Assignment Brief:
This assignment is an essay and is designed to establish your knowledge and understanding of ECP. In this exercise, you will be assessed based on:
- Your skill in identifying existing and/or potential environmental aspects or sources of environmental pollution, and the corresponding impacts in the industry or operation you have selected. You will also be assessed in your selection or prioritization of important environmental issues.
- Your skill in identifying control measures to address problems identified above and the basis of your recommended control measures.
- Your presentation skill, which should be in the form of a written report. This course assignment requires students to:
- Identify all environmental aspects or sources of environmental pollution likely to cause significant impacts and prioritize them in the order of importance, stating clearly the process and factors used in their prioritization.
- Research available pollution control technologies for each of the significant aspects and recommend at least two options to control pollution, minimize impacts, and comply with Singapore regulations.
- Your recommendations should be specific to the impact and provide detailed information and data e.g. regulatory requirements, benefits, and other information to support your proposal.
- You are also expected to discuss the impact (benefits, limitations, and/or disadvantages) of the control measures you have recommended. You may select an industry or type of operation from among the following:
- electronics and semiconductor industry;
- printing and laminating services;
- electroplating and metal finishing,
- transportation;
- shipyard;
- hotel and food service,
- hospital;
- research and laboratory operations;
- commercial building management;
- water and wastewater treatment;
- power generation; and
- petrochemical.
Environmental aspect and Impact in Singapore water reclamation plant
Introduction
Driven by the scare and limited supply of water resource in Singapore, PUB(Public utility boards) have initiated the usage of water resources to be recycled and reuse for sustainability in Singapore. Singapore has taken a step further by investing in research and advanced water treatment technologies. Most of the domestic and industrial effluent was the channel to the water reclamation plant for treatment, which converts to the drinkable and industrial water supply such as NEWater and G3 effluent.
A short introduction to environmental concerns related to this industry.
In the past, sewage and waste effluent were not treated as it was a major concern towards the environmental issues. Issues of wastewater discharge to the sea from domestic usage to industrial effluent. This initiates water pollution into the river downstream and seawater, subsequently, will affect the damages in marine life and the eco-system. If wastewater were not treated it will move through the hydrosphere in a water (hydrologic)cycle[1]. Then this will suffice to environment degradation. Often, the cycles of the earth system will be unbalanced and disrupt the regulation of the ecosystem. However, people were skeptical about recycling their domestic water usage. Research has shown that wastewater or trade effluent can be treated and use for domestic and industrial consumption.
Environmental Aspects, Their Impacts, And Prioritisation
| Activity/ Process/ Operation/ Service | Aspect | Impact | Priority Level | Rational or explanation for Priority level |
| The process of wastewater treatment | Toxic chemicals, oil, and grease
|
Water pollution | 1 | When effluent discharge from sewage water treatment, unwanted chemicals,s, and oil were present. Often, the effluent containing pathogen and toxic metals discharged into the sea. This will lead to pollute the sea and affect marine life and cause coral defamation and bring disease to the marine life such as fishes and invertebrate species examples crab, mussels, and planktons in the sea. Hence this will inflict a great impact of pollutions on marine life. |
|
The usage of the mechanical machine to run the wastewater treatment plant |
Gas emission from a diesel generator
|
Air pollution | 2 | When fuel like diesel was used for operating diesel generators, pollutant gaseous from incomplete combustion like carbon monoxide, volatile organic carbon(VOCs), and benzene gas. |
| The use of sludge cake product for land reclamations | Toxic substances,
Oil and grease |
Land pollution | 3 | When solid sludge was dewatered and sludge solids were used for waste reclamations. This waste management is the solution to prevent over dumping of waste in Singapore due to the limited amount of space. Even this, would contribute a minor impact on the land reclamations. |
| The usage of energy consumptions to generate the wastewater treatment plant | High consumption of energy to run the Pumps, mechanical screens, and sludge dryer
|
Depletion of natural resources | 4 | When influent water flows into the process, pumping stations requires mass-energy to pump the effluent into the process. Hence, diesel generators are used as backup and alternatives to public energy consumptions. The rationale of this high consumption would not impact the environment in short term as more burning or fossil fuel to generate the pump stations. |
Recommended Control Measures
| Priority Level | Aspects | Impacts | Existing/ Recommended Control Measures |
| 1 | 1. Wastewater discharge from water treatments containing oil, grease, and biological hazard
|
Water pollution | · Permeable membrane
· Activated Sludge treatment · Disinfection treatment |
| 2 | 2. Emissions from exhaust system from diesel generator to power the plant.For example, Pumping station, Aeration unit, centrifuge, and sludge digestion dryer Pungent smell and fumes from the primary settlement and aeration unit system. |
Air pollution
|
· Air pollution controls(APCs)
· Dry/ wet Scrubber system · Carbon Control · Vent gas condenser · Dust collector · Thermal/catalytic convertor |
| 3 | 3. Raw Sludge from Primary sedimentation tank containing toxic materials, grease, methane, and heavy metal | Soil and land pollution | · Grease plant treatment
· Digester plant · Sludge thickening process
|
| 4 | 4.Resource consumption (high electricity consumption) | Depletion of natural resources
|
Movement detection sensors installed in restrooms and pantries |
