As coberturas e fachadas mediterrânicas, vivas e produtivas promovem o bem estar e a qualidade de vida das populações e contribuem decisivamente para o aumento da resiliência das cidades. Por esta razão é essencial não apenas o conhecimento das soluções existentes que melhor se adaptam ao nosso clima, como ainda o desenvolvimento das competências técnicas essenciais para a boa implementação daquelas soluções. O enfoque deste Workshop está na demonstração da integração da dimensão verde nas cidades e das oportunidades de intervenção conducentes à melhoria do desempenho energético dos edifícios, à redução do “efeito ilha de calor”, à boa gestão das águas pluviais, à reciclagem de águas cinzentas, à melhoria da qualidade do ar, ao aumento da biodiversidade e à segurança alimentar das populações urbanas, sempre assentando nas melhores e mais adequadas tecnologias disponíveis.

1. COBERTURAS E FACHADAS MEDITERRANICAS VIVAS E PRODUCTIVAS II
Recycling grey water in green façades
October 20 th, 2011 – LISBON
Dr. Jochen Scheerer

2. Recycling grey water in green façades
Company Presentation
ASEPMA is an engineering company specialized in water management, treatment and
reuse of non potable water.
Since its beginning in 2003, ASEPMA has offered its services to a great number of clients
coming from the field of public administrations all kind of industries as well as private
customers. Those services include the whole range of tasks related to the management of
water cycle beginning with consultancy, project design, installation and maintenance and
control of treatment facilities for non potable water.
Besides standard compact treatments, ASEPMA offers alternative solutions for waste water
treatment using constructed wetlands, both horizontal and vertical. The later based on a
innovative technology patented by ASEPMA.
Since January 2009, ASEPMA has become a business unit of the ABM Group dedicated to
consultancy, service and technical solutions related to industrial waste water, urban sewage,
grey water and rain water management.

3. Recycling grey water in green façades
What kind of water restrictions exists in the Mediterranean area?
Periodic scarcity Episodes of drought and advancing of
desertification
Water prices are expected to
Increasing costs continue increasing faster than in the
past.
(Since 2005, water prices in Spain increased 28
% in average)
There is a growing number of legal
Legislation requirements on national, regional
and local levels fostering water
saving.

4. Recycling grey water in green façades
Local requirements
Fostering of water saving measures and sustainable use
Aim
of water.
New buildings and constructions.
Field of application Rehabilitation and reforms of existing buildings.
Public buildings
Rain water Grey water Pool water

5. Recycling grey water in green façades
Current water management concept
Usage
Drinking water Waste water

6. Recycling grey water in green façades
Alternative water management concept
Drinking Grey
water Water
Use Waste
water
Reclaimed Black
water water
Treatment and regeneration

7. Recycling grey water in green façades
How works waste water treatment?
Waste water treatment is the sum of different
individual operations which we can distinguish into
mechanical, physical and biological operations. The
aim of such treatment is to reduce or eliminate
certain undesirable characteristics of the waste
water.

8. Recycling grey water in green façades
Main steps of waste water treatment
Pre- Secondary Tertiary
Treatment Treatment Treatment
Pre- Treatment: Elimination of solids and grease by mechanical, physical and chemical
means.
Secondary Treatment: Elimination of organic substances and nutrients by biologic
means.
Tertiary Treatment: Advanced elimination of nutrients and hygienization by physical,
chemical and biological means.

9. Recycling grey water in green façades
Main steps of waste water treatment
Pre- Treatment:
•Elimination of solids and grease by physical, chemical and mechanical
means
•Reduction of 20% BOD i 50% Solids
Mechanical sieves
Grease separators
Septic tanks
Decanters, anaerobic digesters
Physic chemical treatments

10. Recycling grey water in green façades
Main steps of waste water treatment
Secondary Treatment:
•Elimination of organic substances.
•BOD: <25 mg/L O2
•Solids : <60 mg/L
Activated sludge
Percolator
Total oxidation
Bio filters and or wetlands

11. Recycling grey water in green façades
Main steps of waste water treatment
Tertiary Treatment:
•Elimination of nutrients like nitrogen and
phosphorous
•Elimination of microorganisms
Adsorption
Ozone
Membrane filtration
Wetlands

12. Recycling grey water in green façades
Classical concept of urban water reuse
Main problem
Distance

13. Recycling grey water in green façades
Concept of IN SITU treatment and reuse
Treatment and regeneration of grey water or waste water
close to the point of reuse.
Applications of water which do not require drinking water quality :
Irrigation of public parks and gardens .
WC.
Cleaning of external surfaces .

14. Recycling grey water in green façades
Bio Treatments: WETLANDS
The use of artificial wetlands in waste water treatment permit to benefit
from natural processes which eliminate or reduce non desired substances
from the water:
Creation of an active substrate (roots, gravel), which permits the growth and
metabolic activity of microorganisms.
Reduction of the contamination -up to 90%- thanks to the activity of
microorganisms, which under aerobic conditions metabolize organic
contaminants into carbon dioxide and other nutrients for the plants.
Very efficient elimination of carbon, nitrogen ad phosphorous.
Possibility to eliminate even heavy metals by using the processes of
selective uptake and accumulation by plants (known as phytoremediation)

15. Recycling grey water in green façades
Bio Treatments : WETLANDS

16. Recycling grey water in green façades
Bio Treatments : WETLANDS
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTATGES
- IN SITU treatment.
- Space requirements.
- High efficient treatment.
- Energy consumption is very
low or nil.
- Increase of biodiversity.
- Environmental Improvement
by CO2 fixing, and oxygen
production)
Difficult to use in urban
- Positive landscaping. areas!

17. Recycling grey water in green façades
Bio Treatments : WETLANDS
In large cities there is no space
for a horizontal wetland !
But... Why it can not be done
vertically?
BABYLON

18. Recycling grey water in green façades
Bio Treatment: The Babylon® System
A green façade where grey water
is circulated vertically using
mainly gravity force.
Obtaining treated and regenerated grey
water using approved wetland
technology.
However vertically!

19. Recycling grey water in green façades
Bio Treatment: The Babylon® System
Advantages:
All advantages known from wetland
treatments.
In addition:
A solution for the space problem.
Improvement of thermo isolation of the
buildings due to known benefits of
ventilated façades and additionally due to
evaporation from the plants.
Acoustic isolation.
Attractive element in architecture with
additional function as IN SITU water
treatment .

20. Recycling grey water in green façades
Bio Treatment: The Babylon® System
Little history on green façades
The hanging gardens of
Babylonia where constructed by
Nebuchadnezzar 2nd around 600
b.C.
Considered one of the 7 miracles
of the world, they were about 25
meters high.
According to the descriptions of
Ctesias, 400 b.C. there where
already plants of the Phragmites
species used in these installations.

21. Recycling grey water in green façades
Bio Treatment: The Babylon® System
Pre Treatment
Elimination of solids before entering the
BABYLON® façade.

22. Recycling grey water in green façades
Bio Treatment: The Babylon® System
Water entry at the upper
part of the BABYLON®
façade
Outflow at the lower part of the
BABYLON® façade

23. Recycling grey water in green façades
The Babylon® System for grey water treatment
Separate piping for grey water
Buffer tank for grey water
Lifting Pump
Treatment
Storage tank
Supply for usage

24. Recycling grey water in green façades
The Babylon® System for grey water treatment
Treated Quality criteria
Grey
grey water according to legal Spanish Legislation reference
water
Babylon* requirements
RD1620/2007, which establishes
Solids in quality requirements for reclaimed
27 mg/L 1.0 mg/L 10 mg/L waste waters for different
suspension
applications. Quality 1.1: Residential.
Turbidity 45 NTU 0.84 NTU 2 NTU RD1620/2007 Quality 1.1: Residential
Royal Decree 849/1986 which
COD 210 mg/L 59 mg/L 160 mg/L establishes the quality requirements
for spill of treated waste water
BOD - 5,0 mg/L 40 mg/L Royal Decree 849/1986; Table III

25. Recycling grey water in green façades
The Babylon® System as one operation in waste water treatment
Pre treatment Secondary Treatment Tertiary Treatment
Primary Total oxidation Babylon® System
settlement

26. Recycling grey water in green façades
Applications of The Babylon® System

27. Recycling grey water in green façades
Applications of The Babylon® System
Grey water treatment in buildings.
Reuse of treated grey water for WC of 60 parties.
Projecte Associació G.A.I.A

28. Recycling grey water in green façades
Applications of The Babylon® System
Tertiary treatment for treated waste water of a camping site.
Reuse of reclaimed waste water for irrigation purposes (pilot plant).
Babylon® Càmping

29. Recycling grey water in green façades
Applications of The Babylon® System
Grey water treatment at a hotel (Chile).
Water reuse and cooling.
Hotel Radison

30. Recycling grey water in green façades
Applications of The Babylon® System
Tertiary treatment step in an IN SITU treatment and reuse project of a public building.
Reuse of reclaimed water for sub surface irrigation of a public park.
Tabacalera Tarragona

31. Recycling grey water in green façades
Applications of The Babylon® System
Tabacalera Tarragona

32. COBERTURAS E FACHADAS MEDITERRANICAS VIVAS E PRODUCTIVAS II
Thank you for your
attention!
Recycling grey water in green façades
October 20 th, 2011 – Lisbon
Dr. Jochen Scheerer