Environmental Research
Group
The research activities
of the Environmental Research Group are focused in the
areas of :
In
the area of Innovative solutions using membrane
technology in water and wastewater purification,
active research work is being carried out to improve
and optimise the supply and quality of Singapore’s
limited water resources. Current research projects include
: pretreatment of saline water prior to reverse osmosis
desalination; advanced oxidation processes with membrane
technology for water purification; and wastewater purification
using novel photo oxidation and membrane technology.
Fundamental research is also being carried out to study
the effect of membrane charge on the nanofiltration
process and the dynamics of phosphorus in the sediments
of tropical reservoirs.
Flow diagram of ultra
pure water produced from wastewater
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Scanning
electron micrograph of the
toluene degrading Mycobacterium sp.
strain T103 grown on solid media
(bar, 1micron)
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Research has also been
carried out into the use of water and wastewater sludge,
municipal incineration fly ash, marine clay, and industrial
waste products as resources to produce construction
materials and other useful materials under the research
area of Waste reuse and
resource recovery. On-going projects under
this category include : evaluation of municipal incineration
fly ash as a blended cement material; development of
sintered sludge as a construction material; recycling
marine clay and industrial solid wastes into high value
added civil engineering materials; and the development
of adsorbents from municipal sewage sludge.
The
area of Bio-granulation and biofilm technologies
in waste treatment is particularly relevant
as Singapore develops its industrial base and problems
associated with high strength wastewater treatment become
more pressing. Because of limited land space, coupled
with high labour cost, it is necessary to improve the
efficiency of present treatment processes, which are
designed mainly for low strength wastewaters. Research
is presently being conducted on the anaerobic process
using submerged filters, upflow sludge blanket and hybrid
filters. These systems offer considerable savings on
space requirements, sludge disposal, and requirements
on skilled labour.
Furthermore, methane
gas produced during anaerobic treatment provides substantial
savings on energy requirements. Fundamental studies
are also being conducted on the granulation process
of sludge in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket systems
with the aim of developing fast growing and strong anaerobic
granules for rapid start-up of these systems. Research
is also being undertaken into aerobic processes using
biofilm technology for nutrient removal. Some of the
on-going projects are : molecular mechanism of sludge
granulation; stability comparison of high rate anaerobic
systems; and aerobic biofilm technology for simultaneous
removal of carbon and nitrogen.
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Set
up of anaerobic hybrid reactors
in the temperature controlled room
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Over
the years, the group has been undertaking researches
in the area of Contaminated site remediation
in the attempt to solve soil and groundwater contamination
problems in the region. The mission of this research
group is to develop appropriate remedial technologies
for regional applications as well as innovative technologies
that will have impact on current site remediation practices.
The on-going research projects include the investigation
of hydrogeological and geochemical properties of the
predominant soils in Singapore and the interactions
between the soils and contaminants such as petroleum
hydrocarbons and heavy metals. The main objectives of
these studies are to examine the fate and transport
of these contaminants in the soils and to identify the
appropriate decontamination methods. Other on-going
projects include the modelling of municipal landfill
leachate migration in the subsurface and risk analysis
to verify a risk-based landfill design.
The
other area that the group has embarked on covers the
Assessment and management of environmental impacts.
Research under this category is focused on applying
useful tools to better assess and manage environmental
impacts. Current research interests include the use
of life cycle assessment techniques on the selection
of appropriate wastewater treatment technologies and
municipal solid waste disposal alternatives and the
application of computer modeling and risk analysis techniques
for environmental decision support..Another on-going
project is life cycle analysis of wastewater treatment
technologies.
Staff
Members List
Current Research
Project List
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