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Lebanese wastewater solution wins global tech innovation competition

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The Global Infrastructure Hub (GI Hub) has crowned Lebanese tech start-up Mrüna the winner of its first global innovation competition, InfraChallenge, following a live pitch against nine other finalists from the UK, US, Sierra Leone, Australia, Mexico, Singapore and Spain. 

Mrüna’s winning digital solution tackles the economic and social challenges of wastewater treatment with its decentralised nature-based system, BiomWeb. Using IoT, the solution treats wastewater onsite, negating the need to transport waste and recycled water, with a series of water tanks that imitate aquatic habitats found in nature. The solution eradicates the need for added chemicals, desludging, or vast infrastructure investment. Mrüna believes that BiomWeb will be adopted by refugee camps and informal settlements, as well as private and public sectors across the world. 

Mrüna’s solution will help to accelerate the delivery of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 that pursues availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. 

Technology is the new frontier for infrastructure and its importance as a driver for real change and transformation has accelerated since COVID-19. 

The host country for InfraChallenge 2020 was Spain but the event was moved online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

As the winner of the InfraChallenge, Mrüna will receive a $AUD 50,000 funding package to help implement their pitch, ongoing support from GI Hub and MIT Solve to further develop their solution, as well as exposure to the G20’s Infrastructure Working Group. 

GI Hub was established by the G20 and works to drive an ambitious agenda on sustainable, resilient and inclusive infrastructure through action-oriented programmes that supports the G20. In August this year, the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors endorsed the Riyadh InfraTech Agenda which aims to harness technology to deliver quality infrastructure investment; promote inclusive, accessible, sustainable, and affordable infrastructure in view of lifecycle costs; mobilize private-sector financing; and support the development of infrastructure as an asset class.