The GWR Project has entered its final stage.

As the GWR Project enters its final stage, leaders and members of the scientific teams have met in person and virtually to analyse the initiative's achievements, areas for improvement and lessons learned. The project focuses on the treatment and reuse of domestic grey water, which accounts for over 60% of household consumption.

Dr Esteban Quijada, director of the GWR Project, emphasises that “the final milestone of the project is the implementation of treatment and reuse technologies in the Tech House, a full-size house that will generate grey water during its operation. This water will be treated using a system designed by multidisciplinary research teams from Usach, UNAB and the University of Bío-Bío. This combination of technologies will enable us to recycle water and make more efficient use of this vital resource, which will become scarcer in the future. We also want to demonstrate how, based on this reuse, we can generate other benefits, such as improving energy efficiency".

According to the academic, “The results of the different teams are already practically consolidated, and the next step is to integrate the various systems into real home environments”.
Dr Julio Romero, a researcher with the GWR Project, maintains that the initiative “has demonstrated what can be achieved by integrating transdisciplinary teams and working in the fields of architecture, engineering, chemistry and communications with the community and authorities. It demonstrates the impact that well-coordinated teams can have on people's quality of life and on environmental stewardship". Dr Romero emphasises that the ultimate goal is "to be able to apply these results to the development of water- and energy-resilient communities in challenging climatic conditions”.

Treatment of emerging contaminants and agricultural cultivation:

One of the most significant outcomes of the project is the ability to remove emerging contaminants. Felipe Olea, a postdoctoral researcher specialising in grey water treatment processes, explains: “We are working on polymers that can capture all these types of contaminants, and we are testing these polymers in combination with different types of solvents that may offer improved removal properties. The aim is also to test intensifying these processes to improve water treatment performance and, in the future, be able to obtain drinking water from grey water".
He notes that these pollutants, including sunscreen compounds, pharmaceuticals and microplastics, are not currently removed by traditional treatment methods and are now reaching rivers and ultimately the sea.

Another noteworthy piece of research involves testing grey water treated in plants for use in installing green walls and greenery in the model home. This research now includes agricultural crops as an additional opportunity to reuse the water. Regarding this development, Gabriel Illanes, a researcher on the project, says: "We have most of the experimental data on the behaviour of plants on green walls, and we are starting new research on agricultural applications. This will enable us to see the results of strawberries and tomatoes irrigated with treated grey water. To this end, we have installed a greenhouse where we will record the growth of these crops when they are irrigated with treated water".

Finally, Dr. Camila Burgos, the researcher in charge of building the pilot house, states: "In a couple of months, we expect to have the grey water recovery and treatment systems installed and operational in the pilot house. We are eager to see these solutions in action to verify the results of all the studies that have been carried out so far within the framework of the project".