Leading Semiconductor Manufacturer Reduces Costly Water Intake with Improved Wastewater Reclamation System
| Challenge: | A semiconductor fab in Singapore faced rising water costs and complex, space-limited wastewater challenges, managing multiple difficult-to-treat streams within a constrained footprint. |
| Solution: | Century Water, an Aquatech company, implemented a three-layer reclaim system at FAB7 and FAB7G to treat and separate diverse wastewater streams. |
| Result: | The advanced reclaim system enhanced GlobalFoundries' water management by boosting reuse, reducing NEWater consumption, and improving overall operational efficiency. |
GlobalFoundries, a leading semiconductor manufacturer in Singapore, faced rising water costs and complex wastewater challenges in a resource- scarce region. To ensure compliance and reduce dependence on high-cost NEWater, the company prioritized a reliable on-site reclamation system that could deliver consistent quality while supporting long-term sustainability goals.
Challenge
Semiconductor manufacturing processes generate numerous complex wastewater streams, each with a unique mix of chemicals, heavy metals, and fluctuating pollutant loads. Such wastewater streams lead to various operational and technical uncertainties, which need to be tackled with efficiency to ensure consistent water quality and prevent disruptions to operations. NEWater, a high-quality water provided by Singapores national water agency to semiconductor FABs, is priced higher than potable water. To manage rising water demand and prevent high water prices, a key strategy is to reduce NEWater
intake through on-site water reclamation. CMP slurry water, with fine silica and abrasives, is among the hardest streams to treat and reuse to strict standards. Managing large footprint is another challenge that customer was facing as implementing a large-scale water reclamation system demands a significant physical footprint, which can be difficult to accommodate in brownfield sites.
Solution
During production at FAB7 and FAB7G, various waste streams—such as SLRD-M, SLRD-O, DIRD, condensate, and HDID are generated. Each of these streams has been thoughtfully identified and separated to ensure uniform water quality and safeguarding uninterrupted operations. Century Water, an Aquatech company, implemented a proven reclaim system with three layered system to treat wastewater generated from FAB production to get NEWater quality water, significantly reducing its demand.
Layer 1: Ceramic Membrane - Designed for the removal of particles and sludge with anti-oxidation properties, offering a compact footprint and minimal maintenance requirements.
Layer 2: Catalytic Carbon - Utilized to eliminate residual organics, oxidizing agents, and trace amounts of isopropyl alcohol (IPA).
Layer 3: Closed Circuit Reverse Osmosis (CCRO) Technology - Applied for the removal of ions and total organic carbon (TOC), ensuring product water meets stringent quality standards with recovery rates of up to 90%.
Result
The wastewater reclaim system at GlobalFoundries Fabs 7 and 7G has been successfully constructed and commissioned, with a treatment capacity of 1,680 m³ per day (70 m³ per hour). Century Water, an Aquatech company, with its expertise in wastewater treatment helped GlobalFoundries to reclaim water as per NEWater quality standards. It helped meet the water sustainability goals, reduced NEWater requirements and this reclaimed water is reused for the plant’s cooling tower, scrubber, and SUBFAB CDO tools. Prior to this initiative, GlobalFoundries Singapore achieved a water reclaim rate of around 50%. With the implementation of the new system, overall water recovery has increased to 54%, resulting in significant water conservation and cost savings for the facility. Overall, the wastewater treatment operations also became more efficient in less footprint while ensuring minimal operational disruptions due to effective segregation and treatment of various wastewater streams.