GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Water Supply Corporation and PBA Holdings Bhd have won the Gold Award at the Malaysian International Water Convention 2025 for an innovative project at the Sungai Dua Water Treatment Plant.
PBAPP chief executive officer Datuk K. Pathmanathan stated the project earned the award in the Circular Economy & Water Reuse category at Wednesday’s ceremony.
He explained the Zero Waste Recycling Project provides an innovative solution for handling water treatment residue, classified as scheduled waste since 2009.
“In Penang, PBAPP has opted for a more environmentally friendly, cost-effective and sustainable recycling solution, processing and repurposing WTR as a raw material for the production of cement bricks,” he said in a statement.
The circular process operates continuously, producing an average of 25.4 million litres per day of recycled water at Sungai Dua in September.
Solids classified as SW204 are transported from the water treatment plant to a factory in Bukit Minyak for cement brick production containing 30% recycled material.
Pathmanathan emphasised the project ensures water treatment residue is recycled into valuable green building material instead of being sent to landfill.
The recycling solution proves cost-effective with Penang’s water treatment residue recycling cost being 74% lower than projected transport costs to Selangor landfills.
PBAPP incurred no capital expenditure for the project as the Sungai Dua Dewatering Plant and cement factory were outsourced.
The project promotes sustainability in water supply operations by creating a new recycled water resource for water-stressed Penang.
The Sungai Dua Dewatering Plant was built to process approximately 91,250 tonnes of water treatment residue in 2025, with increasing capacity planned for subsequent years.
This Penang initiative effectively recycles scheduled waste for safe use in full compliance with the Environmental Quality Act 1974. – Bernama
