Singapore is implementing a policy called the Four National Taps (local catchment water, imported water, NEWater and desalinated water) with the aim of establishing a sustainable water supply system. Under the policy, the Singaporean government is actively expanding the area for water catchment up to 66% of the country while promoting expanded use of NEWater (reclaimed from used water, which already accounts for 30% of utilization) and enhancement of water desalination facilities in order to reduce its dependency on the water import agreement with its neighbor Malaysia, which is scheduled to expire in 2061.
Toray has a track record of supplying RO membrane elements to major Singaporean plants, including the SingSpring Desalination Plant in Tuas (production capacity: 136,400 cubic meters per day; operations started in 2005) and the NEWater plant in Changi (production capacity: 228,000 cubic meters per day; operations started in 2010), which is the latest and biggest under the NEWater project. In Singapore, Toray’s market share of water business-related RO membrane elements has reached about 60%. The market share will climb to 70% with this order for the country’s biggest Tuas II plant. The company is determined to further contribute to Singapore’s efforts to ensure stable, high-quality water resources.
The global RO membrane market has been expanding, fueled by worsening global water shortages and the need for conservation of water resources in response to environmental considerations. In addition to existing applications, including drinking water and pure water for industrial use from seawater and brine desalination, membranes are now being used to reclaim water from urban sewage and industrial wastewater. The demand for membranes is likely to keep growing steadily, primarily in regions including North America, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and China, while the demand in emerging countries including India and those in Latin America is also expected to expand.
Toray began research on RO membranes in 1968, and is now produces a full line of RO, Nanofiltration (NF), Ultrafiltration (UF) and Microfiltration (MF) membranes developed with its own technology. The company will continue to actively pursue orders in the growing global market by leveraging its world-class water treatment expertise based on the core technologies of synthetic organic chemistry, polymer chemistry, biotechnology and nanotechnology.
Under its medium-term management program “Project AP-G 2013” launched in April 2011, Toray is implementing the Green Innovation Business Expansion (GR) Project, and the water treatment business, which is aimed at addressing global issues including environmental, resource-related and energy issues, is positioned as one of the core areas of the project. Toray aims to solidify its position as the leading company in water treatment business through strengthening and expansion of its global sales network, improvement and enhancement of its production facilities and capacity, and development of new technologies and products.
