In Focus: Grey water clean-up offered by Wave International

Wave International displayed its new compact, integrated wastewater filtration system at METSTRADE 2022. The Wavebrite Smart is said to remove all contaminants from onboard grey water (wastewater), including plastics. It then discharges clean water to meet the EU Waste Water Standard.

The company says it is easy to install in new builds or as a retrofit. It’s a single unit with a separate display screen that shows the flow rate, daily and total volumes of filtered grey water, and the condition and status of the filters. Up to 20,000 litres of grey water can be processed before the main filter needs to be changed. Indicators on the display screen show if any maintenance is required.

This sensor data (and display function) have been developed with Simarine.

“Dealing with grey water is a major issue,” says Paul Gullett, Wave International‘s MD. “The development of the Wavebrite Smart is in response to an increasing number of boatbuilders and users wanting a more integrated system. It is suitable for a wide range of craft from day boats to cruising sailing yachts, right up to superyachts and commercial vessels . . . It removes the need to have a separate grey water holding tank, and enables boaters to be confident of maintaining the highest environmental standards wherever they are in the world. Having vessels fitted with grey water filters also benefits many marinas, which usually have to pay to get grey water recycled.”

Grey water is generated on board vessels by showers, hand basins, washing machines and from the galley. Wave International says its filter systems remove toxins, phosphates and pollutants, such as soap, grease, oils and microbeads from grey water.

This is important as phosphates encourage rapid algal growth, which can cause fish to suffocate. Degreasers (from washing up liquids/soaps) strip the natural oils from fish gills making it difficult for them to breathe, and microplastics and microfibres are now commonly found in the living tissues of marine and freshwater life.

This follows the expansion of the Wave International team in April 2022, whereby Bryan Stewart moved to head up the company’s international and UK marine sales and marketing activities, and Ali Rowley joined the company as sales, customer and business development administrator.