SINGAPORE: After 17 years of research and testing, a first-of-its-kind water filtration membrane is set to find its way into wastewater treatment facilities in China and be used to provide clean water to an Indonesian company. It could even be used in humanitarian relief projects in developing countries.

Touted as having twice the operational lifespan as and greater resistance to breakage than current technologies on the market, the membrane is being manufactured through 3D printing a first for a water filtration membrane.

The brainchild of Associate Professor Darren Sun from Nanyang Technological Universitys (NTU) School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the technology was developed at NTU and patented in 2008.

It is now being marketed by the universitys start-up firm Nano Sun, which Assoc Prof Sun co-founded with Adjunct Professor Wong Ann Chai from NTUs Nanyang Business School in 2012.

Nano Sun has received funding from the Prime Ministers Office, the Public Utilities Board (PUB), NTU and private investors consisting of sums as high as S$2 million to help jump-start the firm.

Currently valued at S$80 million, the company has secured deals with PT Pelaksana Jaya Mulia, an Indonesian firm, to provide 10,000 cubic metres of clean water a day, while working with an industrial paper mill in Guangzhou, China, to optimise its wastewater treatment processes.

Speaking at a media briefing at NTU on Thursday (Sep 11), Assoc Prof Sun described his creation a membrane made from titanium dioxide as frontier technology.

Titanium dioxide is a widely available compound that can be mined from minerals in the ground and is commonly found in food as whitening additives and in sunblock products.

Unlike plastic-based membranes, the titanium dioxide membrane does not break down in harsh conditions such as extreme heat or cold, or when exposed to ultraviolet light, which is used to disinfect water.

The compound is known to be super hydrophilic, which means water can pass through the material more readily than other materials. It also has naturally anti-bacterial and anti-fouling properties, meaning it is able to clean itself.

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NTU start-up breaks into clean water sector with filtration membrane