NUS secures three awards at IChemE ceremony

THE National University of Singapore (NUS) took home three awards from IChemE’s awards dinner held in Singapore on 21 October.

The national annual ceremony forms part of IChemE’s wider global awards programme, which celebrates excellence and innovation in chemical engineering.

NUS entrants took home three of the seven awards given on the evening. It shared the Energy Award – sponsored by IChemE’s Energy Centre – with Iowa State University for their collaborative development of a novel waste treatment technology that converts waste into value-added products. The hydrothermal carbonisation process enables the production of biofuels, biohydrogen, fine chemicals, and activated carbon from the likes of food waste.

NUS also won the research project of the year sponsored by IChemE’s Education Special Interest Group – for developing a technology that increases the efficiency of air conditioning systems. Using a selection of ceramic materials and hydrophobic chemicals, the team engineered a first-of-its-kind foil-like membrane that selectively sieves out water molecules at very high flux without the need for heat regeneration. This relieves moisture condensation, lowering energy consumption by 35%. The team says it is easy to retrofit into existing cooling systems.

Academic Jinsong He claimed the university’s third award, picking up the Young Chemical Engineer in Research Award, sponsored by Shell, for her development of and applications of adsorption and membrane technologies for water treatment.

Other winners included Glaxo Wellcome Manufacturing which won the Sustainable Technology Award for its waste heat recovery project at the site on the Jurong Island industrial hub in Singapore. The Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences was given the Process Safety Award for the development of a combined approach for inherent safety and environmental assessment. The tool enables engineers to balance the risk to environment and workforce safety by minimising any potential trade-offs between environmental and safety aspects. The Training and Development Award was won by Croda for its post-graduate certificate course that has a strong focus on process safety. And finally, Betty Tsai of Proctor & Gamble was recognised with the Young Chemical Engineer in Industry award for her research and publications.

IChemE’s president, Jonathan Seville, who gave the opening address, said the impact of what chemical engineers do in Singapore reverberate beyond its borders.

“The huge investment at Jurong Island has meant it is now one of the world’s most impressive chemical sites, hosting around 100 multinational companies. We at IChemE are delighted to be working with these companies and others; to secure the pipeline of committed and competent professionals like tonight’s winners, who will make the world a better place,” he added.

Chair of IChemE Singapore, Joe Eades, added: “Singapore is home to over 700 IChemE members and we are celebrating their success in both industry and academia. Our awards dinner provides a platform to recognise and celebrate these achievements, clearly demonstrating that chemical engineering is at a forefront and matters in Singapore.”

The award winners are automatically shortlisted for the IChemE Global Awards which take place in Manchester, UK on 3 November.