Malaysia is looking to adopt a new form of technology for its sewage treatment plants that is far more efficient, cleaner and cheaper if a pilot project to treat wastewater now being implemented in Langkawi proves effective.
The country’s Prime Minister stated that the ‘Advanced Moving Bed Bio-Reactor’ (AMBBR) technology now being tested at the sewage treatment plant in Pantai Tengah will undergo trials for two years before being introduced in other plants.
The PM noted the country has always been faced with a water purity problem, whether in shops or households where ever they may be. Now, the new Malaysian-owned system can process wastewater and completely clear it of sediments.
The country has developed a system and can now have treatment plants with large pools even though they are very costly, the PM noted.
The government will test the new system for two years, and if successful, it will replace the system used currently to treat wastewater, reporters were told after a visit to the plant in Pantai Tengah where they surveyed the implementation of the new technology.
The new advanced moving bed bio-reactor (AMBBR) technology is extremely important to ensure wastewater is treated in the best possible way, as otherwise, it could end up polluting the beaches and the sea.
Elaborating further, the Prime Minister, who is Langkawi MP, stated that this particular technology was the first of its kind in Malaysia, and if it goes on to produce an excellent success rate, then the technology could be sold to other interested nations as well.
The RM16.5 million AMBBR pilot project is being undertaken by a water plant in the region.
The project, which was completed in 2018, is now in its defect liability period (DLP) before it is expected to be handed over to Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd, a national sewerage company in Malaysia in, June 2020.
Meanwhile, asked whether there was sufficient water supply in Langkawi, the PM said supply currently was now sourced from Perlis on the mainland via a dedicated pipeline.
He said fishing activities that used nets tend to damage the pipeline, causing supply disruptions.
It was found that the region has been losing a lot of water at sea via the Perlis-Langkawi pipeline because of the fishing nets that drag and damage the pipes and to resolve this, the pipes are being planted beneath the seabed.
Langkawi’s groundwater could also be used as an option for its water supply, in the process of cutting dependence on the pipeline supply from the mainland.
Commenting on the move to reduce the toll rate by 18 percent on several highways under Projek Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan (PLUS), the PM said it would not affect the concessionaire financially, especially when it comes to maintenance of the highways.
PLUS has stated that with the 18 percent (toll rate) reduction, and without any hikes in the next 38 years, it can earn enough to maintain its highways.
It is believed that traffic volume in the years to come could increase and this would add to Khazanah’s revenue on top of other sources of income such as through advertisement space and so on.
Khazanah Nasional Bhd owns a 51 percent stake in PLUS while the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) holds the remaining 49 percent.
According to another article, Malaysia’s industrial water and wastewater treatment market is expected to reach over US$700 million by 2022.
According to the report, Ultra Filtration and Reverse Osmosis based desalination are the most prominent technological advancements poised to gain demand and popularity in the upcoming years.
Many new projects are expected to be constructed in the next few years under the 11th Malaysia Plan creating additional demand for water treatment.
Moreover, increased foreign investment combined with an increasing demand for products dominated by Malaysia, more specifically palm oil, electronics and rubber has led to an exponential increase in the demand for treated water and hence for industrial water treatment.
