Water reuse with a nanofiltration membrane bioreactor in Singapore

Cornelissen co-researcher in Singaporean membrane research

The project on water reuse with a nanofiltration membrane bioreactor will start in Singapore at the beginning of March. The project is conducted within the Competitive Research Programme (CRP) of the National Research Foundation (NRF). The CRP funding targets multidisciplinary, innovative research of relevance to the situation of Singapore. The project was awarded at the end of last year to the research team of the Singapore Membrane Technology Centre (SMTC). Guest professor at Ghent University, Emile Cornelissen (KWR) is acting as a co-researcher.

More than 90% reuse of wastewater possible

The SMTC research employs a new, Singapore-developed, low-pressure nanofiltration membrane as a barrier against activated sludge, particles and dissolved solids. This means that the efficiency of the connected reverse osmosis process can be increased, and at least 90% of the wastewater possibly be recovered; this percentage for state-of-the-art techniques is lower (75-85%). The intention is to demonstrate the concept on-site on a pilot scale at the Singapore water company PUB. The project duration is three years.