Ong Say Leong

Biography

Professor ONG SAY LEONG graduated from the then University of Singapore with a BEng (Civil Engrg) in 1979. He obtained his MESc (Biochemical Engrg) from the University of Western Ontario in 1980 and PhD (Civil Engrg) from the University of Toronto in 1983. His MESc research topic was on fuel alcohol production by Zymomonas Anaerobia whereas his PhD research topic was on regional wastewater treatment system planning and optimization.

Professor Ong has taught courses in water and wastewater engineering, advanced wastewater treatment, environmental modelling, water quality management, design of wastewater treatment system, industrial wastewater control, physical principles of environmental engineering, biological treatment processes and computing. He has published over 200 technical papers covering topics such as biofilm systems, water/wastewater reclamation and reuse applications, biological wastewater treatment and modelling, membrane technology, emerging contaminants detection and removal as well as computer applications in water and wastewater engineering.

Professor Ong is a registered professional engineer and has been involved in consulting jobs on water and wastewater treatment system and water quality management. He is active in the professional circle and is serving in several environmental engineering committees. These includes Governing Board Member of the International Water Association (UK), Member of the Board of Director of the Water Environment Federation (USA), Head of PUB Internal Audit Panel for NEWater and Water Supplies, and Chairman of Singapore Technical Committee on Drinking Water Quality Standards. Professor Ong also serves as Editor/Associate Editor/Editorial Board Member of 10 international journals in the area of water environment. These include an Editor of Water Environment Research (USA); Associate Editor of Water Research (UK); Associate Editor of ASCE Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste Management Journal (USA); and Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Water Supply: Research & Technology – AQUA.

Professional Qualifications

• Fellow (FSEng), Academy of Engineering Singapore (SAEng) 新加坡工程院 院士
• Registered Professional Engineer (PEng), Singapore  新加坡专业工程师
• Diplomate (D.WRE), American Academy of Water Resources Engineers 美國水資源工程學院Diplomat
• Board Certified Member (BCEEM), American Academy of Environmental Engineers  美國環境工程師與科學家院BCEEM
• Fellow (FIES), Institution of Engineer Singapore (IES) 新加坡工程师学会 会士
• IWA Fellow, International Water Association (IWA)  国际水协 会士
• Fellow (FEESS), Environmental Engineering Society of Singapore (EESS) 新加坡環境工程师学会 会士

Educational Qualifications

• PhD (Civil Engrg), University of Toronto, Canada, 1983
• MESc (Biochemical Engrg), University of Western Ontario, Canada, 1980
• BEng (Civil Engrg), University of Singapore, Singapore, 1979

Career History

• Emeritus Professor (July 2020 – present)
• Professor, National University of Singapore (January 2003 – June 2020)
• Associate Professor, National University of Singapore (July 1997 – Dec 2002)
• Senior Lecturer, National University of Singapore (July 1988 – June 1997)
• Lecturer, National University of Singapore (September 1983 – June 1988)

Honours & Awards

• Honorary Professor, Xi’an Jiaotong University (2023)
• Fellow, Environmental Engineering Society of Singapore (2022)
  
• Emeritus Professor, NUS (2020)
• Fellow, Academy of Engineering Singapore (2020)
  
• 1^st Prize at the third “GCL Cup” of the International College Green Energy Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition on “Algae Fuel” by X. Shi. S. L. Low, S. L. Ong and H. Y. Ng, 20-21 Oct 2017, Suzhou, China (2017)
  
• Public Service Star (BBM), National Day Awards 2016
• Top 50 Engineering Feast@IES-SG50: NEWater (2016)
• Green Apple Award for Environmental Best Practice (2016)
• Honor Award, The 2014 IWA Project Innovation Awards- Applied Research Category (Group Submission) (2014)
• IWA Fellow, International Water Association (2011)
• Diplomate (by Eminence) of Water Resources Engineer, American Academy of Water Resources Engineers (2011)
• Board Certified Environmental Engineering Member (by Eminence), American Academy of Environmental Engineers (2011)

Professional Activities

• Guest Editor for the Special Issue on “Advanced Nanomaterials for Water Desalination”, Results in Physics.
• Guest Editor for the Special Issue on “Removal of Aqueous Emerging Contaminants through Photodegradation and (Photo)catalysis“, Water.
• Guest Editor for the Special Issue on “Wastewater Collection and Treatment: With a Focus on Environment Sustainability”, Sustainability.
• Guest Editor for the Special Issue on “Emerging Contaminants and Its Health effects”, Frontiers in Environmental Science.
• Guest Editor for the Special Issue on “Green Infrastructure for Sustainable Stormwater Management”, Infrastructures.
• Guest Editor for the Special Issue on “Advanced Membrane-Based Technologies for Water and Wastewater Treatment”, Membrane.
• Guest Editor for the Special Issue on “Emerging Contaminants and Its Health effects”, Frontiers in Environmental Science.
• Guest Editor for the Special Issue of Infrastructures on “Green Infrastructure for Sustainable Stormwater Management”, MSPI, Switzerland, to be Published in late.
• Guest Editor for the Special Issue of Water on “Water Quality Control and Management”.
• Reviewer: Water Research, J. of Hazardous Materials, Process Biochemistry, J. of Engineering and Technological Sciences, and Desalination.
• Chairman, Singapore National Technical Committee on Drinking Water Quality Standards.
• Head, Internal Audit Panel (Technical) of Singapore’s Water/Used Water Systems, Singapore Water Authority.
• Technical Expert Panel for Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Bottom Ash Use Standards (since May 2019)
• Member, Academic and Expert Council, International Ecological Economy Promotion Association, Beijing, China (since 2020)
• Specialist, Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic & Vocational Qualifications
• The Institution of Engineers Singapore
• Environmental Engineering Society of Singapore
• Water Environment Federation
• International Water Association

Professional affiliation Involvements

• Associate Editor, Water Environment Research
• Associate Editor, Water Research
• Advisory Board, ASCE Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste Management Journal
• Board of Editors, Advances in Asian Environmental Engineering
• Editorial Board, Journal of Water Supply: Research & Technology – AQUA
• Editorial Board, Journal of Environmental Engineering and Management
• Co-Chair, EWT-COI Advisory Committee, Ngee Ann Polytechnic
• Technical Committee Member, Singapore Standard on Water Efficiency Management System
• Member, Project Team for Accreditation Scheme for Water Efficiency Management System (WEMS)
• Member, Working Group on Water Technology
• Member, Singapore Millennium Foundation Interviewing Panel
• Member, The Building & Environment Advisory Committee for Ngee Ann Polytechnic
• Director, Centre for Water Research
• Member, Singapore Environment Institute’s Examination Board
• Bioenergy Expert Review Panel, SERC, A*STAR
• Deputy Director, NUS Environmental Research Institute
• Director, Biotreat International Pte Ltd

Teaching Areas

• Biological Treatment Processes
• Environmental Systems Planning and Analysis
• Sustainable Urban Water Technologies
• Urban Water Engineering and Management
• Environmental Engineering Principles
• Water Quality Engineering
• Environmental Modelling
• Advanced Wastewater Treatment
• Industrial Wastewater Control
• Final Year Integrated Design Project

Research Interests

• Water Quality Enhancement
• Water Reclamation and Reuse
• Membrane Technology for Water and Wastewater Treatment
• Biotreatment Processes
• Sustainable Urban Water Resources Management
• Modelling of Water Quality Enhancement Systems

Selected Publications

1. Ma, L; Cai, Q; Ong, SL; Yang, Z; Zhao, W; Duan, J; Hu, JY (2023). Photonic efficiency optimization-oriented dependence model of characteristic coupling spectrum on catalytic absorbance in photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride, Chemical Engineering Journal, 451 (2): 138623. doi: 10.1016/j.cej.2022.138623
2. Teo, YS; Jafari, I; Liang, F; Jung, Y; Van der Hoek, JP; Ong, SL; Hu, JY (2022). Investigation of the efficacy of the UV/Chlorine process for the removal of trimethoprim: Effects of operational parameters and artificial neural networks modelling. Science of the Total Environment, 812, art. no. 152551. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152551
3. Jothinathan, L., Cai, Q.Q., Ong, S.L., Hu, J.Y. (2022). Fe-Mn doped powdered activated carbon pellet as ozone catalyst for cost-effective phenolic wastewater treatment: Mechanism studies and phenol by-products elimination. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 424, art. no. 127483. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.127483
4. Deng, S; Wang, Q; Cai, Q; Ong, SL; Hu, JY (2022). Efficient bio-refractory industrial wastewater treatment with mitigated membrane fouling in a membrane bioreactor strengthened by the micro-scale ZVI@GAC galvanic-cells-initiated radical generation and coagulation processes. Water Research, 209, art. no. 117943. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117943
5. Loh, WH; Cai, QQ; Li, R; Jothinathan, L; Lee, BCY; Ng, OH; Guo, J; Ong, SL; Hu, JY (2021). Reverse osmosis concentrate treatment by microbubble ozonation-biological activated carbon process: Organics removal performance and environmental impact assessment. Science of the Total Environment, 798, art. no. 149289. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149289
6. Wu, MY; Cai, QQ; Xu, HP; Ong, SL; Hu, JY (2021). Simulation of FBR-Fenton/GAC process for recalcitrant industrial wastewater treatment with a computational fluid dynamics-kinetic model framework. Water Research, 203, art. no. 117504. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117504
7. Deng, S; Jothinathan, L; Cai, QQ; Li, R; Wu, MY; Ong, SL; Hu, JY (2021). FeOx@GAC catalyzed microbubble ozonation coupled with biological process for industrial phenolic wastewater treatment: Catalytic performance, biological process screening and microbial characteristics. Water Research, 190, art. no. 116687. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116687
8. Cai, QQ; Lee, BCY; Ong, SL; Hu, JY (2021). Fluidized-bed Fenton technologies for recalcitrant industrial wastewater treatment–Recent advances, challenges and perspective. Water Research, 190, art. no. 116692. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116692
9. Jothinathan, L; Cai, QQ; Ong, SL; Hu, JY (2021). Organics removal in high strength petrochemical wastewater with combined microbubble-catalytic ozonation process. Chemosphere, 263, art. no. 127980. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.127980
10. Cai QQ; Wu MY; Li R; Deng SH; Lee BCY; Ong SL; Hu JY (2020, Jun). Potential of combined advanced oxidation – Biological process for cost-effective organic matters removal in reverse osmosis concentrate produced from industrial wastewater reclamation: Screening of AOP pre-treatment technologies. Chemical Engineering Journal, 389. doi:10.1016/j.cej.2019.123419
11. Xu D; Shi X; Lee LY; Lyu Z; Ong SL; Hu J (2019, Aug). Role of metal modified water treatment residual on removal of Escherichia coli from stormwater runoff. Science of The Total Environment, 678, 594-602. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.04.207
12. Semblante GU; Lee JZ; Lee LY; Ong SL; Ng HY (2018, Sep). Brine pre-treatment technologies for zero liquid discharge systems. Desalination, 441, 96-111. doi:10.1016/j.desal.2018.04.006
13. Maung, H O and S L Ong, “Boron Removal and Zeta Potential of RO Membranes: Impact of pH and Salinity”. Desalination and Water Treatment, 39, no. 1-3 (2012): 83-87.
14. Koh, L C, H Zhang, H Nguyen and S L Ong, “Performance of an Ultra-Compact Biofilm Reactor Treating Domestic and Synthetic Wastewaters”. Water Science and Technology, 65, no. 3 (2012): 484-489.
15. Tao, G. H., B Viswanath, K Kekre, L Y Lee, H Y Ng, S L Ong and H Seah, “RO Brine Treatment and Recovery by Biological Activated Carbon and Capacitive Deionization Process”. Water Science and Technology, 64, no. 1 (2011): 77-82.
16. Sandhi, E B, Y S Lam, S L Ong and J HE, “A Mesophilic Clostridium Species that Produces Butanol from Monosaccharides and Hydrogen from Polysaccharides”. Bioresource Technology, 102 (2011): 9558-9563.
17. Muthuswamy, S, S Pavagadhi, V Kuppusamy, R Balasubramanian and S L Ong, “Concomitant Uptake of Microcystin-LR and -RR by Peat under Various Environmental Conditions”. Chemical Engineering Journal, 172, no. 2-3 (2011): 754-762.
18. Huang, Z, S L Ong and H Y Ng, “Submerged Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor for Low-Strength Wastewater Treatment: Effect of HRT and SRT on Treatment Performance and Membrane Fouling”. Water Research, 45 (2011): 705-713.
19. Muthuswamy, S, S PavagadhI, V Kuppusamy, R Balasubramanian* and S L Ong, “Experimental Studies on Microcystin-LR Removal by Peat”. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 184, no. 1-3 (2010): 417-424.
20. Jin, L, S L Ong and H Y Ng, “Comparison of Treatment and Membrane Performances of Different Pore-Sized Submerged Ceramic Membrane Bioreactors”. Water Research, 44 (2010): 5907-5918.
21. Maung, H O and S L Ong, “Implication of zeta potential at different salinities on boron removal by RO membranes”. Journal of Membrane Science, 352, no. 1-2 (2010): 1-6.
22. Zhao, Y, L F Song and S L Ong, “Fouling of RO membranes by effluent organic matter (EfOM): Relating major components of EfOM to their characteristic fouling behaviors “. Journal of Membrane Science, 349, no. 1-2 (2010): 75-82.
23. Zhao, Y, L F Song and S L Ong, “Fouling behavior and foulant characteristics of reverse osmosis membranes for treated secondary effluent reclamation”. Journal of Membrane Science, 349, no. 1-2 (2010): 65-74.
24. Fang, W, J Y Hu and S L Ong, “Effects of phosphorus on biofilm disinfections in model drinking water distribution systems”. Journal of Water and Health, 8, no. 3 (2010): 446-454. (United Kingdom).
25. Jin, X, J Y Hu and S L Ong, “Removal of Natural Hormone Estrone From Secondary Effluents Using Nanofiltration And Reverse Osmosis”. Water Research, 44, no. 2 (2010): 638-648.
26. Lee, L Y, H Y Ng, S L Ong, J Y Hu, G. Tao, K. Kekre, W. Lay and H. Seah, “Integrated Pretreatment with Capacitive Deionization for Reverse Osmosis Reject Recovery from Water Reclamation Plant”. Water Research, 43, no. 18 (2009): 4769-4777.
27. Fang, W, J Y Hu and S L Ong, “Influence of Phosphorus on Biofilm Formation in Model Drinking Water Distribution Systems”. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 106, no. 4 (2009): 1328-1335.
28. Lee, L Y, H Y Ng, S L Ong, J Y Hu, G Tao, K Kekreb, B Viswanathb, W Lay and H Seah, “Ozone-Biological Activated Carbon as a Pretreatment Process for Reverse Osmosis Brine Treatment and Recovery”. Water Research, 43, no. 16 (2009): 3948-3955.
29. Shan, J H, J Y Hu and S L Ong, “Adsorption of Neutral Organic Fractions in Reclaimed Water on RO/NF Membrane”. Separation and Purification Technology, 67, no. 1 (2009): 1-7, 7.
30. Ong, S L and J Y Hu, “Emerging contaminants in water-do we have solutions”. Water Environment Research, 80, no. 9 (2008): 771-773.
31. Lee, L Y, S L Ong, H Y Ng, J Y Hu and Y N Koh, “Simultaneous Ammonium-Nitrogen and Copper Removal and Copper Recovery Using Nitrifying Biofilm from the Ultra-Compact Biofilm Reactor”. Bioresource Technology, 99, no. 14 (2008): 6614-6620.