UNLEASH Innovation Lab and Singapore Newater by Taylor Brown

UNLEASH Innovation Lab and Singapore NEWater by Taylor Brown

f you had asked me at the beginning of this year to find if the water tested above the Bangladesh standard (50 μg/L) or Singapore on a map, I wouldn’t have been able to. That green if the water tested below the Bangladesh standard. By 2006, Ichanged when I was selected by the United Nations to attend the an estimated 100,000 alternative sources were installed in arsenic- UNLEASH Innovation Lab in Singapore in June 2018. UNLEASH affected areas and 70 percent of new installations were deep tube is a global initiative that annually brings together 1,000 young aca- wells (Inauen, et al. 2013). Technologies that avoid arsenic contam- demics, entrepreneurs and technical experts (talents) from around ination, rather than remove arsenic, are more cost-effective in the the world; the talents this year represented 110 countries. Over one long term and maintenance of arsenic removal technologies can be week, talents are tasked with developing an innovative, practical cumbersome. and scalable solution to one of the United Nations Sustainable A study conducted in 2013 (Inauen, et al. 2013) used the RANAS Development Goals (SDGs). model (Risks, Attitudes, Norms, Abilities, and Self-regulation) to The SDGs were agreed upon in 2015 by all United Nations mem- report that one-third of households in Bangladesh who are both at ber states and consist of 17 goals (Figure 1) and 169 targets to end risk of drinking arsenic-contaminated water, and who have access poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace to an arsenic-safe water option, do not use these safer options. and prosperity by 2030. To realize the SDGs, it is estimated that Users and non-users both understood the negative impacts of the world will need to invest a staggering $5 trillion to $7 trillion drinking arsenic-contaminated water, but many non-users reported per year, or roughly 7 percent to 10 percent of global annual gross that their safe water option involved more time, effort, and/or cost. domestic product. This will require new and innovative solutions My working group team used the UNLEASH five-step Innovation that will challenge traditional business models and approaches. Process to build a complex problem tree and look at how to influence household decision-makers to create long-term behavior change. The five phases of the UNLEASH Innovation Process are: Problem Framing; Ideation; Prototyping; Testing; and Implementing (Drain 2018). The process ensures that we are not solving for a problem that doesn’t exist and ultimately leads to the implementation of solutions that can help address the Sustainable Development Goals. Through the UNLEASH Innovation Process, we determined that the top-down blanket-testing approach of the past left no infrastructure in place for monitoring existing wells or for testing new wells. Based on this framing of the problem, my team devel- oped a solution that would build testing capacity locally, leading to sustained awareness in areas with high arsenic exposure and giving people more control over their water supply. At the end of the conference, we pitched our solution to judges, peers and potential Figure 1. The 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals funders. I am still working with my team to publish a paper and (SDGs). United Nations (United Nations n.d.) I am also exploring this emerging issue in Pakistan. UNLEASH Working Group For the conference, I was put into the working group for SDG #6: NEWater: Recycled Water in Singapore Ensure access to water and sanitation for all. I worked with a diverse Built into the conference were field trips to explore Singapore. team to address the issue of arsenic-contaminated groundwater in The SDG #6 working group was able to visit the NEWater Visitor Bangladesh. Centre, a water museum showcasing Singapore’s journey towards In Bangladesh, 39 million people are consuming water with water sustainability and how NEWater is produced. arsenic concentrations above 10 μg/L. This problem was discov- The NEWater process recycles used water into ultra-clean, high- ered in the 1990s and 46 percent of shallow tube wells exceeded grade reclaimed water, cushioning Singapore’s water supply against the limit. There was a massive tube well screening campaign from dry weather and moving the country towards water sustainability 2000 to 2006, where wells were tested for arsenic and painted red (Figure 2). Today, there are five NEWater plants supplying up to 40 percent of Singapore’s current water needs. By 2060, NEWater is Arsenic in Drinking Water expected to meet 55 percent of Singapore’s future water demand. Inorganic arsenic is naturally present at high levels in the ground- In the 1970s, the Singapore government commissioned a study water of several countries; at least 140 million people in 50 countries to determine the feasibility of producing reclaimed water. At that drink water containing arsenic at levels above the World Health time, the necessary technology had a much higher cost and unprov- Organization provisional guideline of 10 micrograms per liter (μg/L). en reliability. By the 1990s, the cost and performance of membrane Long term exposure to arsenic from drinking water can cause many technology had improved greatly. The energy cost of reverse osmo- health issues including cancer, skin lesions, cardiovascular disease, sis has come down by 75 percent since the 1970s. diabetes and impaired intellectual function. In utero and early child- As it is ultra-clean, NEWater is used mainly for industrial and hood exposure has been linked to negative impacts on cognitive air-conditioning cooling purposes at wafer fabrication plants, development and increased deaths in young adults. industrial estates and commercial buildings. NEWater is delivered (World Health Organization 2018) to industrial customers via a dedicated pipe network. The biggest users of NEWater are wafer fabrication plants, which create the sil- 50 Clear Waters Fall 2018 Figure 2. Diagram of the NEWater collection and treatment process. Public Utilities Board, Singapore’s National Water Agency (Public Utilities Board 2017) icon base for circuitry used in electronics and for microprocessors Recycled Water in the U.S. used in computers. Wafer fabrication occurs under clean-room con- The introduction of reuse systems can be difficult due to a ditions and requires water quality that meets even more stringent high degree of public skepticism. There have been attempts to metrics than drinking water. recycle sewage in the most water-scarce areas of the United States. During dry periods, NEWater is added to Singapore’s reservoirs California’s Orange County Water District (OCWD) began recy- to blend with raw water. The raw water from the reservoir is treated cling sewage water for non-potable use in the 1970s. It was not until before it is supplied to consumers as tap water. This is done to be 2008 that the recycled water was brought into the drinking supply, mindful of public attitudes and acceptance of reused water, as well which required extensive public relations and education campaigns as to provide an additional environmental buffer and allow for (Monks 2015). trace minerals to be reintroduced by blending with reservoir water. Texas aims to generate 10 percent of all new water supplies When then United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon through reclaimed water by 2060. Big Spring, Texas, has the first visited a NEWater plant in 2012, he said he would recommend the Direct Potable Reuse system in the United States, which sends strategy of recycling wastewater to other countries suffering from reclaimed water to the final treatment without passing it through water scarcity. Instead of toasting Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong groundwater reserves first (Monks 2015). Mixing reclaimed water with the traditional glass of wine, Mr. Ban toasted him with a bot- with groundwater is unnecessary, as it has the potential to re- tle of NEWater calling it something far more valuable than a glass contaminate the reclaimed water, but it is done to ease the minds of wine. continued on page 56

My team from left to right: Lucky Musonda from Zambia, myself, Vismit Bansal from India, Anna Thyssen from Australia, Bulbul Ahmed from Bangladesh and Anita Etale from Kenya. Taylor Brown Clear Waters Fall 2018 51 continued from page 55 References Drain, Andrew. 2018. “The Five-Step Innovation Process: UNLEASH’s Design Workshop, Introduced and Critiqued.” Engineering for Change. June 19. https://www.engineeringfor change.org/news/five-step-innovation-process-unleashs-design- workshop-introduced-critiqued/. Inauen, J., M.M. Hossain, R. Johnston, and H-J. Mosler. 2013. “Acceptance and Use of Eight Arsenic-Safe Drinking Water Options in Bangladesh.” Edited by J. Christopher States. PLoS One 8 (1): e53640. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0053640. Monks, Kieron. 2015. “From toilet to tap: Getting a taste for drink- ing recycled waste water.” CNN – World – U.S. Edition, November 17. https://www.cnn.com/2014/05/01/world/from-toilet-to-tap-water/ index.html. Public Utilities Board. 2017. “PUB Singapore’s National Water Agency Corporate Brochure.” Accessed August 21, 2018. https:// www.pub.gov.sg/Documents/PUBcorporatebrochure2017.pdf. United Nations. n.d. “Communications Materials.” Sustainable Development Goals. Accessed August 21, 2018. https://www.un.org/ Me at the NEWater visitor center with my NYWEA t-shirt that says sustainabledevelopment/news/communications-material/. “WATER’S WORTH IT”. Taylor Brown World Health Organization. 2018. “Arsenic.” WHO News-Fact Sheets- of the public. Detail. February 15. http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ With improved awareness, reclaimed water can be brought to arsenic. drinking water supplies directly, which would decrease energy use and costs. In the coming decades, drinking water that comes from recycled sewage will be normalized and be a great defense against water scarcity.

Taylor Brown is a Civil Engineer with Wendel and may be reached at [email protected].

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