Summary reader response draft 3

In the article titled “S’pore’s fifth desalination plant opens on Jurong Island”, written by Qing (2022), functions and features of Jurong island desalination plant are well described. Desalination is a water treatment process which aims to convert seawater into potable water. According to Qing (2022), Jurong island desalination plant receives seawater used to cool the complex, a utility plant supplying steam and electricity for chemical companies on Jurong Island for processing into potable water. The plant processes consist of dissolved air flotation, ultrafiltration and seawater reverse osmosis which removes pollutants such as dissolved salt, minerals, bacteria, etc. One notable feature is that this highly automated plant only requires two to three people to operate, making it the most manpower efficient plant in Singapore. Moreover, Public Utilities Board (2023) mentioned that its strategic location alongside Tuas Power’s Tembusu Multi-Utilities Complex enable it to derive synergies in resources such as seawater-intake and energy, resulting in approximately 5% more energy-efficient compared to conventional desalination plants. This 5% might seem measly and insignificant but according to Public Utilities Board (2023), it amounts to an "annual energy savings sufficient to power nearly 1,000 households".

Jurong island desalination plant has the potential to generate unlimited potable water and be a reliable source, independent from weather or climate changes. However, negative environmental impacts can arise.

Desalination can generate unlimited potable water due to its ability to convert the vast amount of seawater available in this world into potable water. McCandless et al. (2023) states that seawater accounts for more than 96% of all water on Earth. With an abundant of seawater, the desirability for desalination is high. Desalination offers a revolutionary approach to the industry of water treatment; allowing humans to harness our natural resources effectively and convert them to valuable resources. Desalination is regarded by most experts to be the only currently available technology capable of countering high water demands, but it comes with its drawbacks Goergen (2022). This shows that desalination is highly supported by the opinions of experts, but the drawbacks are also acknowledged. Therefore, desalination has the potential to solve future water demand problems if the drawbacks are minimised and well managed.

Additionally, desalination can act as a reliable source of water, independent from weather and climate changes. For example, water scarcity is a serious issue in the Middle East. Majority of desalination plants are in the Middle East as the arid regions have no fresh water sources to sustain the population McCandless et al. (2023). Desalination is extremely crucial and necessary in countries that lack water due to their climate and weather nature. According to Chenoweth and AI-Masri (2023), Saudi Arabia plans to build a new city in 2045, to accommodate 9 million people and water intensive sectors like agriculture. Therefore, growth in desalination plant is expected, as the city will depend on water desalinated from the Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba. Despite facing water scarcity due to their geographical location, countries in Middle East are still able to develop themselves with the existence of desalination. This highlights the significant role played by desalination and its importance to Middle East, given its independence from weather and climate changes.

On the other hand, negative environmental impacts can arise from desalination, detrimental enough to reconsider the idea of desalination. Williams (2022) mentioned that to produce 95 million cubic metres of freshwater, 141.5 million cubic metres of brine is produced as waste. Desalination plants discharge brine into waterbodies. Brine is more saline than seawater, it lowers oxygen quantity and contains toxins like chlorine and copper which pose a threat to marine life Williams (2022). Furthermore, desalination is energy intensive so large amount of fossil fuels are burnt. This result in increase of carbon footprint which contributes to global warming.

Desalination is extremely crucial to Singapore as we lack water as a natural resource. Despite the disadvantages of desalination, desalination projects have been ongoing in Singapore since 2005 Public Utilities Board (2023). The first desalination plant was built in 2005. Now equipped with the latest proven water technologies at Jurong island desalination plant, desalination can be a sustainable solution to mitigate the escalating water demands projected to double by 2060 in Singapore. While we strive for future water stability, the disadvantages of desalination are being actively minimised at Jurong island desalination plant.

In conclusion, the advantages of Jurong island desalination plant have been proven and shown that it can be a sustainable solution to mitigating water demands in the future. Nevertheless, it is important to seek solutions to reduce and manage the disadvantages of Jurong island desalination plant. Currently, there are much research been done by Public Utilities Board as well as researchers from other countries. Only time will tell if there is a breakthrough in terms of reducing the negative aspect of desalination.

 

References

Chenoweth, J., & Al-Masri, R. A. (2023, January 19). Desalination could give the Middle East water

without damaging marine life. but it must be managed carefully. Phys.org.

             https://phys.org/news/2023-01-desalination-middle-east-marine-life.html#:~:text=Roughly%2016%2C000%20desalination%20plants%20now,350%20billion%20liters%20each%20year.

          Goergen, R. (2022, August 2). The future of desalination.

   https://geographical.co.uk/science-environment/the-future-of-desalination

          McCandless, R., Price, M., & Egrican,K. (2023, February 8). Desalination: Leveraging the potential of

          seawater.

https://www.stantec.com/en/ideas/topic/stantec-era/desalination-leveraging-the-potential-of-seawater

          Public Utilities Board. (2023, November 29). Desalinated Water.

             https://www.pub.gov.sg/Public/WaterLoop/OurWaterStory/DesalinatedWater

          Qing, A. (2022, April 17). S’pore’s fifth desalination plant opens on Jurong Island. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singapores-fifth-desalination-plant-opens-on-jurong-island

            Williams, K. (2022, December 16). The desalination process gives us freshwater – at a huge environmental cost. World Economic Forum.

             https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/12/desalination-process-freshwater-negative-environmental-cost/

Initial research pathway (Desalination)

Description of desalination: desalination is a water treatment process that is used widely to deal with the high water demands.

- Brainstorming of ideas between team members.

- Chose desalination as water is important in Singapore, water demands expected to double by 2060.

- Prompts includes "PUB water treatments", "Desalination in Singapore" and "Functions and features of jurong island desalination plant".

- Function and features from gAI (ChatGPT) were quite interesting and detailed.

- Looked into PUB and articles regarding desalination in Singapore and found well written examples/professional website that can be used as evidence to support our point (PEEL)

- Filter out key points to cover and rephase important yet lengthy information.

Assignment 1A

Subject: Self Introduction

Dear Professor Blackstone,

My name is Damien, ever since I was young, I have felt envious of my peers who knew their passion and the path they wanted to embark on in life. I graduated from Environmental and Water Technology at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. This course helped to broaden my horizon, enabling me to realize how meaningful and impactful engineering can be. With that, I decided to enroll in Civil Engineering in SIT. Currently, I find what I am learning enjoyable and glad that I entered the engineering field.

One communication strength I have is empathy for others. I always try to put myself in others’ perspective and consider their feelings. When a friend of mine talks to me about their problems, I am always able to give appropriate and useful feedback.

My communication weakness is that I have difficulty expressing myself. I am an extremely introverted person who never opens up to people whom I am not comfortable with. When a stranger engages in a conversation with me, I struggle to find the right words, which leads to bad expression of my thoughts.

My first goal for this module is to be more vocal in expressing myself to people including those who I am not familiar with. This might seem trivial, but for me, it is an accomplishment to step out of my comfort zone and bond with others. Next, I would like to sharpen my critical thinking skills, as these skills will be valuable throughout various aspects of my life.

Something that defines me is the fact that I believe I can get things done when I put my heart into it.

Thank you for reading and I hope you have a good day ahead.

Yours sincerely,

Damien Cheng

Quote

“Communication skills are an essential component in the education of engineering students to facilitate not just students’ education but also to prepare them for their future careers.” Marc Riemer, Faculty of Engineering, Monash University (2007)"

 This quote is to shows the importance of communication skills in engineering education. Effective communication not only enhances students' learning but also equips them for successful careers by encouraging collaboration, clarity and the ability to convey technical information to diverse audiences. - Nabil, Haziq & Damien