Xylem Inc., a leading global water technology company focused on addressing the world's most challenging water issues, and PUB, Singapore's national water agency, today announced that the baseline and preliminary test results of a two-year Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) pilot study will be released at Singapore International Water Week. The findings are the first from the Xylem research and development center, a collaborative public-private partnership designed to develop innovative water solutions. Xylem and PUB will also be presenting a joint technical paper on the first-year results of this pilot study during Singapore International Water Week. Conducted at the Choa Chu Kang Waterworks in Singapore, the results demonstrated that ozone-based AOP can remove taste and odor compounds, and can be used to remove trace contaminants in water supply, should there be such a need in the future. The process being studied may be key to the large-scale implementation of this technology, both for drinking-water production and water reclamation. While the team's study is currently in its first phase, Xylem's Jenny Wang, Principal Investigator for this project, notes that its findings could have wide impact. “Water is a limited resource and contaminants may continue to increase in the future. AOPs are being adopted for full-scale applications with increasing frequency and are a cost-effective solution to this problem.” Xylem and PUB are conducting applied research, sharing knowledge and building joint capabilities that leverage one another's extensive resources. The two organizations believe these joint water handling and treatment capabilities will be key drivers in the development of new technologies and engineering solutions essential for the growth of Singapore and the water industry. “Over the last couple of years, we have built up a vibrant and thriving water industry of local and international companies, with innovation and technology development as a key pillar,” said Mr. Harry Seah, Chief Technology Officer, PUB. “Collaborative research is an important part of this, and the first-year results from the AOP pilot study are a testament to the value of PUB's partnership with Xylem. We look forward to expanding this collaboration into more areas in the near future.” In 2011, Xylem opened their Water Technology Center, a research office located at PUB's WaterHub. In addition to the existing research staff in Singapore, Xylem plans to hire additional research and applications engineers to support joint projects with PUB and expand the company's presence in Southeast Asia. These researchers will complement Xylem's existing ability to provide customers with leading treatment and transport solutions. “The preliminary findings from this inaugural study mark a major milestone for the WaterHub research and development center,” said Gretchen McClain, president and CEO of Xylem. “We look forward to continuing our collaboration with PUB to enhance water treatment in Singapore and to identify water innovations that can be implemented around the world.”
