Sharing solutions to water issues

Research on membrane technology may produce cheaper water
Channel NewsAsia 25 Jun 08;

SINGAPORE: The cost of water may be halved within the next 10 years as researchers work on membrane technology which requires very little use of energy.

Mangrove plants may hold the key to cheaper water in future. They have a natural way of desalinating brackish water.

Dr Andrew Benedek, winner of the inaugural Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize, said: "It desalinates by focusing special proteins and enzymes to take the salt out of the leaves and it collects on the leaves and then eventually water washes it away."

Researchers are using such examples to think of how they can develop membranes to work in a similar way.

Dr Benedek said research into membranes that do not use energy has already begun and he is confident that solutions can be found within the next decade.

He said: "Today, the cost of energy for desalination plant is as much as 50 per cent. It could be as low as 35 per cent, depending on the water conditions. If you are able to reduce that, then of course... you could potentially halve the cost."

Dr Benedek said that in Southern California for example, one third of the water that consumers pay for goes to energy. That cost can be reduced if such membrane technology is available.

He continued: "We are entering a miracle age because thanks to biotechnology, and understanding how nature works, we can achieve very low energy and precise molecular changes. So I'm very excited (to see) what will happen once we take all that knowledge that is accumulating and translate that to practical things."

Using Dr Benedek's low-pressure membrane technology, drinking water can be produced from just about any water source. This technology was instrumental in developing Singapore's NeWater.

Because of Dr Benedek's pioneering work, membrane technology is currently used in many types of water treatment - such as wastewater treatment and desalination.

In the next decade, he hopes that his membrane technology can benefit remote parts of the world, especially in areas that have shortage of water.

Dr Benedek will receive the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize worth S$300,000 on Wednesday night. - CNA/vm

Lack of clean water? Many ways to get around shortage, say experts
International panel stresses the need for countries to share expertise, knowledge
Clarissa Oon, Straits Times 25 Jun 08;

CLEAN water may be in short supply, but there is no dearth of ways to get around it.

That was the message sent out at the World Cities Summit by an international panel of eight officials.

They recommended a gamut of strategies - everything from state- of-the-art desalination technologies to cheap water-saving campaigns.

Speakers underlined the need for countries to share knowledge and expertise, and agreed that no one should be left out of the loop - especially women who, in developing countries, often shoulder the task of fetching and carrying water from collection points back to their homes.

The experts included former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, who is president of the Asia-Pacific Water Forum, a regional grouping of officials, academics and civil-society workers.

Also on the panel were Singapore's Dr Tony Tan, chairman of the National Research Foundation, and Saudi Arabia's Mr Fehied Al-shareef, who heads the government-owned firm that produces and distributes most of the Gulf state's potable or drinking water.

They spoke at a 90-minute forum on good governance and sustainable cities, chaired by Ambassador-at-large Tommy Koh, who warned that the breakneck speed at which urbanisation was taking place could turn out to be a 'nightmare' if cities and resources are not designed and managed well.

Among the key considerations he singled out: access to safe drinking water and sanitation.

Currently, 700 million people in Asia lack access to safe water, and about two billion lack basic sanitation facilities.

Mr Mori's Asia-Pacific Forum, which organised the region's first Water Summit in Japan in December last year, has vowed to halve these numbers by 2015, and to give all Asians access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2025.

Dr Tan spoke of his foundation's goal of establishing Singapore as a 'global water hub' by 2050, leveraging on technologies it has developed to desalinate sea water and recycle used water.

Such technologies have brought down the cost of a cubic metre of reclaimed used water from 80 US cents (S$1.10) to 20 US cents over a decade; and desalinated water from US$1.50 to 50 US cents, he said.

Sharing how Saudi Arabia has tackled water scarcity, Mr Al-shareef said initiatives to promote household water conservation and stem leakages in water networks have helped save three million cubic metres of water a day.

This has saved households half of their daily water consumption, said the governor of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation.

'Countries try to meet the high demand of water by increasingly building more plants and finding more sources, but never think seriously about tackling demand itself through cheap methods and quick solutions,' he argued.

And whether it is supply or demand, water-policy experts must remember to put people first, especially poor women 'who bear the brunt of poor water services', said South Africa's Water Affairs and Forestry Minister, Ms Lindiwe Benedicta Hendricks.

She noted that in developing countries, it is women rather than men who queue for water at collection points and use water in cooking and caring for the family.

'I am from Africa but I could easily be speaking for China or India,' said Ms Hendricks, who urged officials to 'put women at the centre of water policies and their implementation on the ground'.

Thirsty for answers to water woes? Pioneer offers three ideas
'Persistence and bravery' the key to tackling crisis: LKY Water Prize winner
Tania Tan, Straits Times 25 Jun 08;

THIRTY years ago, no one would listen to him when he said membranes were the way to go for water treatment.

Yesterday, nearly 1,000 pairs of ears were tuned to Dr Andrew Benedek, as he once again challenged convention with three ideas to tackle water shortages.

His proposals:

# Develop membrane treatment that requires zero energy.

# Harvest energy from waste-water treatment for other uses.

# Produce grains that require less water to grow.

He threw up these challenges when he delivered the inaugural Singapore Water Lecture.

The 64-year-old Hungarian native is the inaugural winner of the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize, for his pioneering work in membrane technology for water treatment.

Using human cells - which use membranes to filter out unwanted substances - as a model, Dr Benedek created a new generation of filters to produce pure water.

The membrane technology that Dr Benedek dreamed about in 1980 went from being 'ridiculous to mainstream' as almost every country globally, including Singapore, uses it to treat water, said session chair Professor Kishore Mahbubani.

'Persistence and bravery' were key to tackling the water crisis with unconventional means, noted Dr Benedek.

For instance, current membrane technology - like the ones used to produce Newater - is energy intensive, requiring up to 1kWh to produce one cubic metre.

Cutting the energy usage to near zero would make the method viable for even developing countries, he explained.

'A country's energy, water and food resources are interlinked,' he noted. 'If you can improve one, you improve all.'

Industry bigwigs, academics and government officials from the water sector listened intently as Dr Benedek continued to dream big for the future.

He hoped that treatment plants could one day harness by-products from waste-water treatment, like methane, to generate power.

More efficient irrigation and crops that require less water to grow could also help minimise water stress on agricultural nations, he added.

Fortunately, technology for such solutions already exists, he said.

Stockholm Water Prize laureate and audience member, Dr Perry McCarty, agreed.

'It's just a matter of putting technology to good use,' said Dr McCarty, whose prize is the water equivalent of the Nobel award.

The hour-long lecture was followed by a rapid-fire question-and-answer session.

From getting funding for community projects in Kathmandu to treating waste water produced during oil extraction in the Middle East, it was clear that delegates were thirsty for answers.

And while he acknowledged there were no easy answers to the world's water problems, Dr Benedek was optimistic that they could be tackled.

'It doesn't take rocket science, and it's not a crazy notion,' he said.

'It can happen. All it takes is concentrated effort.'

Singapore's investments in water research cut cost of reclaimed water
Channel NewsAsia 24 Jun 08;

SINGAPORE: Over the last decade, the cost of a cubic metre of reclaimed used water has gone down from 80 US cents to 20 US cents, and desalinated water from 1.50 US dollars to 50 US cents.

Such dramatic reductions in the cost of water are the results of Singapore's investments in research on water technology, said the chairman of the National Research Foundation Tony Tan.

Used water is recycled and seawater desalinated using advanced membrane technology.

Dr Tan said these technologies have broadened the possible sources for water-scarce nations, like Singapore, to provide this critical resource to their people.

He was speaking at a session on good governance at the Singapore International Water Week on Tuesday.

Singapore has, in fact, set aside S$500 million for more research.

Dr Tan added that Singapore is also progressively building a desalination plant using seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) membrane technology. This can supply a maximum of 30 million gallons of drinking water per day.

When that happens, it will bring Singapore closer to meeting the target of having non-conventional sources of water making up at least 30 per cent of the country's water needs by 2012.

Dr Tan said: "Urbanisation brings about a host of challenges in the areas of infrastructure, resources and the environment. Countries must ensure sustainable development that will benefit all its citizens through the proper provision of infrastructure and development of clean technologies.

"This can be facilitated through strong government commitment, the development of capital markets, increased international co-operation and investment in research and development in clean technologies." - CNA/ir

Many solutions to a great and growing hunger
Loh Chee Kong, Today Online 25 Jun 08;

IT IS perhaps a sign that the concept of “sustainable development” is very much in its infancy, that world leaders had quite different ideas on the best way forward.

From pumping more funds into research to putting women at the forefront of water management, luminaries made urgent, if disparate, calls for action yesterday at the Water Leaders’ Summit plenary session.

With the world and Asia especially grappling with unprecedented urbanisation, National Research Foundation chairman Tony Tan urged for “political commitment, technology development and greater private participation” in solutions to meet energy and water demands. “The world is witnessing the largest wave of rural-urban migration in human history,” he said. “A multi-pronged approach to addressing the challenges is necessary.”

By 2030, there will be around 2.6 billion urbanites in Asia, or 54 per cent of the population — a 16-percentage-point spike from 2004. Pointing out that the challenges cut across “a whole spectrum of areas”, including water, waste, land use and carbon emissions, Dr Tan said: “New technologies, developed through extensive research, act as powerful multipliers in the provision of sustainable development.”

With nearly a third of each city’s water supply lost through seepage, Saudi Arabia’s Saline Water Conversion Corporation governor :Fehied F Al-shareef, argued for renewed efforts in domestic conservation and controlling pipeline leaks — “cheap” methods that can save “40 to 50 per cent” of water needs.

Instead of following other countries that “try to meet the high demand for water by building more plants and finding new sources”, Mr Fehied said his country focuses on managing demand. Along with print and e-media, the Saudi Arabian government has distributed 4 million water conservation kits to residents.

But for the only woman on the eight-member panel — South Africa’s Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry Lindiwe Benedicta Hendricks — a deeper mindset shift was needed. Describing her impassioned call as not “just another woman’s tantrum” but “a statement of awakening”, she said there would not be genuine engagement to find solutions “until and unless women are included as spokespersons”.

“Water, after all, is about the home and women are about the home. Water is about cleanliness, hygiene, health, food and nutrition. It’s about sanitation and dignity. It’s also about growth and development. Tell me that women aren’t critically involved in all these issues,” she said.

'Crazy' water purifying idea turned into a global hit
Business Times 25 Jun 08;

A 'CRAZY IDEA' from a self-confessed Don Quixote: That was how Andrew Benedek, inaugural winner of the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize, described his pioneering work in low- pressure membranes at the first Singapore Water Lecture yesterday.

The membranes use less energy and are cheaper to operate than other water purification technology. They have been used in water projects around the world, including our own NEWater reclamation centres.

'The technology has gone from a dream to reality in many parts of the world,' Dr Benedek said. When he first started working on it, there was just one other 'Don Quixote' tilting at the same windmill, he said.

But the technology is now perfectly placed to meet the increasing global shortage of fresh water. The world faces a water crisis - over 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water - and advanced technology could bring costs down and allow poor countries to enjoy clean water.

Dr Benedek noted that much of the energy cost of water is transporting it from central treatment plants to points of use. Building smaller treatment plants in each estate would reduce energy wastage and water leakage, he said.

The Singapore Water Lecture was held as part of Singapore International Water Week, now on at Suntec Singapore. More than 5,000 delegates are attending the weeklong meetings to discuss water solutions and sustainable development for cities.