Case Studies

England and Singapore – Innovation in industrial water use

Tags: Water in a Wellbeing Economy

Yorkshire Water at its Esholt Wastewater Treatment works in West Yorkshire reuses waste filter media from sludge filter beds by processing the material into construction grade aggregate. Through this, 37000 tons of aggregate have been used in the construction of two railway stations on the Leeds and Bradford line (Spencer, 2018).

Singapore’s NEWater Project – In 2003, Singapore introduced its NEWater project which recycled treated sewage (“used water”) using a three-step purification process involving microfiltration, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet (UV) disinfection. This water is then injected intro reservoirs to mix with rainwater before being collectively treated for potable use. Over the years, NEWater has grown to meet up to 40% of Singapore’s total water demand. For more info on the case study and the critical factors that allowed it success, see Thai and Rawat, 2018; Lefebvre, 2018.

This case study features in the WEAll Briefing paper “Water in a Wellbeing Economy” – find out more and read the whole paper here.

References/find out more:

  • Spencer, R., 2018. Applying the circular economy to the water sector, AECOM. Accessed at: https://aecom. com/without-limits/article/applying-circular-economywater-sector/
  • Thai, P. T., and Rawat, S., 2018. NEWater in Singapore, PUB Singapore National Water Agency and Global Water forum. Accessed at: https://globalwaterforum. org/2018/01/15/newater-in-singapore/
  • Lefebvre, O., 2018. Beyond NEWater: An insight into Singapore’s water reuse prospects, Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health, 2: 26-31.
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