The initiative, led by CEAB and Naturalea, is being carried out in collaboration with the Catalan Water Agency (ACA). It involves the installation of a pilot plant at the Boí wastewater treatment facility to test various nature-based solutions aimed at reducing nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus present in wastewater. The objective is to design simple treatment systems based on natural processes — such as specifically constructed wetlands — that can be implemented in mountain refuges and isolated dwellings.
ACA is collaborating in a project to analyse the effectiveness of new wastewater treatment approaches applicable to isolated high mountain areas. The pilot plant, promoted by the Centre for Advanced Studies and Naturalea, has been installed at the Boí wastewater treatment plant (Alta Ribagorça), which is managed by the Catalan Water Agency.
This scientific infrastructure, which will be fully operational this spring, consists of several modules simulating wetland systems and will be supplied with wastewater collected at the inlet of the treatment plant, before undergoing conventional treatment. Different combinations of vegetation, sediments and microbial communities will be tested to assess their capacity to retain and remove nitrogen, phosphates and other nutrients present in excess in untreated wastewater. Their adaptation to environmental variables such as seasonal changes will also be evaluated.
Overall, the project aims to design and implement, in collaboration with Naturalea, specific nature-based wastewater treatment solutions for mountain refuges and other isolated high-altitude settlements not connected to the network of wastewater treatment plants. The ultimate goal is to ensure that treated water returned to the natural environment does so under conditions that safeguard the health of river ecosystems and everything that depends on them.
This initiative forms part of several research projects developed at CEAB, such as IWAS and RAMi, and broadens the Urban River Lab approach towards the study of nature-based treatment solutions adapted to high mountain rivers.
