Membrane-based solutions company Memsift Innovations received a new contract from a global microelectronics corporation to build a first nickel recovery plant in Singapore using its TS-30 improved membrane distillation technology followed by pilot trials. This project builds on Memsift’s track record in developing and implementing membrane distillation technology for the treatment of industrial effluent. The project is part of an initiative to reduce the environmental impact of the microelectronics manufacturing process.
The microelectronics industry generates industrial effluent containing valuable metals such as nickel, which are typically lost during conventional wastewater treatment processes. Memsift’s improved membrane distillation system recovers more than 95% of water and up to 100% nickel from the microelectronics industrial effluents, as estimated nickel recovery is about 10.2 tonnes/year with 11.5kg/kg of nickel’s carbon footprint.
The system is designed to achieve efficiency in nickel recovery while minimising energy consumption and operating costs by up to 80% compared to the current method in place. It helps to reduces emission by about 211 tonnes of CO2/year compared to the business-as-usual scenario. About 43% of emission reduction is due to the direct energy savings. Typically, it requires about 8436 trees to absorb the same amount of CO2 from the atmosphere over a year.
