Study to determine if Semakau waste can be used to build Tuas Port

Research is under way to determine if the incineration ash from Semakau, Singapore’s only landfill, can be repurposed for other uses, such as building Tuas Port.

As Semakau landfill is expected to reach full capacity by 2035, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said at the Bloomberg Sustainable Business Summit recently that the Government is mulling over the possibility of recovering the ash for a second lease of life.

Asst Prof Fei Xunchang, from NTU’s CEE, said his research team is currently investigating the various waste residues found in Phase 1 to see if they can be repurposed for other uses, like construction materials. He and his team have visited Semakau many times to collect waste samples, and to do site investigations, such as using non-intrusive methods to determine the properties of the waste up to 20m deep.