NEWater

Hi everyone,

Today I will telling you all about NEWater.


So what is NEWater?


NEWater is the name of the recycled wastewater produced by Singapore's Public Utilities Board. It is potable and fit to be consumed by humans. It is mostly used in industries that needs large amount of high purity water. In order to save water, NEWater is thus used.


So how did NEWater came about?


In 1974, water recycling started. However, due to cost and reliability issues, the experimental plant closed down in 1975. Water recycling was not used until 1998. In 1998, Singapore's Public Utilities Board (PUB) and the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) initiated the idea of NEWater. This time, they started the idea of water recycling again as they did not want to rely too much on Malaysia for water. The idea was successful! Water was then used. In 2001, they then tried to increase water supplies for non-potable use so that the demand for water in reservoirs will be lower.


Where is the production of NEWater done?

Singapore had 5 NEWater factories, at Bedok, Kranji, Ulu Pandan, Seletar, and Changi. There is also a visitor centre near Tanah Merah MRT station. That is used for educational purposes and also for production.

What are the steps in the production of NEWater?


1. The used water will be conventionally treated in the Water Reclaimation Plants

2. The water will then be filtered by using ultrafiltration. Suspended solids, colloidal particles, disease-causing bacteria, some viruses and protozoan cysts will be filtered out. The water will then only contain dissolved salts and organic molecules.

3. The filtered water will then go through the process of Reverse Osmosis (RO).

4. UV disinfection then introduced to ensure the water is clean and all organisms are inactivated. This will act as a safety precaution.

5. Alkaline chemicals will be put to restore the pH balance of the water and NEWater is then safe to be consumed by humans.

Where is NEWater being used?

The 3 factories produced about 75700m³/day and 6% of this is used for indirect potable use. ( contributes 1% to Singapore’s potable water requirements (13m³/s)) while the rest used at water fabrication plants and other non-potable applications in industries.

This is a NICE video on NEWater!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1rb13g6dTU