Technology focusBiomWebHarnessing the power of nature
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Digital transformation
GI Hub launched InfraChallenge in November 2019 and invited applicants from around the world to pitch big ideas to drive digital transformation in infrastructure, a sector that has not been widely disrupted by digitisation. The impressive number of applications from more than 30 countries demonstrated a passion to innovate, disrupt and transform infrastructure. GI Hub's CEO and InfraChallenge judge, Marie Lam-Frendo, said: “We were looking for real ideas with real impact and we got them. I
Simple & accessible
Co-founder of Mrüna, the company behind BiomWeb, Ben Baseley-Walker, explained how the idea for BiomWeb had begun. “The origins of Mrüna and BiomWeb stem from the growing problems of the pollution in our rivers and the impact of sanitation on food chains and asking how we could start to do things differently. We've strived to create a nature-based system that is simple and accessible to all income brackets, and we are really excited to work with GI Hub and MIT Solve to push it out globally.”
One
Sewage infrastructure
Traditionally, sewage infrastructure consists of centralised wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) connected to an extensive network of underground pipes. However, a centralised wastewater treatment (WWT) approach is costly in up-front capital, operations, and ongoing maintenance. Importantly, 80% of the construction cost is for the sewer network, and most countries cannot afford to build such networks resulting in high carbon-footprint, inefficient vacuum truck solutions that don't allow for
The BiomWeb system
Biomweb is a decentralised wastewater solution that harnesses the power of nature and a suite of internet-connected devices to transform access to sanitation services and recycled water. It works using a combination of hydrology, sedimentation, filtration, and biological treatment to treat wastewater.
Fixed bed media break down organic waste in the anaerobic tank, by offering a surface area for bacteria to flourish, and simultaneously filter organic waste and foreign objects. The system uses
The BiomPod
The base unit used by Mrüna is the BiomPod. One BiomPod can process 15,000 litres per day which can serve 100 people. It uses the same amount of energy as a standard fridge and the system offsets this by 40% with the use of an on-site windmill. The BiomPods can also be networked together to service larger communities and clients with bigger projects.
Use of IoT
The addition of IoT and a secure app-based manage-ment system to the BiomWeb system makes it simple to manage and monitor assets as they become almost autonomous, whether it is a single system or a countrywide network. The resilient, low-maintenance nature-based system only needs periodic scheduled maintenance, or a visit for a series of predictable events. These might be a pump failure, a large increase in influent volumes, or a major change in the effluent parameters.
The BiomWeb system makes
Social impact and the future
As a Lebanese company, social responsibility is a key driver for Mrüna. The company believes that BiomWeb can help to clean polluted rivers, replenish precious groundwater, protect health and offer jobs where they are most needed. It can provide wastewater treatment and recycled water to geographically or economically marginalised communities that previously had little or no access to sanitation and supports resilience for displaced people and their host communities.
Winning InfraChallenge will