Global Innovations and Technologies To Be Launched at Singapore International Water Week 2009

By Mallika Naguran

Singapore, 10 June 2009. Twenty-nine new products and technologies will be unveiled and launched at the Water Expo Innovation Corner, including 16 global launches. This is riding on Singapore International Water Week that is on from 22-26 June. Companies behind some of these innovations have chosen the Water Week as the platform to make their inaugural entrance into the regional water market.

Michael Toh upbeat about Water Week.

Michael Toh upbeat about Water Week.

Says Michael Toh, Managing Director of Singapore International Water Week, “The Singapore International Water Week is shaping up to be one of the key events on the international water calendar.The fact that some of the leading companies in the world have chosen the Water Week as their global product launch pad attests to this fact.”

“This year we focus on showcasing solutions, especially successful solutions, and technologies,” he adds.

Some of these technologies and products include the FILMTECTM element BW30XFR-400/34I and BWHR30-440i by Dow Water & Process Solutions, Sekisui Chemical Co. Ltd’s impact Elastic- Wave Inspection system, Optiqua Technologies Pte Ltd’s Optiqua EventLab, Sytengco’s TwinOxide® and the Flygt N-technology by ITT Corporation.

Dow Water & Process Solutions, a division of The Dow Chemical Company, will be introducing two new variants of their award-winning FILMTECTM elements for brackish water treatment.The FILMTECTM element BW30XFR-400/34I reduces the cleaning frequency of reverse osmosis (RO) systems while offering superior removal of contaminants.

The FILMTECTM BWHR30-440i improves permeate water quality and RO system productivity by setting a new standard for biological and organic fouling resistance. The new membrane chemistry designed to improve the rejection of not only dissolved salts and minerals, but also contaminants such as silica and boron, which are not easily rejected. Additional benefits include improved permeate water quality, a 30 percent reduction in overall system chemical usage and potentially lower energy costs.

The Impact Elastic-Wave Inspection system from Sekisui Chemical Co. Ltd is another new technology that will make its debut at the Water Expo. This system allows efficient and accurate diagnosis of the condition of sewerage and water pipes. Unlike conventional inspection machines that can only do visual checking on the surface, this system can assess the strength of these pipes and as well as identify hidden cracks. The diagnosis then allows users to prioritise which of the pipes need to be urgently repaired or replaced.

Optiqua Technologies Pte Ltd, the Singapore based provider of optical sensor solutions for the global water industry, will launch its EventLab. The Optiqua EventLab operates the patented Optiqua MZI sensor technology as a generic sensor, measuring Bulk Refractive Index changes to detect real time changes in the water matrix.

Immediate alerts for such changes are important as it affects the quality of drinking water supplied to the public. In combination with its dedicated software algorithms, EventLab provides an excellent tool as a highly sensitive early warning system for continuous water quality monitoring. The modular, low maintenance system is easy to integrate and designed for on site and on line detection. With the launch of the Optiqua EventLab the overall water matrix can be effectively monitored on a real time and continuous basis. 

An efficient and safer alternative to chlorine that is 10 times more powerful than traditional disinfectants can be found in Sytengco’s TwinOxide®, a total concept solution for water disinfection. TwinOxide® kills all water-borne micro-organisms including bacteria, viruses and parasites which cause diseases like malaria, which affects 600 million people worldwide and results in 3 million deaths annually. This product is safe for both food and industrial applications, without any carcinogenic effects.

Another product that will be unveiled at the Water Expo is the revolutionary Flygt N-technology by ITT Corporation. This impeller virtually eliminates wastewater pump clogging by temporarily increasing the size of the passageway when it encounters large particles in the volute.

“Singapore International Water Week brings together water experts and buyers from all over the world. Hence, we feel that this is an ideal platform to hold the global launch of our innovative anti-clog Flygt N-impeller technology product,” says Ulf Arbeus, R&D Director at ITT Water & Wastewater.

“This is a significant step for the entire industry. Benefits for the operators of pump stations are remarkable, because reliability and energy efficiency can now be significantly improved – thanks to the patented impeller.”

Photography of Michael Toh by Mallika Naguran. Photo of Expo courtesy of PUB.

About the Singapore International Water Week 2009

The Singapore International Water Week 2009 will be held from 22 and 26 June at Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The theme is Sustainable Cities – Infrastructure and Technologies for Water.

Go to Singapore International Water Week for more details.

Related article in Gaia Discovery: Overview of Singapore International Water Week.