UMS to innovate filtration system to supply clean water in Sabah interior

 By Olivia Miwil - March 3, 2023 @ 9:27am

Universiti Malaysia Sabah Dr Clarence Ongkudon giving a tour to Eternity Mode Sdn Bhd representatives at the varsity biotechnology research laboratory. - Pic courtesy of UMS

KOTA KINABALU: A collaborative research between Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and an oil and gas company will look into the possibility of providing clean water for people in the interior of Sabah.

UMS researcher Dr Clarence M. Ongkudon said that the varsity and Eternity Mode Sdn Bhd would look into water filtration innovation systems for consistent clean water supply.

He added that by using such a technology, it could channel between 50 to 100 litres of water within an hour, which is double than the current capacity.

"This collaboration will focus on improving UMS monolithic water filtration technology to build a fully operational and commercially available system to be installed in remote areas such as Kampung Long Pasia, Sipitang, and Kampung Guakon, Tamparuli.

"This technology is developed based on a poly methacrylate membrane that can be recycled and maintained using local technology.

"With this system in place, it is expected to contribute to the achievement of the sixth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), which is clean water and sanitation.

"The low cost of the technology makes this innovation an ideal solution for widespread use in rural areas and as a model for future development projects," he said in a statement.

This technology is estimated to cost up to RM50,000 and is funded through the Innovation Grant Scheme (SGI) from the UMS Innovation and Commercialisation Management Center and is protected under patents owned by UMS.

At the signing of the research agreement, UMS was represented by Clarence, while Eternity Mode was represented by the chief executive officer, Gesiri Gambung.