Sembcorp reuse closes Chinese port-zone’s water loop

Singapore company Sembcorp today opens its first industrial water reclamation plant in China on 13 December 2011.

The plant can produce 20,000 m³/d of industrial water and up to 4,000 m³/d of demineralised water for supply to customers in the Zhangjiagang Free Trade Port Zone.

The RMB 106 million (US$ 16.7 million) facility produces industrial water using treated effluent from Sembcorp‘s centralised industrial wastewater treatment plant in the zone, thereby promoting water reuse and environmental conservation.

With this facility, Sembcorp’s total investment in the Zhangjiagang Free Trade Port Zone amounts to approximately RMB 320 million (US$ 50.3 million). Sembcorp now manages the entire water cycle of the free-trade port zone, providing total water and wastewater management solutions to its customers. Sembcorp’s total water solutions not only help its customers comply with discharge regulations and limit environmental impact, but also promote the reuse of water, closing the “water loop”.

This total water management model reduces liquid discharge and conserves precious water resources, and represents a significant advancement for the water management industry in China. At the same time, Sembcorp’s industrial wastewater treatment facilities are capable of treating highly concentrated wastewater with chemical oxygen demand of up to 14,000 mg/L directly from source, without requiring its customers to invest in pretreatment facilities.

Commenting on the plant’s opening, Tang Kin Fei, Sembcorp group president and CEO, said, “We have efficient and technologically-advanced facilities in Zhangjiagang that can provide wastewater management and solutions for water reuse to customers in the free trade port zone. Besides serving their water requirements, we also help our customers and the local government protect the environment.”