Waste-to-Energy Research Facility to be Opened in Singapore

Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) has formed a partnership with the Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) to develop a $30 million waste-to-energy research facility. The collaboration agreement was signed by Ronnie Tay, CEO of NEA, and Professor Ng Wun Jern, executive director of NTU's Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI).

The facility will be the first of its kind in Singapore and is planned to enable the translation of emerging waste-to-energy technologies, including the use of syngas. Other projects to be studied at the facility include turning waste and biomass into synthetic gas, cleaning and upgrading syngas to run a gas engine or turbine and using a gas separation membrane to extract oxygen from air.

"NTU has an established track record of industry collaboration and for translating research into impactful commercial applications," commented Prof. Freddy Boey. "It will provide local institutions and industries access to the world-class research facilities and expertise at NTU, helping them to innovate and develop clean solutions that are globally competitive," the professor continued.

Expected to be operational by 2018, the facility will be an open platform to support research as well as personnel training to build technical competencies in waste to energy.