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EnPhytoBox®
is a sustainable, natural, net zero solution that can help treat
wastewater and polluted water sources for local reuse.
About
Most (~80%) of the worlds wastewater is discharged untreated to the environment, causing pollution of waterways and wasting a valuable water resource. EnPhytoBox® (Wetland-in-a-Box) is a green technology that uses the power of nature to sustainably treat polluted water at source. It is an innovative, smart, mobile and scalable solution for resilience, nature repair and water independence. It integrates physical infrastructure with digital controls to improve data transparency, reduce risk and improve water governance. It is sustainable, net zero emission, zero waste, has minimal use of plastic, and no requirements for hazardous chemicals. The unit is robust with a long life-span, has a low life cycle cost and can be moved and repurposed at end-of-need.
The EnPhytoBox® uses locally available plants, biosorbents and microbes to remove a wide range of pollutants including nutrients, pathogens, metals and emerging contaminants. The biosorbents and plant biomass can be reused to regenerate our natural environment. The media can be customised to treat different pollutant types and wastewater streams from municipal, industrial, contaminated ground and surface waters, to the international standards needed to ensure safe reuse or discharge.
Key Benefits
One EnPhytoBox®:
- Cleans 36,500 kL/yr of polluted water improving water quality to fit-for-purpose standards, either for environmental discharge, or for various non-potable uses.
- Support the wastewater treatment and/or water needs of 300-500 people
- Can supplement irrigation needs of ~5-10 ha of productive land, sustaining productivity during drought or enabling ~5-10 new jobs for new economic uses not possible where clean water is a constraint.
- Has a low energy requirement (11,500 kWhrs/yr) and emissions (~7t/yr CO2 eq) which are fully offset by internal media (biochar) C02 sequestration.
- Can be operated and maintained at low cost, via the digital management system, infrequent maintenance needs, and licensing of trained locals (by Syrinx and our European subsidiary, NaturaTech)
- Combines decentralised, nature-based technology with centralised IoT, which enables highly scaleable and distributed water treatment systems to be located almost anywhere, be locally managed, but governed digitally.
- Fully contained system with minimal balance of plant works and costs, rapidly transportable and deployable with low ramp-up time (~1 month).
- The current dominant decentralised water treatment package plants use desalination (reverse osmosis or similar). These systems require pre-treatment to remove sediment, require hazardous chemicals, are energy intensive, and generate waste. Direct comparison of one EnPhytoBox® with an equivalent capacity RO Plant and without renewable energy offset is as follows:
- saves ~66.6 Tonnes of CO2eq/year
- avoids ~0.5ha of waste ponds and landtake
- reduces water wasted in the treatment process of ~11,000 kL/yr
- saves 5 t waste residue each year (for biochar)
- removes 1 t/yr of nitrogen and 0.8 t/yr of phosphorus and multiple other pollutants from waterways improving biodiversity and habitat health.
Applications
Europe, US, Australia, New Zealand, Asia PacificUrban Agriculture Regional and Remote CommunitiesMining and Industrial Tourism resorts/Hotels B2B and B2G customers. Current customers are a regional government in an industrial development in Serbia, and indigenous (Maori) Trust in a New Zealand urban housing.