Wastewater treatment systems that mimic nature: Lebanese urban resilience startup Mruna builds and operates modular, decentralized wastewater treatment systems — named BiomWeb — which can be installed under and overground in compact spaces and mimics water purification processes found in nature. Since their launch in 2019, the startup has expanded its presence in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Lebanon.

We spoke with co-founder Yasmine Jabaly about decentralized wastewater treatment, and how using biomimicry in design can offer more sustainable solutions.

Enterprise: Tell us more about BiomWeb, Mruna’s wastewater treatment system.

Yasmine Jabaly: BiomWeb is a modular decentralized wastewater treatment system that treats water on-site. We offer it as a service as well as a product, so we can install and operate the system or sell the equipment as a service. In Lebanon, we always consider resilience because we build big wastewater treatment facilities that are not functional. We are trying to dilute these problems by providing a nature-based, decentralized solution.

E: How does BiomWeb work?

YJ: BiomWeb is composed primarily of two tanks. The first plays the role of the settler to remove solids and the second removes organic matter. It combines IoT, microbiology, and engineering and emulates processes found in nature to clean and purify water without adding chemicals. We use bacteria, microbes, fungi, insects, and plants — which are all found in wetlands — to treat wastewater. If a client wants to use the water for irrigation, we add a sand filter to purify it further.

We can also take it off the power grid. So in Lebanon, for example, we had an energy supply problem at one location, so we installed a windmill to pump the water. That improves the project’s resilience because it doesn’t need electricity.

E: Your model is based on biomimicry, or copying nature. Can biomimicry in design inspire more sustainable solutions?

YJ: Our work combines our experience designing wastewater treatment facilities and our understanding of biomimicry. Because we know how to design a conventional wastewater treatment plant, we understand the challenge. It’s not just about designing a sustainable solution that could work. Even if you design it by the book, wastewater treatment is a complex matrix. We try to mimic conventional wastewater treatment facilities using unconventional tools. We also use modeling software to predict what the outcomes will be.

E: Who do you work with in Dubai and Lebanon?

YJ: In Lebanon, we’ve installed systems in many refugee camps that didn’t have wastewater treatment facilities before. Some of these systems have been integrated with aquaponic and hydroponic systems to irrigate nonedible plants, which improves resilience and creates value for the refugees.

In Dubai, Aldar is our main partner. We work with them as a consultant and we have a system installed on one of their projects. There, our operation removed the need for sewage trucks that used to remove wastewater and desludging — so we are also reducing emissions in that respect. The system that we have installed there is being used to irrigate a landscape that didn’t exist before.

E: What role can the private sector play in building more sustainable water systems and how is it different from the role of governments?

YJ: We have 77 wastewater treatment plants in Lebanon, but none of them are fully functional except for the one that is privately owned and managed, and this is partly due to a lack of transparency in the water sector. That's why decentralization is a key pillar for the solution. In my opinion, private companies can play an important role in the water sector because they can fill the gap that is left by governmental institutions. I think that the best way to move forward in water and sanitation in Lebanon is to privatize some of these facilities.

There is a lack of real awareness about the importance of wastewater treatment. It affects the quality of water in our rivers and streams, which we then use for irrigation. Last year, we had outbreaks of cholera and Hepatitis A due to poor water quality.

E: Are you seeing interest from investors in climate tech in the region? Where?

YJ: Yes, there is definitely interest from investors in the region. We didn’t want to give away equity at an early stage, so we leveraged grants, prize money, and research and development funding to develop our products and deliver successful proof of concepts in the markets that we operate — especially in the UAE.

We have received small funds and grants to improve manufacturing capacity, but we are waiting until we have a stronger business and maybe local manufacturing in the UAE to speak to investors.

E: How are accelerators supporting climate tech startups?

YJ: We joined the Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund and Accelerator last year and we have received valuable training from experts in product development, marketing, sales and pitching. MBRIF has connected us with clients and stakeholders and has helped us to engage with the bigger ecosystem in the UAE.

E: What are your expansion plans?

YJ: Our expansion plans are primarily in the UAE. We are working with clients and stakeholders to reimagine our relationship with urban water management and transform it from a linear to a circular process that takes into consideration the region's climate and needs. The GCC has borrowed water infrastructure strategies from water-rich countries, which don’t necessarily work for our region. In the near-term, we plan to replace sewage trucks with onsite water recycling and water reuse for gardening. In the long-term, we want to help our clients design communities around nature-based wastewater treatment systems. We also have plans to enter Saudi Arabia with Neom as a solid waste management consultant.

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