By Koh Hui Theng

COMPANIES and tertiary institutes are getting money to help others go green - a whopping $15 million over three years, starting this year, from the Environment Technology Research Programme.

From waste treatment to energy recovery and cutting gas emissions, companies here, such as Ecospec Global Technology and Chemilink, are hoping for a slice of the green pie.

The programme, administered by the Environment and Water Industry Council and National Environment Agency (NEA), is calling for projects that make use of innovative waste-management ideas.

The first call for proposals takes place next month and, subsequently, every January and July. Successful applicants can receive up to $2 million for each project.

NEA's chief executive, Mr Andrew Tan, said the grant is one way for the Government "to work with the industry to promote such capabilities abroad".

Ecospec's managing director, Mr Chew Hwee Hong, said any extra funding is sweet news.

"Research entails a lot of funds, so every little bit helps," he said.

The research company pumped in $20 million to perfect its CSNOx system, which uses alkaline seawater to remove sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide from ship emissions.

It now hopes to take that technology on-shore to power stations and oil refineries that spew large amounts of pollutants into the air.

Worldwide, there are big bucks to be made from rubbish, which can be a valuable resource. The Asian Development Bank said that the global waste-management market is expected to grow from US$230 billion (S$335 billion) in 2005 to US$320 billion in 2015.

Singapore also has to dispose mounting tonnes of trash as its population grows to over six million.

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