Practical Applications Designed MIT Greywater System Now Online

Boston, MA — Practical Applications, Inc. (PAI) has designed and built a custom Greywater Recovery System for use in the Brain and Cognitive Sciences building at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The system resides in a 411,000 square foot building located on Sidney Street in East Cambridge.

Greywater systems are primarily designed to capture and recycle water from rain water draining from the roo f of the building. This system is unique as it also collects water from process equipment for reuse. Once the system treats the water and removes any foreign objects, it is then sent back into the plumbing system for use in flushing toilets. Since the system was built into the main design of the building, it was cost effective install a separate greywater piping system to supply water to all the building toilets.

The cost benefits associated with the system are immense. The system has recovered approximately 1,000,000 gallons of water since startup in May 2005. By recycling 4,000 gallons of water per day, or over 1.5 million gallons over the course of a year, this MIT building will save over $20,000.00/year in water and sewer costs.

Practical Applications, Inc., project lead engineer, Gary Broberg, denoted that the system incorporates many unique design features to minimize operating costs and prevent toilet fixtures from damage as is often common with recycled water systems. In particular PA I utilized UV light treatment help remove bacteria and prevent odor issues.

SOURCE: Practical Applications, Inc.