Graywater Bio-treatment Uninorte

Worldwide, more than 80% of wastewater reaches aquatic ecosystems and is an important source of water pollution, affecting public health, the availability of the resource, and natural water sources, because they transport organic and inorganic pollutants and microorganisms. The use of constructed wetlands is an ecologically and economically viable option for the sustainable treatment of wastewater. Because of that, the aim of this study is the evaluate the performance of a bio-prototype designed for the treatment of gray water in rural areas. This kind of point-of-use treatment became an alternative for the sustainable management of this wastewater. The implementation of this solution in rural areas could improve the quality of life, reducing the pollution in aquatic ecosystems, reducing the pollution of soil and water sources caused by the dumping of domestic effluents, reducing water-borne diseases, and increasing the availability of the resource.

More than 80% of the world's wastewater is discharged into the environment without treatment. In developing countries, this proportion reaches 95%, and less than 5% of wastewater is treated before it is released into the environment. In Colombia, 84% of the municipalities do not treat wastewater, only 42% of these waters that go to the rivers are treated.  In rural areas live around 11 million of person, which is the 22,8% of Colombian population. They have not access to agriculture and domestic wastewater treatments.  That leads to increase the water pollution (ground water and surface water), change in the aquatic ecosystems, reduce the fishing sources, increase the water human deceases and reduce the ecosystems services link to the water uses. Based on that challenge, our solution rice a sustainability strategic for reducing the wastewater treatment problems affecting the communities, and also promote the reuse of water treated in rural areas thought social plans involve those people living in that areas.

Our solution allows treating gray domestic wastewater in rural areas without demanding a highly complex infrastructure since it is based on the processes that occur naturally in the environment (biodegradation, processes by gravity, modular system). The bio-prototype uses bacteria and macrophyte plants that are functional in the reduction/removal of suspended solids, biodegradable organic matter, some toxic organic and inorganic compounds including heavy metals, as well as for the reduction/elimination of pathogenic organisms by promoting the development of protozoa. Additionally, the operation does not require technical skill, uses minimal energy consumption, it is a low cost and modular process, therefore this is well integrated into the environment since it replaces the requirements of a complex infrastructure. Its maintenance conditions are simple, which allows the community to be easily involved in these initiatives

Colombia has diverse geographic characteristics. In the middle, it has low-covered volcanoes and mountains of the Andes. In the north and west parts of the country, there is tropical beaches line. And there are deserts in the north and vast grasslands, called Los Llanos, in the east. Because of that diversity, our solution is designed to adapt to difficult access zones, areas with a variety of climates, and cultural practices (reuse of water). The bio-prototype will give them the possibility to be an active part of the solution keeping the traditional practices around the water cycle, became them into a resilient community.  

The treatment of the contamination produced by inadequate gray domestic wastewater management released in the soil or superficial bodies of water is aligned with the challenge because it offers the possibility to have a sustainable process that recovers and reuses it for agricultural irrigation. This solution encourages people without technical knowledge to handle the cycle of the water base on the 6th and 10th objectives of SDG (Sustainable Development Goals), which try to improve water quality by reducing pollution and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally. Besides, it promotes the social, economic, and political inclusion of these rural communities.

The prototype stage was selected because the bio-prototype is already available. The system had been carried out with a charge of 150 liters of wastewater from the Universidad del Norte with encouraging results. The next step is to run out the prototype with a fill back process with 600 liters of wastewater from a rural area, to optimize the complete treatment system. In addition, in this stage, we are going to include actively rural-user communities for taking into account their culture and daily activities to improve the ownership of this technology.

The bio-prototype is innovative due to the joint activity of aquatic macrophytes and organic matter degrading microorganisms. Also, the system does not require energy for its operation. The prototype was designed to be very accessible to rural areas that do not have graywater treatment infrastructure, which lead to an increase in the coverage of wastewater treatment in hard-to-reach areas in developing countries. It is easy to maintain and control, which guarantees its sustainability over time. It would allow, depending on the characteristics of the effluents to the process, obtaining effluents that can be reused in other activities that generate value for the communities in the areas where the strategy is implemented. In addition, it is a base for decision-making to face the global pollution challenge.

Nowadays: The Bio-prototype is not implemented in the rural communities 

one year: 20 rural homes or 300 inhabitants in rural areas 

five years: 1000 habitats in rural areas 

At the moment the solution is running and some indicators are using a measurement tool. These indicators are the water quality results from the laboratory evaluation. Each module has a valve, where a sample is taken and analyzed under the international standard regulations. After this stage the prototype, the treatment solution is implemented and tested in 5 rural houses under the same parameters as in the first stage. 

Full time:

M.Sc Andrea Fernanda Monroy Licht

Ph.D. Ing. Carlos Pacheco Bustos

postgraduate student  

Part-time: 

Laboratory- Technician  staff

Carlos Pacheco: Civil Engineer, master's degree in Process Engineering for Air Quality Control, Solid Waste and Wastewater. Doctor in solid waste management. Experience in civil works management, in Construction Supervision related to the subject of structural reinforcement. Research in comprehensive management in the final disposal of solid and hazardous waste. Teaching experience focused on courses on environmental management, integral management of solid waste and wastewater treatment.

Andrea Monroy-Licht: Microbiologist, Master in Environmental Management and Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Toxicology. Her research is based on the understanding of the physiological responses that are activated in plants after their interaction with metals and metalloids, with a special emphasis on Mercury and Arsenic. Areas of interest: collections of microbial cultures, Bioremediation, potential uses of biosolids generated in wastewater treatment plants, and the purification process. Experience in Environmental Management systems and waste management programs. She is working on research projects related to emerging environmental pollutants and alternative water purification treatments.

It is a diverse team, conformed of engineers, microbiologists, and technicians, who have worked many years in wastewater and biologic treatments. The team always considers involving the culture and social skills of the integrands. This team has 3 women and 3 men, which means equality gender is a priority. In the next stages, the team will join a social worker and other professionals which focused on community works.  Our team is not engaged in or associate ourselves with discrimination against in any term or condition because of gender, race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, age, sex, or sexual orientation.

We are interested in applying to SOLVE and becoming active members of your community.  SOLVE is a space to create collaborative networks, access strategic advice from experts, meet potential partners, to exchange invaluable experiences on how to address local and global problems.

It is a platform that will allow us to share our solution idea with peers and colleagues from other parts of the world who will undoubtedly be able to guide us, inspire us, and improve our solution, to scale it and contribute from our initiative to reduce water pollution, the pressure on water resources in our region, reduce the rate of diseases associated with contaminated water and conserve the biodiversity that depends on the welfare of our rivers, lakes, and ponds.

Potential funding will undoubtedly provide us with seed money that will allow us to reach rural communities with clear and viable answers to their graywater management problems.  The software resources and interaction with your network of members will undoubtedly give our solution the boost it needs to be more than a local answer to a global problem.

We need support in building the business model.  This aspect is very important so that we can more easily reach potential investors, and allow us to be more precise in the goal of increasing coverage in rural areas where there are almost no gray water treatment processes.  This type of pollution is a problem that so far has not been sufficiently addressed, let alone solved. We are also interested in the seed capital that will allow us to reach rural communities and implement the solution.  On the other hand, the collaborative relationships that are woven on the SOLVE platform will undoubtedly give us the impetus to more quickly and effectively promote this idea.

The monitoring and evaluation guided by SOLVE experts will help us to mature technical and social aspects around the bio-prototype.

We are open to connecting with potential partners, colleagues, investors, other solvers addressing issues of water pollution, climate change adaptation, and resilience mechanisms and strengthening rural communities.  SOLVE can help us make our ideas visible and work collaboratively with peers who share these interests. 

This idea aims to strengthen rural communities and empower them so that they can actively participate and sustainably manage their liquid waste. This prototype allows communities to reuse the water that they previously dumped on the ground or in water sources, and with it enhance their agricultural systems, which will allow them to some extent have autonomy over their food security. In the same way, it supports the least developed countries. It seeks to train and enhance the role of local mentors who lead the way they treat their waters through a simple, sustainable technique that uses local materials. This strategy undoubtedly seeks the preservation of ecosystems and their care from the proper use of the resources that ecosystems provide to rural communities.