Tuas Nexus Treatment Plant Converts Biogas Into Electricity & NEWater
In this day and age, available resources are depleting at an alarming rate.
To combat this dire problem, countries have invested in different developments to meet the needs of its nation.
For Singapore, a new treatment plant, the Tuas Nexus, will be mixing domestic and industrial solid waste with bio-solids from sewage water.
This process will create biogas, which can be converted into electricity and returned for use as NEWater.
Tuas Nexus combines 2 mega waste facilities
The nation’s first integrated water and solid waste treatment plan will combine the Tuas Water Reclamation Plant (Tuas WRP) and the Integrated Waste Management Facility (IWMF) to meet Singapore’s needs for long-term solid waste management and used water treatment.
Biogas will be created at the waste facility and water reclamation plant by converting food waste into semi-liquid mixture, such as:
- Fine particles of manure
- Cement
- Coal suspended in water
This will then be mixed with used water sludge from the water reclamation plant to create biogas.
The by-product of one facility will be used to operate the other, which will serve as the life source of Tuas Nexus.
One of the useful functions of the methane-rich biogas is it can be converted to electricity.
The combined location of the 2 mega facilities – the Tuas WRP and IWMF – will help to develop a more sustainable Singapore by optimising land use and maximising energy and resource recovery.
In a press release published on Tuesday (8 Sep), the National Environment Agency (NEA) and Public Utilities Board (PUB), have announced that the 1st phase of construction of Tuas Nexus has started.
It will be built in phases and the agencies forecast the completion to be by 2025.
Energy-saving benefits
This is expected to result in carbon savings of more than 200,000 tonnes of CO2 annually, which is equivalent to taking 42,500 cars off Singapore’s roads.
Furthermore, integrating both facilities will result in land savings of up to 2.6ha – about the size of 4 football fields – as compared to building the 2 as standalone facilities.
Tuas Nexus can also treat an initial water capacity of 800,000m3 per day, equivalent of 320 Olympic-sized swimming pools of water.
Striving towards a sustainable Singapore
With a compact land size, Singapore needs to be innovative in maximising every square metre to meet her increasing domestic and economic needs.
Having a forward-thinking vision in converting waste products into functional resources as well could be the answer to efficient cost-savings which funds can then be channelled to meet other needs of the country.
Featured image adapted from NEA.Â
