KUALA LUMPUR (April 6): Serba Dinamik Group Bhd and Membrane Technology (M) Sdn Bhd (MTM), a Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) spin-off company, signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) today to collaborate on the manufacturing and development of advanced membrane technology for haemodialysis treatment, water and waste water treatment.
The water cuts that affected thousands of households in Malaysia last year have highlighted the importance of clean water, said Serba Dinamik group managing director and CEO Datuk Dr Ir Mohd
Abdul Karim Abdullah at the virtual MOA signing session. “As demand for clean water increases, there is a need to pursue various technologies to meet this [need], and membrane technology has emerged as a favourite choice to reclaim water from various wastewater streams. Membrane technology is used in the water industry to improve the quality of water for reuse or discharge to the environment,” he said.
This collaboration with MTM will be the first industrial scale membrane manufacturing effort in Malaysia, he added. Serba Dinamik will contribute RM25 million for the project, which will be implemented for five years before commercialisation. The manufacturing plant is currently under construction in Pasir Gudang, Johor.
The other project that Serba Dinamik will collaborate with MTM is the development and manufacturing of advanced membrane technology for haemodialysis treatments.
“The global haemodialysis market size is valued at more than US$70 million in 2017, and it is expected to reach more than US$100 million by 2025, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 4.2% from 2018 to 2025,” said Mohd Abdul Karim.
Patients who suffer from kidney failure and other renal impairments have to rely on haemodialysis treatments, which filter out toxins from their blood.
Other than assisting the patients, the commercialisation of this technology also has national importance, said Minister of Higher Education Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad, who officiated the event.
“Water reclamation and healthcare are important national issues. The government consistently provides subsidies to address these issues and cater to the needs of the people,” she said.
Meanwhile, under its corporate social responsibility programme, Serba Dinamik has purchased mobile integrated water purification systems to provide clean water for rural households and schools in Malaysia.
These systems were developed by MTM, who has supplied 68 units to areas affected by natural disasters and schools in remote areas, says Professor Datuk Ts. Dr. Ahmad Fauzi Ismail, vice chancellor of UTM. “There are about 650 schools in Malaysia that have problems with treated clean water supply,” said Ahmad Fauzi.
MTM has also developed the first Malaysian seawater desalination treatment system, he added.
“We cannot be too dependent on rivers and dams as water sources for treated water supply consumption.”