MEMSIFT PILOT PLANT REDUCES WASTEWATER

A pilot plant, being built by Separation Technologies Applied Research and Translation (START) Centre and Memsift Innovations Pte Ltd, will treat industrial wastewater and could reduce the amount of liquid waste by over 90 percent. The plant, located at a semiconductor firm in Singapore, can also recover precious metals from the treated water, which can then be sold and reused. The plant uses a novel water treatment system that leverages a new type of tri-bore hollow-fiber membrane that has three hollow cores, allowing for a water flow rate about 30 percent higher. The plant is expected to help the firm save up to 1.6 million liters of water annually, resulting in a savings of $250,000 in disposal cost.