.png)
Water quality is at risk from increased pollution, particularly in urban areas and concerning wastewater discharges. Wastewater discharge is a problem in Guatemala due to the low capacity of treatment plants. Mostly the volume of polluted water discharged into the watersheds comes from the domestic area. Guatemala can treat only 13.9% of its wastewater, does not have sufficient infrastructure for wastewater treatment through centralized systems. In the face of ever-increasing demand, there is a need for decreasing the distribution of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and pollutants from domestic wastewater.
Decentralized systems can be a medium-term solution pending the large-scale design of centralized systems. Grey2Green is a decentralized system that collects, treats, and reuses greywater from bathroom sinks. System generated to take advantage of greywater and avoid dumping it, converting it from a waste to a resource for irrigation of non-edible plants in the house.
The system has three components, the water diverter at the sink, the collection container, and the treatment system. The collection of gray water is by a diverter system installed in the sink piping, consisting of a T-connection connected to a ball valve carrying the gray water to the collection container. The user carries the filled collection container to the location of the treatment system and the gray water is poured into it. Bioremediation is the type of treatment performed in the system (the substrate and vegetation are the agents that eliminate contaminants). The treated water goes to the lower container with a valve that allows extracting the treated water to the watering can.
​
The system can collect and treat 168 liters of greywater per month, eliminating the use of freshwater in irrigation to 0 liters. As a result, there are freshwater savings, optimization of greywater quality, and familiarization with greywater reuse.
Grey2Green is guided by the three axes of sustainability (planet, economy, and society). It is applied through the choice of materials that reduce waste generation (green production), improve water quality, and reduce phosphorus discharge in watersheds (standard of living) and the user becomes familiar with the negative impact their waste can have on aquatic ecosystems (ecological awareness). It also focuses on the Sustainable Development Goals, clean water and sanitation (Goal 6), and responsible production and consumption (Goal 12). It contributes to these goals through the choice of materials that can be repaired, recycled, or reused, and it is a system for the safe reuse of gray water that prevents untreated distribution plus generate an extra source of water.
The objective of the system is to encourage the reuse of water, impacting the progressive transformation of human behavior towards the valuation of water resources. Since reuse habits optimize the resource.
Category
Year
Approach
Project Type
Nominations
Sustainability
2021
SDGs 6 and 12
Thesis project
Green concept award nominee and winner 2022
