Science ACE 2012

Science ACE 2012

Fieldtrip report - NEWater
Article review - The Next Miracle Material
Self-made resource - Simplified Model of Process of NEWater Production

Fieldtrip report
Went to Visitor Centre of NEWater factory in Bedok

NEWater is purified reclaimed water, and is one of the 4 National Taps of Singapore. It gives us a self-sustainable and constant supply of water. NEWater has a total of 4 factories in Bedok, Kranji, Ulu Pandan and Changi, with the Visitor Centre in the Bedok factory. The quality of NEWater constantly exceeds the standards set by USEPA and WHO guidelines and is cleaner than the other sources of Singapore's water.

Step 1: Microfiltration/ultrafiltration

Water from homes and industries is treated before coming into the NEWater plants. It is filtered through a very fine filter that looks like strands of noodles. Each pore in the membrane is about 0.0004 microns wide. Larger particles like soil and waste matter is trapped, making the water cleaner. However, the water is not safe to drink yet, as there may be smaller particles such as dissolved salts and organic molecules that can pass through the filter.


Step 2: Reverse Osmosis

Water is pumped through pressure tubes which contain even finer semi-permeable filter through which only water molecules can pass through. This frees the water from impurities. 75% of it is already of potable quality but the unusable 25% is disposed into the sea after treating.

Step 3: UV Disinfection

As a safety precaution only introduced in Singapore, the water goes through a Hanovia (UV) Disinfection Unit to kill any bacteria or viruses and avoid reproduction of cells in the water. This contains UV lamps housed in quartz tubes to keep the lamps away from the water. Though the temperature at the lamp housing is approximately 800°C, the protective cover ensures that the area in contact with water is only at 60°C.

The whole process only takes about 5 minutes.

Article Review
The Next Miracle Material from Knowledge Magazine

Graphene is basically slices of graphite one atom thick. It is incredibly strong and flexible at the same time, and with its electrical conductivity, it may become the next potential material for future-generation gadgets. Nokia has already signed graphene to be used in its future products.

Self-made resource

I made a really simple model of the whole NEWater process.