YAKU: UC Chile-Trademarked Technology That Reuses Grey Water

A venture kickstarted at UC Chile, led by Valentina Veloso and Camila Cárdenas, with the support of the Office of Transfer and Development, is redefining water management with a natural bio-filtering system that purifies domestic wastewater from showers and washing machines. This technology allows domestic wastewater reuse in irrigation and other uses and it also provides a concrete solution to water scarcity in Chile and the world.

Valentina Veloso and Camila Cárdenas met at the UC Chile Engineering doctorate program. They had in common not only their scientific education (Valentina in engineering in biotechnology, Camila in biochemistry), but also their concern about the tremendous amount of water lost every day as Chile experiences a water crisis.

Then, the idea arose to use microorganisms to filter shower water specifically. This kickstarted YAKU: a natural biofiltering system that decontaminates grey water using native plants and microorganisms.

“With the award of the first fund, which was seed capital from CORFO, we were able to materialize the idea and create the first mix of microorganisms that could treat wastewater. First, we worked on the grey water synthesized in the lab, and then we tested with grey water from showers and washing machines as well,” mentions Camila Cárdenas, CEO of YAKU.

She adds, “originally, we imagined a filter that would be easy to install in showerheads, but with all the R&D we’ve done, and the technical validation of the technology, now we’re actually moving on to develop a water treatment plant.”

Microorganisms that “eat” pollutants
How does YAKU work? Microorganisms are packed inside a “sack”; grey water coming from showers, hand washing, and laundry accumulates in a tank, where the bio-filter is submerged. When the microorganisms come into contact with the wastewater, they naturally begin to remove the contaminants, like shampoo, detergent, soap, organic matter, etc., by consuming them, and purified water returns to the system. “The treatment process is quite simple; it is based on the biological action of these microorganisms,” explains Camila Cárdenas.

“It is a natural process, but with a technological enhancement to speed it up and make it a super compact process that does not require many sequential steps. The microorganisms do all the work to remove the contaminants from the water, which is purified by the next day. We can then reuse it for irrigation, toilet flushing or even industrial use, depending on the type of project we are installing,” Cárdenas adds.

The developed solution consists of a wastewater treatment plant of reduced size, that includes tanks, pumps, and bio-filters. It offers options for single-family homes (for 500, 1,000, and 2,000 liters of grey water); companies and industries interested in reusing water in their processes (starting at 5,000 liters); and real estate and construction companies interested in incorporating water reuse into new projects.

From the lab to the market
This is one of the 37 spin-off ventures that have emerged from research results at UC Chile. UC has been a key partner in the development of this project, enabling the team to carry out the initial R&D stage and validate the technology through laboratory tests alongside Ignacio Vargas, academic in Hydraulic Engineering, expert in grey water.

Starting in 2019, they signed a collaboration agreement, sharing the intellectual property, and have received backing and support from the Office of Transfer and Development for the entire process of IP protection and market transfer.

Among the standout projects is the partnership with the company Cencosud for the reuse of grey water at Mall Portal La Dehesa. This project has made it possible to reuse 300,000 liters of water each month, which means a 30% saving in the shopping center’s water consumption. Specifically, 4,270 square meters of sustainable gardens are irrigated, completely eliminating the use of drinking water for this purpose.

This initiative received the Social Innovation Award in 2023 by the Chilean Association of Shopping Centers, highlighting the positive impact in the reuse of grey waters in sustainability and water efficiency.

Chilean technology with international recognition
The bio-filter YAKU was chosen as one of the highlighted cases from the Better World Project of the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM), one of the leading global organizations dedicated to technology transfer and the commercialization of research results from universities and R&D centers.

AUTM brings together more than three thousand professionals involved in world of innovation and technology transfer in academic institutions, government agencies, and companies, primarily in the United States but with a global reach. Through the Better World Project, this association draws attention to technologies with positive impact in the world, technologies that emerged from academia and reached society.

“Being part of this international display is a recognition of the quality of the scientific and technological development in Chile and the collaborative work between researchers, institutions, and actors in the innovation ecosystem,” the researchers mention.

As Director of Transfer and Development Álvaro Ossa notes, “for a Chilean technology to be highlighted by an organization such as AUTM is a very powerful sign that the science conducted at our universities can have a global impact. YAKU is an example of how technology transfer enables innovations like this to reach people and improve their quality of life.”

Next steps
Since January of this year, YAKU has had its own headquarters in Macul, Santiago. “Here we have our offices, our production and operation, all centralized. It was an important investment, expecting more growth, not only in spaces and productive capacity, but also in expanding the team and the reach of the services we can provide to our customers,” relates Camila Cárdenas. She adds, “currently, we are thinking medium-term, validating our new versions of the YAKU bio-filtering technology, not only for grey water but for other types of wastewaters, like liquid industrial waste, known as RILES, as per its acronym in Spanish.”

Another step is internationalization. The researchers presented a patent application for their invention. It is a Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), an international system that allows inventors to request protection for their invention in multiple countries through a single international application. In this case, they requested it, in addition to Chile, for Europe, the United States, Australia, and China.

“So, one of our next steps is to have the patent granted in those territories, and with that, begin commercializing in those markets, either through exports or by licensing our technology to an international company that has the ability to replicate YAKU in those countries,” explains Camila.

For now, the objective is to keep growing within the Chilean market, expanding the portfolio of solutions and growing the team. But this dream goes even further. “Our purpose is to promote, on a local and global level, a new conscious way of living with water, increasing water availability for people, trying not to produce too much wastewater, and, ultimately, contributing to the circular economy,” conclude the scientists.