MEMBRANE & WATERLAB2PILOT INNOVATIONS

EWTCOI works with industries to develop cutting-edge solutions to meet unique environmental and water technology needs for today and the future. Our researchers are constantly exploring and challenging new ways to enhance our inter-disciplinary expertise in membrane fabrication, characterisation, testing and process design to bring membrane innovations from the laboratory to pilot stage and to verify the efficacy of our membrane applications before commercialisation.

Membrane & Water Lab2Pilot Innovations DistilTM for Desalination I Anti-Fouling Membranes for MBRs I Super-Efficient Liquid Desiccant Cooling & Regeneration I NF-StarTM Nanofiber Production I Ceramic Membranes from Waste I Membranes for Oily Wastewater Treatment I Car Wash Water Recycler

High energy costs and low water recovery are some of the challenges of desalination technologies for decentralised applications. To negate these issues, the R&D team at EWTCOI has developed a highly-efficient membrane distillation technology called DistilTM. This patented technology uses a multi-layered membrane which exhibits both hydrophobic and hydrophilic characteristics and is able to achieve fluxes which are 40-60% higher than that achieved by conventional hydrophobic membrane distillation membranes.

DistilTM can be developed into a portable and decentralised solution with the option of tapping on solar energy or low-grade waste heat. It can recover 60-80% of the source feed and can be completely powered by the sun – at the same time, consistently ensuring high-quality water with more than 99.9% salt rejection. Long-term performance issues such as pore wetting of membranes are also significantly reduced – thus increasing membrane life. EWTCOI can help you optimise your desalination needs for a sustainable future today.

Key Features & Benefits• Fully operable by solar energy or low-grade waste heat of 60-80°C• High membrane flux up to 71 L/m2.h• Significantly reduced pore-wetting• High rejection of non-volatile solutes• High purity product water (2-4 mg/L)• Low energy consumption (<1.5kWh/m3)• High thermal efficiency (GOR 2-10)• No need for chemical treatment (only physical pre-treatment required)

Distil™ for Desalination

Applications• Desalination of water for remote or rural locations• Desalination of water on board ships or offshore platforms• Recovery of water from reverse osmosis brine• Recovery of water from high total dissolved solids and wastewater

Pilot Rooftop System (@NP)Thermal Power: 100-250kW/m3

Electric Power: Less than 1.5kW/m3

Plant Capacity: 100-1000L/day

Solar Operated Plant Solar Operated Plant

Portable Unit Compact Membrane Distillation Modules

Demo Plant (Previously@Marina Barrage)Thermal Power: 100-250kW/m3

Electric Power: Less than 1.5kW/m3

Plant Capacity: 100-1000L/day

Anti-Fouling Membranes for MBRs

Key Features & Benefits• Lower energy consumption by 15-30% in laboratory studies• Reduced biofouling to improve durability of systems• Ability to manage unexpected load fluctuations

Membrane Bioreactors (MBRs) are gaining popularity for the treatment of organic wastewater. However, biofouling – the accumulation of waterborne organisms on wet membrane surfaces – is a common occurrence during the treatment process. This decreases system efficiency and increases energy consumption. To resolve these issues, EWTCOI has created an anti-fouling coating that prevents biofouling on membrane surfaces in MBR systems.

Together with local water and environmental technology firm, MattenPlant Pte Ltd, we have developed a pilot MBR system to treat wastewater from the food and beverage industry. The system is able to manage high organic loads while requiring a much smaller energy footprint than that needed by conventional systems such as the activated sludge process.

We are also partnering other water and environmental technology companies to increase the efficiency of the MBR system in treating wastewater as well as to reduce energy consumption.

EWTCOI can help you develop high-performing, long-lasting and environmentally-friendly wastewater treatment systems.

ApplicationsWastewater treatment from:

• Food & Beverage industry• Chemical industry

• Agricultural industry• Domestic wastewater industry

Flat Sheet MBR

| TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2015 | THE STRAITS TIMES |

Hollow Fiber MBR

Modified and unmodified flat sheet (above) and hollow fiber (below) membranes

Modified and unmodified membranes removed from aeration tank after 30 days

Key Features & Benefits• Lower energy consumption by up to 40%• Elimination of Legionella disease and mold growth• No CFC or other ozone depleting chemicals required• Low regeneration temperature (45ºC to 80ºC)• System can be powered by solar energy• Smaller compressor and cooling tower

Desiccant-based cooling systems are rapidly gaining popularity. In liquid desiccant systems, the inlet air is dehumidified, therefore improving the energy efficiency of air-conditioning systems. However, the desiccant needs to be regenerated over time, and current methods consume high energy. To tackle this issue, EWTCOI researchers have developed a membrane liquid desiccant system (MLDS) to reduce such energy consumption by four- to six-fold. When integrated with air-conditioning systems, the overall energy consumption will be reduced by 30% to 40%.

EWTCOI is focused on developing technologies for a green future.

Super-Efficient Liquid Desiccant Cooling & Regeneration

Applications• Air dehumidification• Air-conditioning and cooling

Membrane Liquid Desiccant System (MLDS)

P&ID of Membrane Liquid Desiccant System (MLDS)

Regeneration Test System and Integrated Dehumidifier

Key Features & Benefits• Deioniser control during the ion exchange process• Humidity control for controlled coagulation• Inline heat press 25°C to 300°C• Self-cleaning capabilities with reduced solvent usage• Continuous production of nanofiber flat sheet membranes• High nanofiber membrane production rate• Three to five times of cost reduction compared to current

similar systems

NF-Star™ Nanofiber Production

Commercially available electrospinning machines used in the production of flat sheet nanofibers have high running costs and low production rates. To resolve these challenges, EWTCOI researchers have come up with an industrial scale electrospinning device with novel features for the continuous production of flat sheet nanofiber sheets. Developed at relatively low capital and operational costs, NF-Star™ delivers a high production rate and has been licensed for local commercial production.

EWTCOI pushes the boundary to overcome industry challenges faced by SMEs.

Applications• Nanofiber filters for water and air separation applications• Functional materials and devices such as composite reinforcement, protective

clothing and smart textiles, and energy and electronics such as batteries/cells andcapacitors, sensors and catalysts

Pilot Scale NF-StarTM SEM Image of Nanofiber Membrane

Flat Sheet Membrane

Key Features & Benefits• High porosity exceeding 75%• High water flux of more than 1000 LMH/bar• Three times higher in compressive strength• Higher chemical resistance than polymeric membranes• Capabilities to customise membrane thickness and pore sizes of 0.5

microns and above• More than 99% removal of total suspended solids for domestic and

car wash wastewaters

Ceramic Membranes from Waste

Ceramic membranes are gaining popularity over polymeric membranes because of their superior mechanical and chemical stability. However, they are more expensive due to higher costs of raw materials and processing methods. To address this, EWTCOI researchers have developed a proprietary process to produce glass membranes. This involves grinding waste glass into fine powder and then binding it to create a porous ceramic membrane. In this way, less energy is required as compared to traditional production methods. Waste glass can also be utilised as a key raw material instead of being discarded in landfills. The patented technology has been licensed to a local SME for incorporation into their water filtration system under their social enterprise project.

EWTCOI can help you develop innovative technologies to bring your business to the next level.

Applications• Removal of suspended solids and colloidal particles from waters• Adsorption of dyes and other organic materials

| THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2011 | THE STRAITS TIMES |

| THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2011 | LIANHE ZAOBAO |

Process of converting membranes

Glass membrane modules Ceramic membrane filtration by gravitational force

Key Features & Benefits• Higher permeability (up to 60%) over conventional ultrafiltration

membranes• High selectivity for oil emulsion of more than 99%• High fouling resistance• Operating cost reduction by up to 30%

Every year, the petroleum industry produces a large amount of oily wastewater. To reduce the environmental impact of such emissions, stringent regulations on permissible oil and grease (O&G) discharge limits have been put in place. However, fouling – the build-up of unwanted materials on solid surfaces – remains a problem even when the wastewater has undergone membrane treatment. Recognising these challenges, EWTCOI researchers have developed a novel super hydrophilic polymeric membrane with a special surface chemistry that rejects hydrocarbons and other fouling materials. These membranes have been tested at the laboratory and researchers are now working with industry partners to scale them up for pilot tests.

EWTCOI will journey with you to develop sustainable technologies today for tomorrow.

Membranes for Oily Wastewater Treatment

Bench scale oil water treatment system

SEM images of the conventional membrane (a) and super hydrophilic membrane (b)

CLSM images of conventional membrane (a) and super hydrophilic membrane (b)

Applications• Oily wastewater• Surface water

• NEWater• Seawater pre-treatment

Key Features & Benefits• Effective and efficient car wash water treatment• Convenience of onsite recycling of wastewater• Compact design with high treated water quality• Cost savings in water usage and waste disposal• Environmentally sustainable

Car Wash Water Recycler

Every time a car goes through a typical car wash facility, approximately 100 litres of water are used. EWTCOI aims to reduce environmental impact by recycling this high volume of water usage. In partnership with a SME, Hock Cheong Automec Pte Ltd, and supported by Public Utilities Board (PUB) and National Environment Agency (NEA), our researchers have developed an innovative system to treat and reuse conventional car wash wastewater.

This recycling system can handle wastewater at varying load conditions and integrates ultrafiltration membrane-based technologies with other cutting-edge treatment technologies and has been tested at both the laboratory and pilot scale stages. Without compromising service standards for a car wash facility, the system is low cost, compact, robust, highly portable, modular and efficient and is aimed at helping car wash operators to reduce costs.

The IP for the car wash water recycler has been transferred to Hock Cheong Automec Pte Ltd.

EWTCOI can help you reduce your water usage and costs of wastewater disposal.

Applications• Conventional car wash sites and automatic car wash systems• Industrial wastewater of similar characteristics

Waste Water Treated Water

From car wash wastewater to high qualitytreated water

Car Wash Water Recycler

Wastewater Treated water