most cost-effective solution

operation (50 per cent less than
previous system) In summary, the BASF-inge® solution is
• Good cleanability with minimal use of the perfect example of a state-of-the-art
chemicals technology for clean, safe drinking water
• Excellent choice to meet the goals of “from nature to tap”, and an excellent
nZLD (near Zero Liquid Discharge) choice for everyone who lives in the greater
concept San Jose area. WWA
The construction and commissioning of the plant

CHECKLIST
was completed in 2017, and ready for full-scale
operation in 2018 What do you Site-wide
full-scale operation in May 31, 2018 after the want from optimisation?
official inauguration ceremony that marked your process? Reliable control
the successful construction of this major
project. An optimisation period involving San
Lower operating room data?
Jose Water, HDR, H2O Innovation and inge® costs? Reduced manual
was initiated in June 2018 to prepare for the
intervention?
Acceptance Test. The Acceptance Test began
late February 2019 which coincided with Deferred capital
periods of heavy rains in Northern California refurbishment?
All of the above?
and was completed in March of 2019.
“From nature to tap” is the motto chosen by

SJW to market its new, ultramodern water WaterMV from Perceptive
treatment plant to consumers. inge GmbH What do you Engineering delivers the most
is proud to have played a key role in helping NEED from sophisticated and reliable
monitoring, control and
the public utility company to upgrade the
Montevina WTP. On the day of the opening
your process? optimisation of your
entire plant.
ceremony, inge® managing director Daniela Lower risk
Calleri cut the blue ribbon together with San of failure? From opex reduction to risk-
Jose Water and representatives from both
based control, from
automatically managing first
HDR and the city of San Jose. She also gave flush and storm events, to early
a short speech on the role inge GmbH played detection of sensor and
in the project. process faults, WaterMV is the
only advanced automation
system that can give you the
CONCLUSION world-class performance your
This reference project in California has customers expect.
reinforced inge GmbH’s firm belief that water
treatment with In-to-Out ultrafiltration is a
superbly reliable, cost-effective and highly
promising technology in many areas, especially
in the field of drinking water. Call today for more information:
• Superb membrane integrity thanks to the
highly robust Multibore® membrane Perceptive Engineering Pte Limited
+65 6250 7565
Galaxis Work Loft Please visit
• Small footprint of T-Rack® system ensures #05-51, 3 Fusionopolis Place www.perceptiveapc.com/industries
maximum UF performance in a compact Singapore 138523 or email info@perceptiveapc.com
space

Gazing across at the view of yachts in Seabrook, and wild birds and palm trees in the welcome breeze,
it takes the start-up of a small submersible mixer to bring one back to reality that one is actually at a
site that is handling sewage due to the lack of odour.
H
ere in sunny Seabrook, just 30 minutes south of mass In fact, the previous mixer, a direct-drive model, kept tripping out.
Houston, Texas, this small town on Galveston Bay boasts one On six separate occasions, Gonzales and his team had to remove it
of the world’s most pleasant wastewater treatment centres from the water for repairs.
— a facility proven that it pays to plan ahead through clever design.
For example, when the Category 4 Hurricane Harvey devastated ‘A GOOD, STURDY REPLACEMENT’
much of the low-lying grounds in southeast Texas, Seabrook WWTP “Try as we might,” continued Gonzales, “moisture had gradually
(wastewater treat plant) remarkably kept operating as the electrical crept into the mixer, which ultimately led to a complete burn out. So,
controls were all mounted above the high-water mark in anticipation we needed to find a good and sturdy replacement. We could have
that one day flood waters would infiltrate the plant. asked for another direct-drive mixer, but by discussing our needs
with Landia and reviewing the application, their recommendation
The submersible mixer in question plays a key role in helping was that a gear-driven mixer would be much better for us and so it
Seabrook WWTP to be a good neighbour, especially with many has proved. We also saved money straight away by them being able
waterfront properties close by in the vibrant yet relaxed area, which to use the existing guiderail for the retrofit. There was no need to
evokes a resort-style experience. drain the tank”.
CONTROLLING ODOURS At this 1960’s-built plant, close to the third largest boating centre
“When the air has been turned off in our digester for the dewatering in the United States, the switch from a direct-drive mixer to a gear-
process, we use a Landia gear-driven mixer for several hours to driven mixer raised an important, and what could rightly be described
slowly mix everything back up without creating unnecessary odours,” as an overlooked ‘weighty’ issue.
explained Seabrook Site Superintendent Rafael Gonzales about the
importance of Landia submersible mixer in controlling odours. Landia’s Art Savage explained, “As a proud manufacturer ourselves
of direct-drive mixers, it goes without saying that we’re not against
“This is very important when the digester is thick — and also depends them! However, it is important to select the right mixer for each
on how long we’ve been waiting for the dewatering contractor to application. In the case of Seabrook, a gear-driven mixer was more
arrive. Sometimes the sludge has been sitting there longer than we suitable for their sludge tank than the direct-drive mixer (of a
would have liked. different brand) that they had previously been sold. Use of certain
direct-drive mixers can become quite costly in operation and repair
“We’re at the mercy of the dewatering process every three to four costs. A direct-drive mixer means the propeller rotates at the same
weeks, because, as is the case with most deliveries and collections, speed as the motor shaft, e.g. up to 1800 rpm. But at that velocity, a
the sludge haulers want to do everything as fast as possible. This great deal of disruption and damage would be made to the biological
puts us under pressure. We may not have to run our belt process, process.”
but we do have to be very aware of odours escaping,” he added.
He added, “So, without the benefit of a gear reducer, you have to
Just a 10-minute car drive from NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the slow down the propeller speed in other ways, which is typically done
mixing process at Seabrook’s 2MGD plant had become complicated by increasing the number of poles in the motor. However, this adds
and at times labour-intensive before Landia mixer was installed a lot of weight — and greatly reduces the motor efficiency. The
almost two years ago. Landia mixer weighs around 235lbs as compared to the previous

mixer, which was more than twice that weight, and Seabrook went “We run the Landia gear-driven mixer for an hour to two hours per
from a 15-HP to a 12-HP motor with their new mixer. The day with no problems at all — and for its performance and reliability,
higher-pole motors are also quite costly to repair, but manufacturers we can see that it’s just right for the application. The mixing pattern
don’t necessarily volunteer this information. Seabrook had is good, and with an adjustable guide pipe, we can also use it during
certainly faced some high repair bills with their direct-drive dewatering to push the solids over in the right direction. We’re very
mixer until it became evident that it was no longer viable to keep happy with it,” said Gonzales. WWA
rebuilding it.
1 2
1) “We run the Landia gear-driven mixer for an hour to two hours per day with no problems at…,” said Seabrook Site Superintendent Rafael Gonzales
2) The mixing process at Seabrook’s 2MGD plant had become complicated and at times labour-intensive before Landia mixer was installed almost two years ago
3) “… we use a Landia gear-driven mixer for several hours to slowly mix everything back up without creating unnecessary odours,” explained Gonzales
4) The submersible mixer in question plays a key role in helping Seabrook WWTP to be a good neighbour
All images are credited to Landia.

of an innovative asset management approach inspired by the new

SUEZ Uses Outcome ISO 24516 series for water supply and wastewater systems.
BASEMAP PREPARATION, NETWORK DIGITISATION

Driven Analytics to AND CONSUMER SURVEYS
To address the challenge associated with the availability of data,
Deliver 24/7 Water SUEZ developed a systematic approach to “filling the gaps” for the
buried water assets in the networks. This included the integration
of the following digital tools and processes:
Supply to Growing • Systematic base mapping process using satellite images

• In-house digital platforms such as Real-time Operation
Performance system (ROPeS) which enabled paperless,
Communities in India industrialised and reliable asset and customer data collection
• Ability to set up and manage a field task force of over 100 surveyors
I
Using these tools, SUEZ was able to collect valuable asset and
n 2011, nearly 70 per cent of households in India had access customer data efficiently and make it available in a structured
to tap water – of these, only 62 per cent had access to treated data warehouse for further application and analysis, including the
tap water. This scenario is changing with increased emphasis development of a WaterGEMS hydraulic model.
on water and sanitation infrastructure reform programmes like
the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), STATISTICAL INSPECTION STRATEGY USING NON-
aimed at achieving sustainable solutions in the water and waste DESTRUCTIVE TOOLS
sector by 2030, but in many cities the water provided does not For feeder mains, pipe condition is difficult to obtain, and non-
comply with existing per capita norms and cities are rarely able to destructive methods are applied. Locations were selected to be
meet standards set by the Manual on Water Supply and Treatment statistically representative of the whole system. For that purpose,
(CPHEEO). degradation clusters were defined using machine/deep learning
processes. The best representative samples were then selected using
In many cases, water supply is intermittent and the networks for artificial intelligence to ensure that the sample maximised accuracy
transmission and distribution have high non-revenue water losses and minimised the investment required for the survey.
of 40-70 per cent. In Coimbatore and Davanagere, SUEZ worked
with the municipalities to design, construct and maintain networks In Coimbatore, 10 locations were selected as representative of the
that can provide continuous, 24/7 potable water supply, as part 126km of feeder mains.
Pipe condition assessment with the Scanner (SmartCAT®)

The “Scanner” helped the operators to

qualify the structural state of metal pipes.
It is a non-destructive technique performed
in-situ with no disruption of water supply
required. The equipment induces magnetic
flux into the pipe wall, and identifies locations
where this flux is displaced from the pipe wall
due to non-metallic defects.
The ePulse® from Echologics Source: Echologics

The implementation of the Scanner required
a prior excavation and cleaning of the pipe. required in order to ensure that the selected to better serve their communities. For
Eight scans of 1.5m length were performed segment of pipe was continuous with water supply and distribution networks,
all around the pipe, which requires rotating accurate descriptive data, that contact Optimizer™ evaluates hundreds of thousands
the position of the instrument by 22.5° after points were available and that noise of potential capital and operation strategies
each measurement. Data was also collected disturbances were identified. for network improvement assessing the risk
on the soil characteristics, as well as the reduction, TOTEX and level of service of
presence of water in the pipe. OPTIMISING NETWORK LEVEL each strategy.
OF SERVICE AND MINIMISING
The ePulse® from Echologics was applied to TOTEX USING OPTIMIZER For Coimbatore, SUEZ was able to
assess approximately 0.5km of pipes at five Using the data collected and the innovative develop a strategy using Optimizer™
locations, on AC and CI pipes with diameters approaches described above, SUEZ was that provided 24/7 supply for 15 per
ranging from 250-350mm. This method ready to embark on the challenge of cent lower TOTEX when compared to
uses acoustic sensors that are attached to designing network improvements to provide the original strategy that was developed
existing contact points or directly in contact 24/7 supply. To achieve this hydraulic using just the WaterGEMS model and
with a pipe. A sound wave is induced in the level of service and in the most cost- engineering judgment. Optimizer’s ability
pipeline, and the acoustic sensors capture effective manner, SUEZ utilised Optimatics’ to simultaneously assess cost, performance
the time it takes for the sound wave to travel Optimizer™ platform. and risk provided confidence in the adopted
between two sensor stations. The speed at water supply strategy and transparency
which the sound wave travels is dictated Optimizer™ leverages artificial intelligence, in its development. The other advantage
by the condition of the pipe wall. With this advanced automation and the computational realised was the ability to perform sensitivity
technology, one can understand the average cloud to simultaneously balance cost, risk analysis and assess different costing models
residual thickness of the inspected segment. and level of service against an explosion and demand peaking factors in an efficient
Preparation works for this method were of new factors utilities must grapple with and timely manner.
Optimizer™ continues to be used by the

SUEZ team to adaptively manage the
transmissions network planning and is
also being utilised in the design of the
distribution networks in Coimbatore.
CONCLUSION
Converting intermittent
water supply systems
into 24/7 supply is a
CAPEX-intensive activity.
Advanced digital tools can
help optimise not only the
operational performance
but also the design and the
prioritisation of works. WWA
Network modelling of distribution networks using the Optimizer™

Known for their well-functioning drinking water distribution network, German water suppliers
invest around EUR 1.5 billion (SGD 2.3 billion) annually on infrastructure maintenance. Most
utilities have a portion of aging pipes and unsustainable supply networks, as is the case with
Netzgesellschaft Düsseldorf mbH. Faced with infrastructure reaching its end of life, it became
critical for the utility to find a way to anticipate failures, so that they could prioritise maintenance
and keep up with daily operations, while managing the necessary capital expenditures.
N
etzgesellschaft Düsseldorf mbH Manager, Markus Wall. NGD and Echologics simultaneously searching for leaks without
(NGD), a wholly owned subsidiary field crews collaboratively selected a 35km the need for large excavations or service
of Stadtwerke Düsseldorf AG, is section, critical to the city’s supply network disruptions.
responsible for network operation for the to kickstart the project.
North Rhine-Westphalia capital of Düsseldorf This is accomplished by attaching acoustic
in the area of energy and water supply. They HOW EPULSE TECHNOLOGY sensors to existing contact points, such as
provide the infrastructure for the distribution WORKS fire hydrants, valves or direct contact with
of electricity, gas, water and district heating ePulse technology can assess the condition a pipe. A sound wave is then induced in the
to more than 600,000 residents, with a water of distribution and transmission mains, while pipeline and travels along the pipe. The
pipe system that extends over 1,700km.
NGD identified a significant amount of

transmission and distribution mains made
of steel and cast iron that were installed
between 1950 and 1965. These pipes were
said to be strongly prone to corrosion. Due
to the absence of historical data and limited
capacity of underground work to assess its
structural condition and remaining service
life, NGD searched a cost-effective solution
to prioritise its pipeline rehabilitation and
replacement decisions. The utility’s asset
management team turned to Echologics®
ePulse® condition assessment technology
from Mueller Water Products.
“We chose the ePulse because of its

unmatched ability to locate leaks non-
invasively while assessing factual pipe
Site plan #2 indicating the pipe segments surveyed, which are colour-coded in
condition versus theoretical,” said NGD Asset three categories: green (good), yellow (moderate), red (poor)

THE RESULTS
Cast iron trunk main selection: ePulse
condition assessment
A total of 27.7km section was assessed
using ePulse technology with three leaks
successfully pinpointed. Below is a summary
of decisions made by NGD, considering
Echologics’ experience
Steel trunk main selection: ePulse condition

assessment and BEM
900m of DN600 and 500m of DN1200
Steel mains were assessed using ePulse
technology.
SUMMARY
The minimal average remaining structural
wall thickness calculation aligned with the
pitting distribution and the minimal wall
thickness values gathered through the BEM
ePulse® validation results for all materials. Echologics provided 104 sets of ePulse validation results. measurements, provided a useful dataset
R2 is the Determination Coefficient indicating how well the validation results were predicted from the
ePulse results. It corresponded with the proportion of the sum of deviations from the validation results for NGD to make informed replacement
decisions.
acoustic sensors capture the time it takes the sound wave to travel “At NGD, we seek resilient water systems to anticipate and monitor
between two sensor stations. The speed at which the sound wave changes to pipe condition. The data-driven insights we gathered from
travels is dictated by the condition of the pipe wall. ePulse have not only helped us safeguard the long-term availability
of clean water for all customers and stakeholders in this city, but
As the sound wave travels, it pushes water molecules toward also efficiently allocate operational resources,” concluded Mr. Wall.
each other. Because water is incompressible, the molecules
push outward on the pipe wall. This places a microscopic flex Netzgesellschaft Düsseldorf mBH plans to re-measure the moderate
on the pipe wall — and greater the flex, the weaker the pipe. pipes with ePulse technology after five years to evaluate the change
Through this acoustic technology it’s possible to measure in structural remaining wall thickness. WWA
the actual strength of the pipe wall
which is an ideal measure of actual pipe
condition.
These results supported NGD’s cast

iron replacement decisions by rapidly
assessing the structural condition across
the pipe network to prioritise areas with
the worst degradation for immediate pipe
replacement.
For the steel pipe sections, broadband

electromagnetic measurements (BEM)
was also used to characterise the pitting
distribution on each section of pipe.
Pipe measurements and other pipe
condition datasets were then paired with
a structural analysis to determine the
condition of each pipe. Positive correlation 33.5ma from the white sensor, within the test section

30 | INSIGHT
VALVE
101
Choosing the right control valve to fit a
pipeline is easier said than done – with
various criteria to consider, like providing
the necessary accessories for years of
STATIONS
trouble-free operation, and providing
a well-designed environment for the
operational personnel that will have to
maintain this valve, where does one begin?
By Mark Gimson, Director of Marketing at Cla-Val Company
F
irstly, it is assumed that at least the A calculator will select a valve size based on smaller valve to open first in the sequence,
size of the water main in question is maximum required flow the valve has to pass, followed by the large valve as flow increases.
known. With that in mind, and armed based on the minimum system differential The smaller valve is also the last to close as
with the knowledge of the maximum, average pressure. This will be the upstream pressure flow diminishes. This bypass line also offers
and minimum flow demands, one can move minus the required downstream pressure redundancy as either of the valves can be
forward in the valve size selection. For the you that the reducing valve will be set at. The used to supply the network while the other is
purpose of this paper, assume that this valve programme will consider the velocity passing being serviced. This is really important where
is to be a pressure reducing valve as that is through the valve as it is best to limit this to it is not possible or practical to shut off the
what most valve stations in municipal water 20 feet per second, (6 m/s) in valves main water supply for periods of time.
situations are. Sizing a pressure reducing operating continuously.
valve is important, as problems can arise from Anytime there is an application where
incorrect sizing. In valve stations it is very common to have reductions from a higher pressure to a
two control valves in parallel. The larger valve lower pressure, and that ratio is greater
Rather than sizing the valve based on line on the main line is designed to take care of than 3:1, there is a real risk of cavitation.
size, it is necessary to consider flows, peak flows, while the smaller second valve on This phenomenon will destroy a valve over
pressures and velocities being dealt with. a bypass will take care low flows. Typically, the time due to erosion and will create noise
A sizing calculator is certainly the simplest smaller, bypass valve will be sized to handle and vibration in the pipeline that may be a
way to arrive at a valve size but having an approximately 20 per cent of the peak flow. problem for nearby residents to the station.
understanding of what the calculator is The smaller valve is also set slightly higher in However, unlike in days past where multiple
considering is useful. pressure than the large valve. This allows the valves would have to be installed to stagger
The 4000 series H-strain

INSIGHT | 31
very popular and the price A valve position indicator is very useful for
differences these days are operations personnel as it gives the ability
not restrictive. Another to see the exact position of the valve during
important point regarding operation. If a remote signal is required this
pilot systems - these can be can be upgraded to a position transmitter,
installed on either side of supplying a 4-20 mA signal via SCADA
the control valve so please or a limit switch can be added to give an
give some thought as to the output for a specific valve position. Pressure
location of ladders etc. and transmitters can be added to give 4-20mA
also maintenance clearances signals for both inlet and outlet pressures.
required. Sadly, pilot tubing This option is very useful if the intention is to
is frequently stepped on utilize a pressure management programme
A screenshot of the calculator’s programme
or knocked through poor in the future.
the pressure drops, this can now be achieved placement and with a little forethought this is
through the use of anti-cavitation trim. This totally avoidable. Also, consider options to give more system
is a specific trim consisting of two stainless control. A second pilot control can be added
steel cages with slotted openings or drilled to give the ability to have upstream pressure
orifices, that contain the cavitation in the sustaining – very useful in situations where
center of the cages, eliminating the disastrous there is a need to protect the upstream from
erosion issues. being starved of pressure by high downstream
demand. If downstream surge could be an
It is always recommend to run a issue, (maybe an application where
cavitation software the line dead ends and
programme to determine if a valve is closed to
if cavitation will be a quickly, high pressure
p ro b l e m , a n d t h i s could get locked
should be a programme into the downstream
specific to the piping). In this instance,
manufacturer’s valve. a downstream surge
Generic programmes pilot can be added to
are available but do the reducing valve that
not account for the will close the control
actual body shape of valve quickly should the
the valve. downstream pressure
rise slightly above the
As for the pilot system pressure reducing pilot
A 100-01KO SW Cutaway
of the valve, the real set point.
advantage of diaphragm-
actuated globe valves is that The pilot system should always be installed with An insertion flowmeter can also be added
they can be a pilot system can be tailored to a strainer and this can either be the flow clean, to the control valve, allowing a reducing
a specific application. There are numerous internal style or an external Y strainer style. In valve to also be a flowmeter, giving either
features that can be added to really give a tough applications, a water filter can be used. pulse or 4-20MA outputs, without the
custom solution that provides real operational typical space requirements of a conventional
benefits. Pilot isolating valves are vital for maintenance meter.
and troubleshooting of the valve and we would
Firstly, what materials should the pilot system always recommend these even on the smallest The possibilities of the additions are
to be constructed from? Is brass/bronze and of valve sizes. numerous and specific requirements should
copper suitable or would it benefit by looking be discussed with the control valve supplier
for something that may last longer due to This would take care of the basic pilot system, to ensure you get the full benefit of all that
aggressive water or a harsher environment? but also consider other options that may be is available.
Stainless steel pilot systems are becoming required.

32 | INSIGHT
So now that the valve size and type are decided, Air valves are something that should be
it is time to consider the actual layout strongly considered for every valve station.
of a valve station. There are some key The operation of reducing pressure
items that every valve station requires, naturally allows air to form in the
namely isolating valves, upstream pipeline and if this is not removed
and downstream of the control down stream of the control valve,
valves. These are required to this will move down the pipeline
allow maintenance for isolating and potentially cause issues
the control valve when it is elsewhere. Good practice is to
necessary to work on the control install an air release valve on the
valve. These valves can be either upstream side of the control valve
butterfly valves or gate valves and – this will eliminate the possibility air
can be installed with handwheels entering the pilot system, which can be a
or operating nuts depending on source of problems.
The X144 Series
whether it is required to operate these eFlowMeter
valves from above ground. Typically, Lastly, there are some practical and functional additions,
most utilities will use non-rising stem gate that are bestconsidered before a valve station is installed
valves as these are the valves that are typically located throughout as these items are easier to install before the station is operational:
the network so everyone is familiar with them, however is space or 1. Lifting eyes in the ceilings above major pieces of equipment. If
cost is an issue, butterfly valves can certainly be used, as long as this is a concrete chamber, these need to be decided upon before
there is space between the butterfly and the the concrete is cast to ensure correct capacity, but these
control valve to allow for clearance for will certainly make maintenance a much
any equipment in the control valve such easier task for the operations crew.
as insertion strainers or flow meters. 2. Spare pipeline connections –
possibly for a hose bib connection.
The importance of protecting the It is much easier to install before the line
control valve from foreign objects in the is pressurised!
pipeline cannot be stressed enough, and 3. A sump drain. Chambers can flood and
this is where a line strainer is an excellent getting water out of these chambers can be
addition to the station. While most water an issue. This may be as simple as a daylight
supplies do have screening at the intake drain or a sump with an electric pump may
point, it is not uncommon for objects to be required.
be introduced into the network, either by 4. Protection for the downstream network
insufficient flushing after piping work or even from over-pressure. It may be prudent
open pipe ends during projects attracting animals. to consider adding a relief valve on the
Everything from welding rods, fish, rodents, pieces of A model 36 downstream piping inside the valve station.
wood and even expensive tools, have been seen so it is air valve Typically, this valve is going to be a much smaller
important that none of these things find their way into valve than the main line valve and an angle style
the control valve. A strainer certainly eliminates that is most common. The outlet from this valve will
possibility and is good insurance against foreign require a drain connection to eliminate the flooding of the
objects. chamber, should the valve ever be utilised. However,
that is a small cost compared to the potential
Each station should be installed with damage that a burst water main may cause
pressure gauges, and these can be downstream.
installed on the pipeline or even
supplied with the control valve. It is In closing, while valve station design is
necessary to know the outlet pressure not necessarily difficult, poor design can
in order to set the reducing valve certainly lead to operational issues down
and having an inlet gauge allows the the road and simply giving a few moments
operator to also observe what the of thought ahead of time can certainly win
conditions are upstream also. friends in the operations department later. WWA
An X43H Strainer

34 | INSIGHT
A
s the fourth-driest country in the inefficiency not only results in high costs,
world, up to 92 per cent of Jordan but also in increased CO 2 emissions.
is covered by deserts and desert- Based on a joint study with the German
like landscapes. Due to these geographical Association for International Cooperation,
conditions, water scarcity has become a it was found that the annual energy-
permanent, natural state. The available saving potential of 25 pumping stations
capacity of renewable water resources would amount to 42 GWh per year. This
in the region was 1857 cubic metres in would not only mean a reduction of up
1967, and averages less than 566 cubic to 33 per cent, but also a reduction in
metres today. The value is expected to CO 2 emissions to over 30,000 tons
fall further in the near future, dropping to a year. For the implementation of the
90 cubic metres in 2025 – significantly results of the study, five pumping stations
below the generally accepted limit of 500 were selected as pilots for the period
cubic metres of water per person per year. 2016-2020.
REORIENTATION OF WATER OPTIMISATION OF THE PILOT

MANAGEMENT BASIS
The sustainable optimisation of water These include, among others, the pumping
ANDRITZ supplies energy-
supply has become a long-term project stations Wala and Lib near Madaba.
through its adoption into the Kingdom’s efficient pumps to Jordan Built in the 1990s, the two facilities
national strategy and agendas. The supply 184,000 people in the city and
implementation of the “Water Sector energy consumption by the water sector. the surrounding area from the Madaba
Capital Investment Plan 2016 – 2025” is Currently, the Jordanian system requires Reservoir. While Wala transports 1,500
currently underway. The objectives of this about 15 per cent of the energy produced. cubic metres of water per hour to Madaba
initiative are to secure and improve water This corresponds to about 2,000 GWh over a distance of 2.6 kilometres, Lib
supply, develop new water resources to per year. A major part of this can be delivers 1,500 cubic metres over a distance
increase capacity, and expand wastewater attributed to the pumping of water. This of 17 kilometres.
services.
In 2015, these two plants were
For this, the partly inadequate distribution selected as pilots for the
systems are extensively renovated installation of new energy-
and modernised. This will form efficient pumping systems,
the technical basis for a more as they have a common
comprehensive and sustainable supply source and
management of water resources a controllable
in the future in order to meet distribution system
the needs of a growing with Heedan Well
population over the next field. For this
ten years. purpose, the
previous five
An essential part pumps in each
of creating a station were replaced
sustainable water by four newer models, and
management is a monitoring and control
the reduction of system was installed.
In the Wala and Lib pumping stations, in addition to the multi-stage, axial split case pumps also ANDRITZ
high pressure pumps from the HP43 series are installed – due to their high efficiency, they have a strictly ecological orientation

INSIGHT | 35
The ANDRITZ multi-stage, axial split case pumps are designed to customers’ specific requirements. The multi-stage impeller arrangement can be combined in
different ways to fulfil different application needs
In 2017, the Jordan Water Company The ANDRITZ multi-stage, axial split is offered in both horizontal and vertical
(Miyahuna) and Water Authority decided c a s e p u m p s a re h i g h l y e n g i n e e re d design and can be gradually expanded as
to increase the amount of water supplied pumps designed to customers’ specific needed. Suction and discharge nozzles
from Heedan Well field to meet an requirements, and features a multi-stage can be arranged variably depending on
increased demand for water in Amman, impeller arrangement that can be combined the intended use. With nominal sizes of
and in 2018 six new high-efficiency pumps in different ways to fulfil different application 40 to 200 millimetres, it reaches delivery
were installed to increase the total flow needs. In addition, the machine is calculated rates of up to 850 cubic metres per hour at
of the pump station Lib to 2,500 cubic and designed to withstand all load cases up to 40 bar discharge pressure in the first
metres per hour. which might occur during the lifetime of expansion stage, and even up to 63 bar in
the pump. the second stage.
These highly efficient pumps have achieved
very good results since being put into Peak outputs of up to 40 MW, flow rates “The exceptionally high efficiency, quality
operation. The new system is expected to of up to 10 cubic metres per second and best lead time were among others the
deliver energy savings of up to 20 per cent and a cost-effective construction using main factors for us and our pumps being
and savings of 313,000 Jordanian dinars, barrel casings make this technology chosen over the previous supplier. We are
which corresponds to roughly 440,000 particularly effective. The axial split design more than happy and proud to support
US dollars (SGD 601,048). is maintenance-friendly even at high heads Jordan with our hydraulic machines in these
of up to 1000 metres. pumping stations. We are keen to take on
THE PUMP EXPERT and solve further challenges to support
ANDRITZ was awarded the contract to In the Wala and Lib pumping stations, the overall development of a sustainable
refurbish the two stations with a total of ANDRITZ high pressure pumps from the and energy-efficient water supply and
12 pumps by the end of 2018. These HP43 series were installed in addition to management system in the Kingdom,” stated
included six high-pressure pumps from the the multi-stage, axial split case pumps. Due Muhammad Abou Daoud, sales manager for
HP43 series and six multi-stage, axially-split to their high efficiency, they have a strictly the Middle East. WWA
case pumps from the ASPM series. ecological orientation. The modular machine

36 | INSIGHT
Bringing success
to Asia’s renewable
energy projects
R
egional utilities and developers
are increasingly interested in
constructing renewable energy plants
that can be integrated into existing power
grids or function as standalone facilities in
the pursuit for universal electrification.
One area that is finding interest is floating

solar systems: the state-run Electricity
Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT)
has announced plans to build its largest
floating solar farms (325 MW) at Sirikit Dam
in northern Thailand.
Singapore has announced its largest

offshore floating solar panel system at
about 5ha. When operational in 2019,
the solar panel platform is anticipated to
generate over 6,000 MWh of renewable
energy annually. The project is supported
by Singapore’s Economic Development
Board (EDB).
Hong Kong successfully installed its first

pilot floating solar system at Shek Pik
Reservoir in February 2017 for supplying
electricity to the nearby pumping station
of the reservoir. This was followed by the
second pilot at Plover Cove Reservoir
Mitesah Patel

INSIGHT | 37
which was successfully installed in October schedule, as water bodies are usually owned Identifying the right business partner for
the same year, for supplying electricity to by governments. Furthermore, if the floating the project’s specific needs is essential to
the nearby air compressor house of the solar site is on a hydro dam reservoir, then the long-term success of all floating solar
reservoir. Each pilot was designed for a access to transmission interaction may be projects. Delivery partners with proven
generation capacity of 100kW. Each of the readily available. expertise in solving complex technical issues
system can generate as much as 120,000 can improve project success rates.
units (kilowatt-hours) of electricity annually. Other possible benefits of installing floating
solar systems include reducing water The right partner will have critical
India’s National Thermal Power Corporation evaporation and suppressing algae growth. infrastructure expertise it can draw upon to
(NTPC) tendered for the development of a Typically, a 1 MW plant covers about 7-10 advise on the installation of cables between
70 MW floating solar PV project at Rajiv hectares of the water body, saves 15ml of constantly moving floating arrays and the
Gandhi Combined Cycle Power Project at water and produces 1500 MWh of electricity. shore, while managing wind pressure load.
Kayamkulam, Kerala. Shielding the water from the sun serves to The right partner will also be able to combine
reduce photosynthesis, which can help to world-class expertise, tailored to local
Mitesh Patel, Director of Asia & EMEIA for control algae growth. This could lead to needs, with regional delivery experience
Renewable Energy in Black & Veatch, shares improved water quality and lower water to address issues such as optimising the
his industry insights. treatment costs. placement of transformers both on the
floating platform or on shore and identifying
WHAT ARE FLOATING SOLAR WHAT FACTORS CAN IMPROVE THE operation and maintenance strategies that
SYSTEMS, AND ARE THEY A VIABLE SUCCESS OF FLOATING SOLAR balance safety and cost effectiveness. WWA
ALTERNATIVE FOR ASIA? SYSTEMS?
Floating solar systems, or floatovoltaics, Issues that need to be managed include,
refer to the deployment of photovoltaic among others, micro cracks to modules
panels on the surface of water bodies. Yes, caused by vibrations due to wind and
they are a viable alternative for the region. wave movements, appropriate design for
The key challenges that face renewable anchoring and mooring of floating solar for
energy plant owners are land acquisition, varying water levels and extreme weather
grid connectivity, regulations and off-take. events, and manufacturing and transporting ►►
With solar energy generation requiring large large quantities of float. Mitesh Patel is Director of Asia & EMEIA
areas for photovoltaic panels to be laid, for Renewable Energy in Black & Veatch.
floating solar systems present a solution Other issues to be assessed are optimising
He helps Black & Veatch’s clients with
that can address land acquisition issues layout, consideration to installation of
end-to-end solutions for large and small
effectively. inverters and transformers onshore versus
renewable and distributed energy projects.
off-shore and maintaining water quality for
With 25 years of experience across the
The business case for floating solar water bodies that are used for potable water.
lifecycle of power projects, Mitesh’s career
technologies is strong in markets that are Technical issues include regulating the
balancing high population density and temperature of the water surrounding spanned from structuring and executing
competing uses for available land. the farm, and minimising the corrosion complex deals and project development
of modules and structures. Owners are strategies to serving on Owner’s Engineer and
Not having to deal with multiple, and often exploring operations and maintenance Operations & Maintenance teams of large
unclear, land title owners may result in strategies including training the team to Independent Power Producers.
significantly improved project development clear nests and droppings from birds. ►►

38 | INSIGHT
Using the Vortex Layer of

Ferromagnetic Particles
in Wastewater Treatment
By Frank May, GlobeCore GmbH, Oldenburg, Germany
When it comes to the treatment of wastewater, seemingly simple devices can have a major effect
on the processes involved. One such example would be the electromagnetic vortex layer device,
used for intensifying purposes in wastewater treatment. Part one of this two-part series explores
how this device works, and how it’s useful in making the treatment process more efficient.
T
he electromagnetic vortex layer device consists of an Inside the operating chamber of this seemingly simple device,
operating chamber inside an induction coil which generates processes occur which have a strong effect on wastewater processing:
a rotating electromagnetic field. The chamber contains • a rotating (external) magnetic field;
cylindrical particles made of a ferromagnetic material, with a certain • multiple interactions of the ferromagnetic particles with each other,
length-to-diameter ratio. The electromagnetic field causes these the walls of the chamber and the processed media;
particles to move along complex trajectories, forming the so-called • acoustic shockwaves;
vortex layer. Figure 1 shows a typical design of such a system. • cavitation;
• electrolysis.
Fast motion of the particles and cavitation accelerate physical

processes and chemical reactions. Formation of free hydrogen due
4
to electrolysis of water significantly increases the rate of reduction
1
reactions. At the same time, dissociation of water into Н+ and (ОН)-
2 makes it possible to suggest that the latter plays a significant role in

formation of metal hydroxides which then precipitate.
3
The combination of all the above factors in the same space

simultaneously increases the rate of practically all physical and
chemical process by two to three orders of magnitude, increasing the
efficiency of the process line accordingly.
REMOVAL OF HEXAVALENT CHROME AND OTHER

HEAVY METALS FROM WASTEWATER
Wastewater from electroplating, chemical, petrochemical and other
5 industries may contain chrome, nickel, zinc, lead, iron, copper,
manganese and other heavy metals.
FIGURE 1:
Ferromagnetic particle vortex layer device: There are several processes available for purification of such
1 – protective collar;
2 – rotating EM field induction coil; wastewater with the use of electromagnetic vortex layer devices,
3 – induction coil housing; which can significantly reduce chemical consumption and make the
4 – non-magnetic operating chamber;
5 – ferromagnetic particles process continuous.

INSIGHT | 39
The results of testing the process line shown in

Figure 3 in industrial conditions are listed in Table
1. The consumption of Са(ОН)2 and FeSO4 were
Figure 2 shows an AVS-100 vortex
layer device made by GlobeCore. in accordance with the stoichiometric calculations.
The experience of implementing the vortex layer

devices shows that reduction of Сr+6 to Сr+3
in alkaline environment is viable with chrome
concentrations below 200 mg/litre, since larger
concentrations of Сr+3 result in formation of large
amounts of chrome and iron hydroxides. With
larger amounts of chrome, reduction of Сr+6 to
Сr+3 is possible with sodium bisulphite in acidic
environment with subsequent sedimentation of
Сr+3 in alkaline environment, with the application
of the vortex device both at the first and the second
stages of the process (Figure 4).
Reduction of hexavalent chrome to trivalent occurs in alkaline

environment with iron sulphate and with simultaneous sedimentation
of heavy metals in the form of hydroxides. This method has been
implemented for wastewater with Сr+6 concentrations of 10–200
mg/litre with wastewater рН=6 to several grams and with other
FIGURE 4:
heavy metals in the amounts from 10 to 1000 mg/litre (Figure 3). Reduction of Сr+6 in acidic environment with subsequent sedimentation of
hydroxide:
1 – wastewater accumulator and equalisation tank;
2 – wastewater pump;
3 – sodium bisulphite tank;
4 – lime solution tank;
5 – electromagnetic vortex layer device
Intensification and the high degree of purification of wastewater

and removal of heavy metal ions using the vortex layer device
occur due to multiple factors influencing the components
in the vortex layer, forming heavy metal hydroxides, their
sedimentation and sorption of heavy metal ions by iron hydroxide
and activated colloidal iron, which forms due to the dispersion of the
ferromagnetic elements in the vortex layer. Colloidal iron is a good
FIGURE 3:
The reduction of Сr+6 in alkaline environment with sedimentation of heavy reduction agent. Hydrogen also forms in the vortex layer due to
metals and neutralisation of wastewater:
1 – lime solution tank;
electrolysis, simultaneously with the formation of colloidal iron.
2 – iron sulphate tank; This influences the reduction reaction and reduces the consumption
3 – accumulation and equalisation tank;
4 – electromagnetic vortex layer device; of iron sulphate, and leads to complete reduction of Сr+6 and
5 – lime solution portioning device; other metals present in the wastewater by colloidal iron and
6 – iron sulphate portioning device;
7 – wastewater pump hydrogen alone.

40 | INSIGHT
Figure 5.
The influence of
treatment duration
on hexavalent chrome
reduction:
1, 2, 3 – mechanical agitator
with FeSO4 consumption of
50,80 and 100 per cent of
stoichiometric respectively;
4, 5 – vortex layer device
with FeSO4 consumption
of 10 and 30 per cent of
stoichiometric respectively
TABLE 2 Metal hydroxide dispersion in a mechanical agitator and a vortex

layer device
Figure 5 compares the rate and degree of Сr+6 reduction on a vortex more finely dispersed than in a mechanical agitator device (Table 2).
layer device and in a mechanical agitator device with various amounts Table 2 shows the dispersion of sediment formed in the industrial
of reduction agents (Logvinenko 1976). As can be seen from the data, wastewater treatment process using a vortex layer device; the
practically complete reduction is achieved in the vortex layer with iron wastewater contained up to 675 mg/l lead salts, up to 275 mg/
sulphate quantity of 30 per cent or less of the stoichiometric. The litre iron, 68 mg/litre copper, 480 mg/litre manganese (Logvinenko
duration of the reduction process in the vortex layer is one second, 1976). It should be noted that the dispersion did not slow down the
making a continuous process possible. sedimentation process; on the contrary, precipitation of the solid
matter after the vortex layer was 1.5-2 times faster than that after a
The process is most efficient when lime suspension is used as a mechanical agitator device. Clarification of water occurred faster due
reagent, which is activated by the vortex layer device. The activation to combined chemical and polarised coagulation and flocculation. WWA
is confirmed by the IR spectrum of CaO lime milk after treatment in the
vortex layer, which indicate structural and physical changes of CaO. Part two of “Using the Vortex Layer of Ferromagnetic Particles in
This allows purification to achieve maximum admissible limits with CaO Wastewater Treatment” will be continued in the Sep/Oct issue of
consumption of 90–100 per cent of the theoretically required. At the Water & Wastewater Asia.
same time, intensive mixing of chemicals, electromagnetic field effects
and pulverisation of the material makes the resulting metal hydroxides
About the Author:
Fra n k M a y, S e r v i c e M a n a g e r o f
GlobeCore (Oldenburg, Germany):
With more than 30 years of practical
experience starting-up, commissioning
and operating different industrial
equipment, Frank May is now focused
on the purification of domestic and
industrial wastewater, as well as the regeneration of insulating oils
and the maintenance of power transformers.
TABLE 1: Wastewater treatment by reduction of Cr6+ in alkaline environment

with sedimentation of heavy metals in the vortex layer device (ferromagnetic
particle parameters: d = 1.6 mm; m = 175 g; pH before processing = 2...3,
рН after processing = 8.5...9)

42 | OPINION
A new look at the

Industrial Internet of Things
as an enabler for the
Asian Water Industry
By David Lovett, Manging Director, Perceptive Engineering
I
OT (& IIOT) Technologies have begun assets in Asia. The impact will be to ensure sites which are inaccessible and therefore
changing the world. The digit al quality, security and cost effectiveness of costly to access, as well as being critical for
transformation of manufacturing, this infrastructure across the Asian region. the local community to ensure a clean water
personal healthcare and smart cities is well supply is maintained.
underway; most multinational companies CURRENT CHALLENGES
have a strategy to incorporate these Most water companies worldwide are looking Scheduled maintenance techniques have
highly connected tools to re-invigorate into methods of maximising performance of been used for some time to manage asset
or completely transform their business existing assets, which is becoming equally performance, particularly availability.
operation. important as strategic investment in new Progressing from scheduled time-based
capital projects. In some countries the maintenance usually means developing a
Like the other sectors, the water and regulators are making sure that particular preventive maintenance strategy, which
wastewater sector has set out strategies and attention is given to asset effectiveness relies on a combination of equipment usage
produced demonstrable examples of IIOT, and encourage operators to consider the history and OEM statistical benchmarks to
particularly for improved Asset Maintenance. pros and cons between replacing existing determine a theoretical Mean Time Before
In parts of Europe and the US they have also equipment and developing new maintenance Failure. The calculated result enables a
steadily turned to predictive maintenance to strategies. This situation is particularly company to programme maintenance, to
address the current and future challenges of relevant for small, widely-distributed WWT prepare its staff and external contractors,
improving asset performance and optimising
sites and facilities. Given our insight into the
Asian water industry, we believe these IIOT
solutions may well have greater impact in
the Asian water sector by enabling cost
effective monitoring and control, specifically
for modular water treatment units, for clean,
waste and biogas processes.
The advent of lower cost sensors and widely

available connectivity through wireless
IOT devices, plus central cloud-based
platforms, creates an opportunity for this
new wave of predictive monitoring, control
and maintenance systems that support the
widely distributed waste water treatment Figure 1: Dashboard showing process diagnostics

OPINION | 43
developments have been part of the wave

of technologies under the umbrella of the
Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT). When
this data is connected to readily accessible
cloud-based systems, there is a lower
cost mechanism of performing statistical
analytics to scan through massive sets of
data, then generating insights that can
be acted upon swiftly. Furthermore, this
data analysis has been augmented by a
combination of rapid and self-learning
modelling methods, identifying faults reliably
and with enough sensitivity to directly
Figure 2: Siemens IIOT connector update real time maintenance systems.
Photo credits to Siemens.
Perceptive Engineering, a Singapore-

places orders for replacement parts and compliance reasons rather than using the based company engaged in advanced
schedule turnarounds and area shutdowns. process information to maximise efficiency process control, develops model-based
Figures suggest that this has helped or availability of the treatment facilities. So, predictive solutions for various sectors
organisations reduce maintenance costs has the situation really changed significantly including water and wastewater. Perceptive’s
by a third. However, our experience has to make a practical difference? We believe it software platform now allows rapid digital
shown that preventive maintenance schemes has and the next section explains why. modelling for the key process units on
alone do not capture the whole picture wastewater treatment plants, which has been
and can result in undertaking unnecessary PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE incorporated into an AI monitoring system
(too frequent) maintenance or, more METHODOLOGY to identify abnormal process conditions and
damagingly, missing a full asset failure Predictive is different from Preventative analytical instrument problems. The system
when an early stage fault is not detected maintenance. It relies on monitoring and uses a combination of statistical detection
and addressed. How do we overcome this? understanding the actual operational tools with a conditional machine learning
condition of an asset and its historical use. engine to pinpoint faults and suggest
Perceptive’s View: We believe that for some Comparison of current operation in near corrective actions. The system is derived
years, water and wastewater companies real time against “normal” patterns is used from many years of practical experience in
have installed relatively sophisticated to detect upcoming failures. Detection of monitoring, controlling and optimising these
monitoring and base layer automation. such an event is the first stage of predictive process units, and building tools that can
These systems are used to enable the maintenance; however, a much more improve efficiency even when assets behave
treatment works to reach and maintain challenging task is fault diagnosis, which abnormally.
efficient operating performance. However, aims to specify the fault, its significance, then
historically many analytical instruments help identify the corrective action required. CLOUD-BASED APPLICATION
have fallen into disuse, often due to high Getting this right leads to improvement in Perceptive Engineering has recently
ongoing maintenance costs or lack of readily scheduling, avoidance of downtime and, developed an open cloud-based application,
available trained personnel. For this reason, consequently, increased Overall Equipment Wa t e r N e u ro n ™ , ava i l a b l e o n AW S -
it is important that preventative maintenance Effectiveness (OEE) of the asset. Cloud Computing, Microsoft Azure and
should include all assets, including the Siemens’ MindSphere open platforms. The
critical analytical devices monitoring the So, what has changed to create such a WaterNeuron™ App aims to reduce the costs
overall system’s quality and efficiency. This dramatic uptake in Predictive maintenance and expertise associated with modelling, by
isn’t easy. Achieving connectivity to many in the US and Europe? Underpinning the utilising powerful self-learning techniques
analytical instruments from distributed rapid growth in predictive systems is which capture process behaviour over
assets has been an ongoing challenge the advancement of sensor technology, a period of time and transform the data
for the water sector, which has tended particularly reduced cost, robustness and into a model representative of that plant.
to only use the instruments for regulator ease of connectivity wirelessly. These Alternatively, a “turbo-charged version”

44 | OPINION
Whilst the model adapts to prevailing

conditions, it also has the ability to ignore
any data it determines as untrustworthy,
such as instrument issues pinpointed by
the “Data Quality Monitor”. The system
also reduces data noise levels that would
otherwise result in erroneous faults. This
powerful combination of data pre-processing,
advanced classification techniques and
machine-learning algorithms generates a
robust process monitor providing reliable
and optimal predictive maintenance advice.
The App can reference a simple model of

Figure 3: WaterNeuron Predictive Maintenance Dashboard
the process to enhance its ability to quickly
detect, identify and report known fault
is also available, which uses existing per-use pricing, allow cost flexibility and conditions. The user can adjust the data
process unit models to give an approximate efficiency. A similar scenario can develop window for the self-learning algorithm,
representation of the plant, to speed up in Asia with modular distributed WWT units to ensure detection remains as sensitive,
creation of the fault detection database. located at point of need and maintained flexible and responsive as possible. The App
The prime advantage of the cloud-based remotely using IOT techniques. can be configured to send emails and alerts
platform is that the end user only pays for to mobile devices and transfer information
the data being analysed and the insights that MAINTENANCE ASSISTANT into a readily accessible relational database.
the analysis brings. Additionally, through the A Predictive Maintenance Assistant is a key Utilising an App that functions as a Predictive
use of the Siemens’ MindSphere platform, feature of Perceptive’s WaterNeuron™ APP, Maintenance Assistant will lead to consistent,
the system adheres to the highest data which can be adopted to create or augment accurate monitoring of water quality, resulting
security levels and facilitates connectivity existing scheduled maintenance systems. in improved environmental compliance.
to other open Apps. The concept underpinning the App is its
configurability and self-learning capability, In summary, Asian water companies that
The App makes use of the extensive using signals that are readily available on-site, incorporate next-generation digital platforms
data infrastructure around the water and either in real time or from daily operator entries. and predictive maintenance techniques into
wastewater plant, which is augmented by their operational plans, will be best placed
machine learning capability and amplified In brief, the system works by capturing to capitalize on the major opportunities for
by existing process knowledge. critical information in an Edge Server running flexible modular distributed wastewater
Perceptive’s software. WaterNeuron™ utilises treatment units in the region. These units
Adopting this cloud-based approach advanced, robust statistical tools to create offer a new modular approach providing
enables organisations to start seeing the a ‘rolling’ window of reliable data, using a safe, environmentally-robust treatment for
benefits as quickly and as widely as possible digital model that is automatically created a widely distributed population, without
across their asset base, for a cost that is within the software. In this way, it remains incurring the enormous capital overhead of
customised to the treatment plant size or adaptive, keeping the model up to date as a sewer network. WWA
the volume of data analysed. This pay for the process changes. This self-learning
use/result service reduces investment in capability can compensate for changing
both cost and time. For example, a typical influent characteristics (diurnal flow patterns,
UK water company has more than 500 storm and first-flush events, population
sites. Installing statistical monitors across increase), as well as shifts in operating
all their sites would require a massive mode (e.g. from carbonaceous to nitrifying
capit al expenditure. A cloud-based treatment), all of which can substantially
approach to asset condition monitoring alter the relationships between process
and predictive maintenance, with pay- variables.

46 | OPINION
By Leong Chee Khuan, Area Managing Director for South Asia and General Manager for Grundfos Pumps Sdn Bhd
T
he water crisis is one of the most ensuring water quality in water networks to essential for natural water to undergo water
pressing global issues we face not only sustain human health and protect treatment to eliminate any waterborne
today. This challenge also resonates the environment, but also to ensure the bacteria and parasites that can be harmful
strongly here in Asia, as more cities urbanise continued economic development of the for consumption. On the other hand, with
and populations increase, leading to an region. As part of Vision 2020, Malaysia has Malaysians currently producing an estimated
expected increase in water demand by set its goals on improved management of 5.1 million cubic metres of sewage daily
55 per cent by 20601. its water resources to ensure adequate and – the equivalent of 2,000 Olympic-sized
safe water for all, including the environment. swimming pools3 – the wastewater must be
With only just over one per cent of the earth’s As countries such as Malaysia ramp up treated properly before being released into
water supply available to us, it is paramount their efforts to ensure water security, the water bodies.
that we optimise the limited water resources technological innovation will be key to
we have. An important component of address the water quality concerns they face Thanks to technology today, disease-
attaining water security is preserving water and put us on a sustainable path to clean causing pathogens can be removed
quality and ensuring the water resources water access. from water networks or killed by adding
available are clean and safe for end-use. certain substances to the water, that is,
This puts water treatment infrastructure by disinfecting the water. One of the most
at the centre of our capability to tackle the DISINFECTING WATER NETWORKS widespread disinfection processes used
water crisis. About 97 per cent of Malaysia’s raw water to remove pathogens in water networks is
supply is derived from surface water chlorination. Generally, three methods are
There is a recognition of the importance of sources which need to be purified. It is
2
used for chlorinating water - chlorine gas

OPINION | 47
dosing, dosing of commercial sodium monitoring and adjustment features.

hypochlorite solution and electrolytic
sodium hypochlorite generation on site. For example, the SMART Digital DDA-
Chlorine gas, however, is a toxic FCM pumps are used to dose chlorine
chemical, which makes chlorine gas bleach, one of the most commonly
dosing a potentially harmful process dosed chemicals in water treatment.
for workers operating with the bottles With the help of integrated sensors
of chlorine. It also poses a threat to the and intelligent adjustment features,
health of the wider population through the pumps’ AutoFlowAdapt feature
possible air contamination in case of monitors and regulates the dosing
a leak. On the other hand, commercial output, as well as self-diagnoses and
sodium hypochlorite solutions produce self-corrects faults. This also eliminates
dangerous by-products and have high the need for additional equipment
chlorine concentrations of 100-150 g/l such as a pressure gauge, flow meter
and pH value of 12-13, thus also being and relief valve in a dosing system.
hazardous to human health4. The Selcoperm electrolytic chlorination system
According to a study by the University

However, technological innovation has of Weihenstephan-Triesdor f, the
enabled the development of alternatives STRIKING THE BALANCE IN SMART Digital DDA-FCM can dose with
such as electrolytic sodium hypochlorite CHEMICAL TREATMENT extreme precision and accuracy, from
generation, which can effectively disinfect While disinfection is one of the most important 5 ml/h to 7.5 l/h. Such intelligent technology
water in a safer way. A case in point processes in water treatment, it can have ensures the water treatment process
is Grundfos’ Selcoperm electrolytic adverse impact on the environment and is more efficient and reliable. The high
chlorination system, which produces the human health if not executed properly. With dosing accuracy and reduced chemical
hypochlorite solution from a solution of overtreatment, there is a risk of acute toxicity consumption also lower operating costs.
common salt using electricity. The system with the formation of hazardous disinfection
does not produce any notable by-products, by-products, while with undertreatment,
has a near-neutral pH value between 8.5 consumers are left exposed to the risk CONCLUSION
and 9.5, and a low chlorine concentration of of contracting waterborne illnesses. Given that water treatment is key to ensuring
8 g/l. These features make Selcoperm a safe water security, we must constantly keep
and reliable method of producing sodium Therefore, it is important to ensure that the enhancing water treatment processes
hypochlorite solution on-site to disinfect right amount of chemical is introduced to to ensure optimal water quality in water
water networks. the water as part of the treatment process, networks. Today’s newest generation of water
making dosing a crucial component of solutions are designed to provide greater
Another advantage of Selcoperm is its disinfection systems. Digitalisation can play safety, reliability and intelligence, delivering
low operating costs since the system only a crucial role in maximising the efficiency the efficiencies needed for water treatment
requires water, common salt and electricity and reliability of dosing equipment to applications. The government and the water
to operate. The cost savings are further ensure the accurate delivery of these industry must work together to adopt and
boosted by zero expenditure required on chemical additives necessary to treat water. integrate these new technologies to ensure a
safe transport and storage of chlorine gas, secure and sustainable supply of clean water
a robust design for easy installation and With dosing pumps being key to controlling for current and future generations. WWA
maintenance of the system, and a long the entire process, intuitive and intelligent
References
service life. design can ensure treatment processes
1 https://www.adb.org/news/events/asia-
run efficiently, reliably, and cost-effectively. water-forum-2018-information-innovation-
and-technology
From an industry perspective, the low Under its iSolutions range of intelligent 2 http://www.wwf.org.my/about_wwf/what_we_
operating cost helps boost profitability products, Grundfos’ SMART Digital DDA and do/freshwater_main
3 https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-
while from an end-user’s perspective, it can DDC dosing pumps are designed to discharge news/2017/09/16/turning-waste-into-wealth
4 https://www.watertechonline.com/
help bring down water prices and ensure exactly the quantity of dosing liquid required comparison-of-disinfection-alternatives-
affordable water access. for water treatment, thanks to their intelligent part-1

39TH SINGAPORE WATER INDUSTRY NITE
(SWIN)
30th May 2019, PUB Recrea on Club @ Level 3
The 39th SWIN was sponsored by Samsung C & T

Corpora on. Programme highlights included a sharing
NEWSLETTER session by Samsung C & T Corpora on, updates of

SWA ac vi es, presenta on by PUB Singapore and
OF THE Imagine H2O Asia. The cocktail networking recep on

and buffet dinner was well a ended by 140 guests
and members which all had a joyous and comfortable
SINGAPORE networking session.
WATER
ASSOCIATION
BRINGING
A NEW VIBRANCY
TO SINGAPORE’S
GROWING
WATER INDUSTRY
NANJING STUDY MISSION 2019
24th to 26th April 2019, Nanjing, China
It was a fully packed three-day study mission to

Nanjing with visits to SNEI, Nanjing Interna onal Water
Hub, two Water Plants, two Chinese Listed companies
and three Universi es. The seven delegates from five
local companies, SWA and Enterprise Singapore had
mee ngs with five agencies and 22 companies at the
Water Bureau Office on the first day.
SWA MELBOURNE MISSION 2019
6th to 10th May 2019, Melbourne, Australia
Together with Enterprise Singapore and PUB, Singapore Water AssociaƟon led 10 delegates from five local companies
on a five-day mission to Melbourne from 6-10 May 2019, in conjuncƟon with OzWater 2019. Delegates had 20
business meeƟngs with some government departments, uƟliƟes and retailers. 19 leads were generated from the
five-day mission, and an aŌer-mission visit to Lendlease Singapore was organised for the delegates on 14 May 2019.
TECHNICAL SITE VISIT

14th May 2019, Global Foundries Woodlands Fab
On 14 May 2019, 13 parƟcipants enjoyed a rewarding site visit to Global foundries, understanding HF and Wastewater
Treatment processes. Discussions were held with GF to beƩer understand their wastewater reclamaƟon challenges
and problem statements.
JOURNEY TOWARDS RECLAMATION OF WASTEWATER WORKSHOP

23rd May 2019, PUB WaterHub Auditorium
The Journey towards ReclamaƟon of Wastewater

Workshop on 23 May 2019 was well aƩended and with
all appreciaƟon for the support from Global Foundries
and PUB. Five companies were selected for a closed
door one-to-one meeƟng with Global Foundries
RepresentaƟve, Mr Kamal for potenƟal collaboraƟons
and partnerships.
UPCOMING SWA ACTIVITIES
TRAINING COURSES IN Q3 2019
No. of Dates
S/N Training Courses Days (2019)
1 Sustainability for Water Business (NEW) 2 4-5

July
2 Membrane Technology (MF/UF/RO/MBR) 4 23 - 26

July
3 Oil Field Water Treatment (NEW) 4 Aug
4 DesalinaƟon - Thermodynamics & Engineering (NEW) 3 Aug
Design of Industrial and Municipal Waste Water 26 - 28

5 4
Recycling Plants Aug
Design, Engineer & Operate Fresh Water Treatment 3 25 - 27
6
Plants Sep
For more informa on on the above courses, please contact SWA office: Ms. Cecilia Tan via
email: cecilia@swa.org.sg or Tel: (65) 6515 0812.
SINGAPORE PAVILIONS AT OVERSEAS TRADE SHOWS FOR 2019

Singapore Pavilions – IMAP Approved Days Date
1 Water Philippines 2019, Philippines, Manila 3 20 - 22 Mar
2 ThaiWater 2019, Bangkok 4 5 - 8 Jun
3 IndoWater 2019, Indonesia, Jakarta 3 17 - 19 Jul
4 CamWater 2019, Cambodia, Phnom Penh (NEW) 3 5 - 7 Sep
5 Water Malaysia 2019, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 3 1 - 3 Oct
6 IDA Congress and ExhibiƟon 2019, UAE, Dubai (NEW) 5 20 - 24 Oct
7 VietWater 2019, Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh 3 6 - 8 Nov
8 MyanWater 2019, Yangon, Myanmar 3 21 - 23 Nov
For more informa on on the above trade fairs, please contact SWA office: enquiry@swa.org.sg or
Tel: (65) 6515 0812.
BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY MISSIONS FOR 2H 2019
TYPE SUBJECT No of Days Date
Business Mission Jakarta 2019 Business Mission (IMAP Approved) 3 15 - 17 Jul
Technology Mission Taiwan InternaƟonal Water Week, Taipei 3 26 - 28 Sep
Business Mission Vietnam 2019 Business Mission (IMAP Approved) 3 5 - 7 Nov
Technology Mission WATEC 2019, Israel 4 18 - 21 Nov
For more informa on on the above missions, please contact SWA office: enquiry@swa.org.sg or Tel: (65) 6515 0812.
SWA WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS

(joined from March – May 2019)
ORDINARY MEMBERS ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
1) CPG Consultants Pte Ltd 1) Aturia InternaƟonal Pte Ltd
2) Hydrobiology Singapore Pte Ltd 2) NM3 Tech (S) Pte Ltd
3) Sibelco Asia Pte Ltd 3) EuroTec Water Pte Ltd
4) GrahamTek Nuwater Singapore Pte Ltd
5) Danfoss Industries Pte Ltd
6) Zweec AnalyƟcs Pte Ltd
INSTITUITIONAL MEMBER INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS

Nanyang Environment & Water Research InsƟtute 1) Mr Sharhan Muhseen
(NEWRI) 2) Dr Liu Qishan
3) Mr Kishorbhai Balubhai
PUBLISH YOUR ANNOUNCEMENTS OR ADVERTISEMENT

Members, who have any press releases or corporate announcements to share with the public, kindly contact the
SWA secretariat at enquiry@swa.org.sg. SWA reserves the right to edit the submiƩed text.
INTERESTED TO JOIN SWA?

We welcome all organisaƟons who are acƟvely involved and interested in the water and wastewater industry to
join the Singapore Water AssociaƟon as either Ordinary, Associate, InsƟtuƟonal or Individual members. Sign up at
www.swa.org.sg/membership/sign-up-online.
52 | COMPANY PROFILE
Founded in the basement labs

of Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT), Gradiant
Corporation has come a long
way – and it’s just getting
started.
I
f you talk to Prakash Govindan about
Gradiant Corporation and what it does,
you’ll notice that he sounds like a proud
father – and he has every right to be, as the
company’s co-founder and CTO.
Founded out of MIT, Gradiant Corporation

owes its success to its two founders, Prakash
Govindan and Anurag Bajpayee. Under
their leadership, the company has grown
internationally with headquarters in USA
and Singapore, three operating subsidiaries:
Gradiant Energy Services, Gradiant China,
and Gradiant India and over 200 global
patents.
According to Dr. Govindan, Gradiant

specialises in innovation and R&D, and
provides unique solutions in three general
areas: Desalination/Brine Concentration,
Clarification, and Disinfection. Dr. Govindan
spoke to his flagship technology Carrier
Gas Extraction which he developed out of
MIT while a student there and his newest
technology Counter Flow Reverse Osmosis,
which was invented in-house at Gradiant:
“Our award-winning flagship technology,

Carrier Gas Extraction (CGE), replicates
nature’s rain cycle within a controlled
humidification dehumidification system for
industrial application. It’s hyper-efficient
in terms of cost and footprint, and uses
a marginal amount of thermal energy to
produce freshwater from wastewater and
saline streams.
Gradiant’s two founders, Anurag Bajpayee (left) and Prakash Govindan (right).

COMPANY PROFILE | 53
The second more recent desal-focused recycling, ultimately fulfilling the country’s and upfront investment, but quite honestly
method, Counter-flow reverse osmosis green objectives and easing the strain of it has also been not enough regulatory
(CFRO) will be a game-changer as well. water consumption. drivers. Every single industry wants to
Reverse osmosis (RO) technology is widely become sustainable, and wants to have
applicable for seawater, brackish waters and “Singapore is a country focused on moving that circular economy within their mission
tap water, but is limited in terms of the amount toward zero-waste and self-sufficiency and philosophy. In other words, they have
of reject produced. The amount of reject not only in waste management, but water to do ZLD. Disposal methods are becoming
i s p ro p o r t i o n a l t o t h e a m o u n t o f management. Singapore has invested saturated. The earth is a finite body – we
freshwater generated, most can only heavily in municipal water. At this point every often think of it as infinite, but it’s not.”
produce 50-60 per cent freshwater from the drop of water – domestic, not industrial –
wastewater or seawater coming in.” is being used two to three times through In dealing with the financial aspect with ZLD/
reusing, recovering, and recycling. Now MLD technology, Gradiant seems to have an
For clients, this is not enough. “50 per cent the country is looking to solve industrial advantage against its competitors in terms of
freshwater production rate is insufficient for wastewaters by investing in companies pricing. When asked how the company keeps
a wastewater treatment system,” explains that develop technologies focused on zero- its cost of its products and technologies
Govindan. “With CFRO we solved that waste within the business sector. Innovative lower than its competition, Govindan
problem by taking it to the saturation solution providers such as Gradiant, with attributes it to Gradiant’s focus on R&D.
limit of salt – if you take it any further our upcoming technologies and existing
it’ll produce solid salt. We broke that products, can help achieve the nations “We have fundamentally different products,
barrier with an innovative thermodynamic objective by closing the loop in zero liquid fundamentally new innovations, we’re
approach allowing us to apply RO to produce discharge (ZLD). coming up with better ways of treating water.
freshwater.” That’s what it comes down to, and at the
If you look at today, the picture is not as dire end of the day I’d say it’s as fundamental
Looking to the future, Gradiant aims to in terms of the water situation in Singapore, as hiring a team which can do all that. Why
include electrochemical-based techniques but fast forward to 2040, Singapore is going we come up with more and more ground-
to its repertoire, along with membrane to be water-stressed again. Water being breaking solutions is that we can at the same
techniques with an emphasis on developing used by industries is where the savings will time grow our operational impact.”
ceramic membranes for bioreactors. be moving forward.”
Electrochemical reactions will be especially Whatever Gradiant’s strategy, it appears to
welcome in sectors such as the textile Thanks to modern innovations, ZLD be working. According to Govindan, Gradiant
industry, as the reaction will be able to and minimum liquid discharge (MLD) Energy Services had only 10 employees
remove specific dyes and compounds, technologies exist in the market. However, when it started out in late 2016. Now, the
and is expected to be more cost-friendly Govindan points out that there are several subsidiary has grown to 120 employees.
and efficient compared to bulk removal obstacles to closing the loop: “Generally,
techniques. ZLD/MLD technologies have been extremely For all the success that Gradiant has
expensive. If there’s $100 million to be enjoyed, however, Govindan remains
As for the ceramic membranes, Govindan invested in a ZLD system, it is hard for a unfazed. In fact, he’s more than happy to
expects that the technology will help to water management level person to get admit he’s a self-labelled nerd, when sharing
drastically extend the life of industrial approval from executives to put that in how Gradiant’s name came to be: “I wrote
applications: “Normally, a polymeric MBR the budget, because that’s not a revenue- my PhD thesis studying the fundamental
membrane will last a year before it has to generating product. Innovations like CGE driving forces which drive the extraction
be replaced. We’re in the early stages of and CFRO can bridge that gap, making that of freshwater from saline water. Those
our R&D, but we’re looking to increase the cost of water competitive with the cost of driving forces are gradients of temperature
lifespan to six or seven years.” water the client is procuring and the cost and concentration, and mathematically, a
they have by discharging. gradient of concentration is written as ∆N,
All this, he adds, will aid in Singapore’s and a temperature gradient is written as ∆T,
drive to close the loop in water usage and The barrier has been overall cost of water so we named the company GRADI∆NT.” WWA

54 | TECH ROUND UP
Tsurumi Manufacturing Co., Ltd. offers pumps and lubrication oil and bearing grease for The SFQ-series of pumps are for corrosive
for various liquids including those difficult to coping with high temperature liquids. liquids, as the principal wetted parts are
handle, such as seawater, corrosive liquids made of 316 stainless steel, while those
and high temperature liquids, as well as Targeting these markets, three types parts that need consideration for wear
pumps for general wastewater. The company of pumps are available: the KTZ-series resistance, such as the impeller and pump
also manufactures submersible pumps that ( f o r d ra i n i n g g e n e ra l w a ste w ate r ) , casing, are made of 316 stainless steel
can drain high temperature liquids of up to GPN-series (for draining slurry) and casting. Also, the SFQ-series can withstand
90°C, known as their “submersible pumps SFQ-series (for draining corrosive liquids). liquids of pH values of 2 to 13, which includes
for high-temperature liquids”. The KTZ-series is positioned amongst strong acids.
Tsurumi’s general-purpose pumps as a
There are many applications that need such flagship model, with a heavy-duty structure These pumps are equipped with an anti-
drainage capability, e.g., draining hot spring and their impellers made of high-chromium wicking cable entry and inside mechanical
water from mines located in volcanic zones, cast iron. seal with silicon carbide face, as standard
or draining industrial wastewater from power features. Tsurumi gives first priority to
plants or ironworks. Tsurumi’s standard The GPN-series offers high-power slurry designing pumps that ensure continuous
pumps can drain liquids of up to 40°C, pumps equipped with an agitator, wherein duty for a long period of time, by providing
while some models can handle liquids the impeller, suction plate and agitator are reliability and durability that enable stable
of 60°C to 90°C. The latter provides made of high-chromium cast iron and the operation even under harsh environments.
specifications suitable for the temperatures shaft is made of chromium molybdenum WWA
of the liquids they handle, i.e., high-grade steel that provides excellent strength and
insulation and high-quality rubber materials, hardness.
GPN: Slurry Pumps KTZ: Drainage Pumps SFQ: Corrosion-Resistant Pumps

56 | TECH ROUND UP
Getting your I
ndustrial equipment spread out over a wide area, with high tanks or potentially
explosive zones, poses an enormous challenge to the implementation of
digitisation and Industry 4.0 concepts. To reach difficult-to-access or dangerous
measuring points from a safe distance, VEGA offers the option of parameterising
sensor data
sensors and reading out their measured values via Bluetooth on a smartphone or
tablet with the VEGA Tools app. The advantages are obvious: especially easy to
operate, all data permanently available in real time, and numerous possibilities for
upgrading in the future.
AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRY 4.0 MODULE
faster
With the VEGA Tools app, sensors can be controlled wirelessly over distances of up to
25 metres and accessed directly – without technicians having to climb high ladders or
go into hazardous environments.
with VEGA
Tools app
The practical
In keeping with the spirit and purpose of Industry 4.0, the tool simplifies communication with
tool for simple, sensors. In addition to convenient visualisation of current level and pressure data, it supports fast
setup and easy maintenance. A wide range of display and diagnostic functions are also available
wireless in the app. Thus, with the VEGA Tools app, a direct, wireless live connection takes the place of the
“direct wire” – wherever physical wiring is difficult to implement. In the everyday life of technicians and
adjustment plant operators, this mobile solution means real added value. For example, in potentially dangerous
working environments it allows them to carry out and detect faults more safely during maintenance work.
of VEGA
THE YOUNG OLD ONES: RETROFIT
instruments The PLICSCOM universal VEGA display and adjustment unit, which is compatible with all instruments in
the plics® system, can be supplied with Bluetooth communication and simply retrofitted to any sensor with
just one “click”. This means that the Bluetooth PLICSCOM and VEGA Tools app are backward compatible
with VEGA instruments from as early as 2002.
In wireless operation all important instrument parameters can be individually configured, or, what is even
more convenient, transmitted as predefined parameter sets. Operating data and parameter changes stored
in the instrument can be quickly viewed and transferred to a PC for more extensive visualisation.
SAFE AND SECURE: DOUBLE PROTECTION

Security also plays a role in every wireless connection. It starts with secure communication through the app
architecture and password protection on the smartphone and extends through to sensor setup by the user. The
system includes encrypted, password-protected IT networks, rights assignments for employees and clear rules
on who can do what in the system and with which device. Thanks to the VEGA Tools app with IT security, the user
can easily adjust and operate his sensors from a safe distance with a smartphone. WWA
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58 | TECH ROUND UP
Pre-engineered, automated bar screen package for small WWTPs includes FlexRake® Low Flow bar
screen and Low Flow Washer Compactor companion
D
uperon Corporation has announced With a front-clean, front-return design that
the launch of the new Low Flow eliminates debris carryover, the FlexRake Low
System, a pre-engineered, fully Flow has no jam points or lower sprockets
automated preliminary liquid/solids that require below-deck maintenance. The
separation system for wastewater treatment proven SmartLink™ technology lifts or pivots
applications with average flows of one million around debris and is made of UHMW, a self-
gallons per day (MGD) or less, and up to lubricating material that requires very little
four MGD during peak flows. The Low Flow to no water in the channel.
System includes a Duperon FlexRake Low ®
Flow and the new Duperon Low Flow Washer The new single-auger Low Flow Washer
Compactor. Compactor has been designed as a
companion to the Duperon FlexRake® Low
“Over 80 per cent of treatment plants in the Flow, integrating seamlessly to remove,
U.S. are rated for one MGD or less,” noted clean, compress and discharge screenings
Duperon Corporation president, Mark Turpin. approximately 10 feet in any direction. With
“The men and women who operate these The Duperon Low Flow System for wastewater the adaptability of its discharge chute, drain
smaller community wastewater systems are screening, washing and compacting includes connection, and motor location the new Low
a Duperon FlexRake ® Low Flow and the
at the front line of environmental protection, new Duperon Low Flow Washer Compactor Flow Washer Compactor provides a flexible
yet they’re often working with slim budgets standard design for easy site configuration.
and few resources. After listening to the The packaged system achieves an 80 per
challenges facing our customers, we’ve cent reduction in screenings volume and
developed the new Low Flow System as an a 60 per cent reduction in screenings
integrated solution for screening, washing weight, saving operators valuable handling
and compacting. We’ve used the same time and hauling costs. It is also energy-
design principles that are a hallmark of all efficient, operating under one hp to help
Duperon products– simple in design, easy to municipalities conserve on power costs.
operate, with minimal maintenance required
and a low cost of ownership.” After several years of testing, Duperon is
pleased to announce and add the Low Flow
The Duperon FlexRake® Low Flow bar screen System and Low Flow Washer Compactor to
has been an effective screening solution for its innovative product portfolio. WWA
small community applications since 2009. Duperon single-auger Low Flow Washer Compactor

60 | SHOW PREVIEW
Malaysia International Water Convention 2019:

Transform & Secure our Water Future this October
T
he Malaysia International Water the water sector, existing customers from the region at MIWC
Convention (MIWC) is all set to run & WLA Exhibition.
from 1-3 October 2019 at the Malaysia Themed “Advancing Innovation, Embracing
International Trade and Exhibition Centre Transformation and Securing the future” with Malaysia has made headways into water
(MITEC) in Kuala Lumpur. Held concurrently a core focus on water 4.0, digital adoption, supply, wastewater treatment and river
at the convention is the 7th edition of Water IoT, and intelligent water management development infrastructure for the past ten
Loss Asia (WLA) 2019, a specialised Non- systems, the event will offer a whole range of years with the construction of Langkat 2,
Revenue Water roving event. programmes that will help the water utilities Pantai 2 and River of Life. Participants are
to discover cutting edge technologies and invited to join the technical tours and gain
MIWC 2019 is organised by the Malaysian learn how digital disruptions affect the value in-depth practical insights to these sites.
Water Association (MWA), who has been chain, and the best practices for transforming Gain valuable insights and learn country
organising Water Malaysia, a biennial water utilities. experiences during the two-day conference
international exhibition and conference that featuring at least 50 distinguished
encompasses all across the entire water Attended by regulatory authorities and the industry leaders and experts representing
cycle, since 1991. The event is supported water industry authorities from the region, the organisations across the water sector
by the Ministry of Land, Water and Natural water leaders and water regulators forums spectrum. The line-up includes path-breaking
Resources (KATS). will focus on the role of smart water solutions scientist and technologists, C-level executives
to achieve water security; the latter on water from the biggest names in the industry,
MIWC 2019 & WLA 2019 will feature more sector policies in general and in specific on thinkers and visionaries.
than 5,000 water industry professionals, IoT and how the polices affects the industry,
500 conference delegates and around 200 the consumers and affordability, accessibility The event promises an excellent return
convening organisations from 30 countries. and secure water futures. on investment with a range of progressive
This event will bring together policy makers, and stimulating programmes for everyone.
water and utility management companies, The Malaysian government has also allocated Formats include Non-revenue water
professionals from the water and wastewater RM690 million (SGD 227 million) and RM590 workshop, Pre-event workshop, Water
industry, leading technology innovators, million (SGD 194 million) respectively to Industry Awards, Young Water Professionals
international agencies, NGOs and scientists improve water supply and sewerage services programme, gala dinner and complimentary
from around the world to share knowledge in Budget 2019, providing an excellent Innovation Talk sessions for the discerning
and discussions on opportunities, challenges, platform to build new partnerships with trade visitors. WWA
and technologies for the transformation of customers from Malaysia and reconnect with

LESS CARBON,
ADVERTORIAL
LESS WASTE • GREEN INNOVATION
Asia’s leading platform for the environmental protection industry
E
co Expo Asia is a global trade platform Key highlights include:
for the environmental protection Eco Asia Conference
industry that showcases the latest green Industry experts and academics from around
products, equipment and state-of-the-art the world gather each year at the Eco Asia
technology. Co-organised by the Environment Conference to discuss important environmental
Bureau, the Expo provides B2G and B2B issues and propose new ways forward to
opportunities for the green industry through solve pressing environmental concerns.
its strong support from Hong Kong, Mainland
China, international government authorities
Business matching
and industry associations.
Make your next business connection at this
dedicated networking and matching session.
Embracing the new theme of “Less Carbon,
Less Waste • Green Innovation”, the 14th
Start-up Zone
Eco Expo Asia will showcase a wide range
A special zone for young start-ups in the
of environmental products and solutions
eco industry, it is the ideal platform for
from Hong Kong, Mainland China, Asia and USD17.8 trillion in opportunities by 2030.
new ventures to find potential buyers and
the global green tech community. The expo, One of Asia’s largest cities, Jakarta,
investors while showcasing their green
running from 30 October to 2 November represents close to USD30 billion in
innovations.
2019 at AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong, is investment opportunities, while other Asian
jointly organised by the Hong Kong Trade megacities are also cited as having significant
Development Council (HKTDC) and Messe potential for investments that yield emission
Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, and co-organised by the reductions.
ECO EXPO ASIA
Fair Dates: 30 Oct–2 Nov 2019
Environment Bureau of the Hong Kong Special
Venue: AsiaWorld-Expo, Hong Kong
Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government. GREATER BAY AREA INTEGRATION
T h e G u a n g d o n g - H o n g Ko n g - M a c a o Admission:
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES Greater Bay Area Development offers new Trade Day (30 Oct-1 Nov 2019):
IN ASIA opportunities through innovative policies Free admission to trade visitors aged
The Asia Pacific region has the highest climate on employment, entrepreneurship and 18 or above only, trade visitors must
smart investment potential against any region investment. Hong Kong, Mainland China present their admission badges upon
in the world according to the International and Macao have been cooperating on request during the fair. (All exhibits are
Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of various environmental initiatives to mitigate for display only and not for sale)
the World Bank Group. The green building environmental pollution and advocate energy
sector is leading the way with an estimated Trade and Public Day (2 Nov 2019):
saving and waste reduction among others
Free admission to all visitors (Part of
through a number of Hong Kong-Guangdong
exhibits will be for sale)
Joint Working Groups.
REGISTER NOW FOR YOUR FREE E-BADGE!
STAUNCH SUPPORT FOR WASTE Web: ecoexpoasia.com/ex/02
REDUCTION AND RECYCLING BY App: HKTDC Marketplace
THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT
To complement the implementation of the The Organisers are also offering exclusive
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) charging incentives for overseas buyers – interested
scheme, the HKSAR Government will parties are encouraged to contact
provide recurrent resources to strengthen Ms. Chloe Yeung at (852) 2240 4099
their support of waste reduction and or email ecoexpo.visitor@hktdc.org for
recycling. An additional provision of around enquiries.
HK$300 – 400 million for the 2019-20
financial year when the MSW charging
scheme is launched.
62 | SHOW PREVIEW
CAMWATER 2019 – The Kingdom’s Water Industry Expo Returns to Phnom Penh
C
A M W AT E R 2 0 1 9 – C a m b o d i a ’ s rural areas by 2025. A total of around US$119
International Water & Wastewater million (SGD 164 million) has been invested by
Technology Show is returning to the the Government and the Asian Development
Diamond Island Exhibition & Convention Centre Bank for projects to upgrade provincial water
in Phnom Penh from 18 to 20 September 2019. supply and sanitation services in Battambang,
Preah Sihanouk, Kampong Cham and Siem
The Expo aims to continue expanding on its Reap. The Ministry of Rural Development has
previous successes in providing a business-to- also encouraged private companies to invest in
business platform where architects, consultants, these projects.
engineers, designers, contractors, distributors,
suppliers and retailers can meet to source for CAMWATER 2019 plans to bring together
new industry equipment and solutions, make over 150 companies and brands in the water
investments, introduce and discuss ideas, and production and treatment sector from various
form networks or business partnerships. countries including China, Malaysia, Singapore,
Thailand and Vietnam. In addition, CAMWATER
Spurred by its steady economic growth over 2019 will be co-located with other expos
recent years, Cambodia has embarked on an such as CAMBUILD 2019 for the building and
ambitious initiative to improve the water supply construction sector, CAMENERGY 2019 for the
and treatment infrastructure of its urban centres electric power industry, and CIVAR 2019 for the
and to ensure sufficient supplies of clean water HVAC technology industry. This combination of
and sanitation for the people in the country’s events will bring in more potential buyers for the
exhibitors’ products or services as
well as creating a convenient one-
stop event for visitors with interest
in the other industry sectors.
CAMWATER 2019 promises to

be an exciting opportunity for
exhibitors, delegates and visitors
to engage in lucrative business,
and will also pave the way to a
brighter future for Cambodia,
the Southeast Asian region and
possibly the wider world as well.
The expo is organised by AMB

Tarsus Events Group, a leading
trade show organiser in Southeast
Asia, and is endorsed by the
Cambodian Ministry of Commerce.
It also has the support of the
Board of Architects Cambodia
and the Phnom Penh Water
Supply Authority. Such support
from prominent government
and industrial organisations
highlights the solid reputation
and dependability of the expo in
helping Cambodia to realise its
grand initiatives. WWA

EVENTS CALENDAR 2019
JANUARY Pumps & Valves Asia 2019 SEPTEMBER
WFES Water 5 to 8 June Asian Utility Week 2019
14 to 17 January Bangkok, Thailand 3 to 5 September
Abu Dhabi, UAE http://www.pumpsandvalves-asia.com Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
https://www.worldfutureenergysummit.com/wfes-water http://www.asian-utility-week.com
InterAqua Tokyo 2019 12th IWA International Conference on Water Reclamation

30 January to 1 February and Reuse CAMWATER’19
Tokyo, Japan 16 to 20 June 18 to 20 September
https://www.interaqua.jp/eng Berlin, Germany Phnom Penh, Cambodia
http://www.iwa-network.org/events/12th-iwa-international- http://www.camwaterexpo.com
FEBRUARY conference-on-water-reclamation-and-reuse
World Water-Tech Innovation Summit 2019
26 to 27 February OCTOBER
London, UK LAOWATER’ 19 Malaysia International Water Convention 2019
https://worldwatertechinnovation.com 20 to 22 June 1 to 3 October
Vientiane, Laos Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
MARCH http://www.laowater.org https://www.miwc.tech
Water Philippines
20 to 22 March
Metro Manila, Philippines International Young Water Professionals IDA 2019 Water Congress on Desalination
https://www.waterphilippinesexpo.com 23 to 27 June 20 to 24 October
Toronto, Canada Dubai, UAE
https://iwa-youngwaterprofessionals.org https://wc.idadesal.org
APRIL
Global Water Summit
8 to 10 April
London, UK JULY NOVEMBER
http://www.watermeetsmoney.com Trenchless Asia 2019 VietWater (Ho Chi Minh) 2019
17 to 18 July 6 to 8 November
IE expo Jakarta, Indonesia Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
15 to 17 April https://www.trenchlessasia.com https://www.vietwater.com/en-us
Shanghai, China
http://www.ie-expo.com
MyanWater 2019
INDO WATER 2019 28 to 30 November
WQA Convention and Exposition 2019 17 to 19 July
Yangon, Myanmar
23 to 26 April Jakarta, Indonesia
https://www.myanwater.org
Las Vegas, USA https://www.indowater.com
http://www.wqa.org/convention
DECEMBER
MAY VietWater (Hanoi) 2019
IWA Water and Development Congress & Exhibition
OZWATER’19 24 to 26 July
1 to 5 December
7 to 9 May Hanoi, Vietnam
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Melbourne, Australia https://www.vietwater.com/en-us
http://www.waterdevelopmentcongress.org
http://www.ozwater.org
JUNE AUGUST
Aquatech China 2019 PUMP & VALVE INDONESIA
3 to 5 June 28 to 30 August
Shanghai, China Jakarta, Indonesia
https://www.aquatechtrade.com/china https://www.pump-and-valve-indonesia.net

64 ADVERTISERS INDEX WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA July / August 2019
PABLO SINGAPORE
IFC ANDRITZ PUMPS Publisher
https://www.andritz.com William Pang
williampang@pabloasia.com
45 ASIAWATER
Associate Publisher
https://www.asiawater.org
Pamela Buckley
pamela@pabloasia.com
59 CAMWATER
http://www.camwaterexpo.com Editor
Pang Yanrong
OBC China Lesso Group Holdings Limited yanrong@pabloasia.com
https://www.lesso.com Assistant Editor
Natalie Chew
17 Danfoss natalie@pabloasia.com
https://www.danfoss.com
Assistant Editor
Szeto Hiu Yan
7 Diehl Metering hiuyan@pabloasia.com
https://www.diehl.com
Contributor
61 Eco Expo Asia Sarah Si
sarahsi@pabloasia.com
https://m.hktdc.com/fair/ecoexpoasia-en
Business Development & Marketing
19 Estruagua YanJun Pang
https://estruagua.com yanjun@pabloasia.com
Graphic Designer
3 Festo
Edwin De Souza
https://www.festo.com edwin@pabloasia.com
5 Global Water Solutions Admin & Circulation Manager

https://www.globalwatersolutions.com Shu Ai Ling
circulation@pabloasia.com
63 Harbin Firstline Environment Technology Co., Ltd PABLO BEIJING

http://www.firstline.com.cn General Manager
Ellen Gao
41 INDO WATER 2019 Expo & Forum pablobeijing@163.com
https://www.indowater.com
PABLO SHANGHAI
13 LACROIX SOFREL Editor-in-Chief,
http://www.lacroix-sofrel.com Chinese Edition
Wendy Wei
pabloshanghai@163.net
55 MYANWATER
https://www.myanwater.org
Published by
23 Perceptive Engineering Pablo Publishing Pte Ltd
https://www.perceptiveapc.com 3 Ang Mo Kio Street 62
#01-23 Link@AMK
Singapore 569139
IBC Sumitomo (SHI) Cyclo Drive Asia Pacific Pte Ltd Tel: (65) 6266 5512
www.sumitomodrive.com E-mail: info@pabloasia.com
Website: www.waterwastewaterasia.com
33 TAITRA Company Registration No: 200001473N
Singapore MICA (P) No: 076/05/2019
https://www.taitra.org.tw
1 Vontron Membrane Technology Co.,Ltd REGIONAL OFFICES (CHINA)

http://en.vontron.com Pablo BEIJING
Tel: +86 10 6509 7728 / +86 10 6509 7548
Fax: +86 10 6509 7719
9 Water & Wastewater Asia (Social Media) Email: pablobeijing@163.com
https://www.waterwastewaterasia.com Contact: Ellen Gao
57 Water & Wastewater Asia

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CONTENTS JULY / AUGUST 2019

Myanmar Water Portal

From the Ground

WHAT CAN WE DO FOR

Water & Wastewater Asia • July / August 2019

Inauguration of Nanjing IWA Global Operations Hub

Water & Wastewater Asia • July / August 2019

Water & Wastewater Asia • July / August 2019

Innovation awards winners announced at BlueTech Forum

Water & Wastewater Asia • July / August 2019

Water & Wastewater Asia • July / August 2019

PUB to deploy Singapore’s first large-scale floating

Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2020 Call for Nominations

Water & Wastewater Asia • July / August 2019

The white paper examines how digitalisation is transforming the water

Key takeaways from the report include:

Water & Wastewater Asia • July / August 2019

Gyo Phyu reservoir is located

Water & Wastewater Asia • July / August 2019

RM: The inspiration of this project comes directly from a

I did, however, come across another pipeline renovation project

By handing out 10 cameras to young community members as we

Once the workshop is finished, we plan to set up an exhibition

News source credited to Kyaw Nyunt Linn (The Water Agency).

Water & Wastewater Asia • July / August 2019

With all our advancements in technology, how do our

Water & Wastewater Asia (WWA): What part do you

Soren Kvorning (SK): When we move people into

Water & Wastewater Asia • July / August 2019

Water & Wastewater Asia • July / August 2019

Co-Digestion: The Way Forward

DK: Higher biogas yield from

Water & Wastewater Asia • July / August 2019

Water & Wastewater Asia • July / August 2019

Water & Wastewater Asia • July / August 2019

UNDERSTANDING MYANMAR THE SINGAPORE BRAND AS A

So far, the challenges faced by PipeLine include communication,

To overcome them, Leck’s team puts in extra eﬀort in providing

“Also, learning from my own experience, Singapore business

It helped that friendly bilateral ties between both governments

Water & Wastewater Asia • July / August 2019

By Leong Chee Khuan,

Water & Wastewater Asia • July / August 2019

internet-based system. This allows

Water & Wastewater Asia • July / August 2019

Another major success

in the US for inge the new UF membrane plant. Five membrane

The highly robust Multibore® membranes

Water & Wastewater Asia • July / August 2019

• Lower energy consumption during • A most cost-eﬀective solution

The construction and commissioning of the plant

“From nature to tap” is the motto chosen by

Water & Wastewater Asia • July / August 2019

Water & Wastewater Asia • July / August 2019

All images are credited to Landia.

Water & Wastewater Asia • July / August 2019

of an innovative asset management approach inspired by the new

BASEMAP PREPARATION, NETWORK DIGITISATION

Supply to Growing • Systematic base mapping process using satellite images

Pipe condition assessment with the Scanner (SmartCAT®)

Water & Wastewater Asia • July / August 2019

The “Scanner” helped the operators to