(68d) Development of New, Low-Cost and Improved Membranes and Membrane-Based Systems for Water, Energy and Environmental Applications in Singapore

Membrane technology is an emerging technique that has become increasingly important in our life. With nearly 50 years of rapid development, today, various membrane processes have found numerous applications in industries from biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, agro-food, chemical processing, as well as in water, energy and the environment. While membrane technology has greatly enhanced our capability of tackling the challenges of increased population growth and scarcity of freshwater resources, as well as more stringent environment regulations, it is recognized that the current membrane processes still suffer from high energy consumption and generation of a considerable amount of waste stream. In addition, their benefits are also constrained by the less than ideal separations (low permeability & selectivity) of synthetic membranes due to the lack of functionality and controlled architecture.

Singapore membrane Technology centre (SMTC) was set up to spearhead Singapore's R&D efforts in fundamental and applied research in membrane science and technology.  This presentation will review our efforts in developing new, low-cost and improved membranes and membrane-based systems for water, energy and environmental applications. Our activities and specialisation involve following seven core areas: (1) water production –  water treatment, desalination;  (2) water reclamation – pre-treatment and reversed reverse osmosis;  (3) membrane bioreactors – conventional and novel;  (4) energy Issues – improving energy efficiency and energy production from chemical potential gradients; (5) special Needs – chronic and acute, decentralised; (6) sensors and process control – membrane monitoring and performance enhancement; and (7) cleaner production and environment – modification of production process to reduce its environmental impact and improve its profitability.