On 20 July, researchers from ICRA’s Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) research group visited the Raimat facilities in Lleida to learn first-hand about the winery’s sustainability initiatives, particularly its innovative wetland system for the natural treatment of wastewater. The visit was attended by Eric Herran, Josep Pueyo, Esther Mendoza, Joaquim Comas and Gianluigi Buttiglieri.

The visit provided insight into the operation of the new Raimat wetlands, a nearly 40,000 m² infrastructure capable of treating up to 80,000 litres of water per day through natural processes while requiring virtually no energy input. The system, based on vertical-flow constructed wetlands with gravel filter beds and emergent wetland vegetation, treats water without the use of chemicals and also contributes to enhancing local biodiversity.

The visit enabled knowledge exchange on the application of NbS for sustainable water management and provided an opportunity to learn about Raimat’s experience in integrating environmental regeneration measures within a wine-producing landscape. Conducted within the framework of the GGsolutions project (PID2024-161596OB-C21), funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU), the State Research Agency (AEI) (MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033), and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF, EU), the activity reinforces ICRA’s commitment to studying and evaluating nature-based solutions to improve water quality, biodiversity, and resilience to climate change.