PUB seeks solutions to drive innovation, sustainability in water industry
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Viable proposals shortlisted by PUB will receive pilot funding of up to $250,000 each.
PHOTO: ST FILE
SINGAPORE - Finding the best way to recover phosphorous from water reclamation plants so that it can be used in hydroponics to grow food – this challenge is among several that national water agency PUB wants firms to tackle.
The challenges are part of PUB’s third iteration of its annual Global Innovation Challenge. This year’s competition will anchor on sustainability and smart solutions to enhance the resilience of PUB’s operations.
Water industry partners and innovators will be invited to co-develop solutions across four challenge statements. Viable proposals shortlisted by PUB will receive pilot funding of up to $250,000 each.
Participants will also gain access to real-world test beds in PUB’s facilities and get the opportunity to work alongside its in-house engineers and water experts during the development phase.
One of the challenges is to look for solutions to recover phosphorus from the waste streams of water reclamation plants. The chemical, which can be found in significant quantities in used water, is a critical yet limited resource for modern agriculture.
The recovered phosphorus, if free of contaminants and in soluble form, can be used for hydroponics cultivation and contribute to Singapore’s push towards food security. The project can also improve resource circularity and reduce the volume of waste sent to landfills.
Another challenge is to find useful industrial applications for carbon by-products. PUB is working on two carbon-capture projects to advance its decarbonisation efforts.
If they are successful, large quantities of carbon by-products such as carbonate and hydroxide precipitates will be formed. These could be used as base materials for cement and concrete production, cosmetics, paints and many others.
The other two challenge statements focus on developing smart solutions to enhance PUB’s operations. One of them is a sewer-sampling robot that can collect used water samples from all types of sanitary sewer connections, and another is a smart drain inspector that can autonomously inspect the drainage network to identify defects.
Dr Pang Chee Meng, PUB’s chief engineering and technology officer, said: “To meet Singapore’s future water needs, while reducing its energy and waste footprint to mitigate climate change, PUB continues to source for new ideas to enhance water resilience and sustainability.”
He added: “The Global Innovation Challenge offers an exciting opportunity to companies around the world. We are hoping to leverage the best ideas globally to discover and adopt promising technology to revolutionise our operations, as part of our ongoing transformation to become a smart and sustainable utility of the future.”
The last two Global Innovation Challenge editions received more than 160 proposals, with 70 per cent of them from entities that PUB had not worked with previously.
Pilot projects were awarded for 13 solutions, and these projects are currently at various stages of development.
More information about the competition can be found at
