Agnirva Space Premier League - Expedition #31826: Turning Waste into Water: The Packed Bed Reactor Experiment-Water Recovery

On the International Space Station, every drop counts. Water is precious, and recycling it is essential. The Packed Bed Reactor Experiment-Water Recovery (PBRE-WR), led by Dr. Layne Carter and developed by ZIN Technologies, aims to improve how we reclaim water from waste.

The PBRE-WR investigates how multi-phase fluids behave during water treatment processes in microgravity. Using packed columns filled with filter media, it simulates steps in the water recovery system: capturing moisture from air, processing urine, and more.

During Expeditions 61/62, 64, and 66, the experiment studied flow distribution, saturation levels, and pressure changes as water and gas moved through the reactor. The findings offer insights into how these systems could be optimized for long-term missions to the Moon or Mars.

In microgravity, water doesn’t flow down or settle—it forms globules and moves unpredictably. This makes effective filtration tricky. PBRE-WR’s data helps develop models to design better, more reliable systems that won’t clog, overflow, or fail over time.

Improving water recovery reduces reliance on Earth resupply, saves weight, and boosts mission safety. The technology has spin-off potential too—such as for water recycling in disaster zones or remote communities on Earth.

This experiment is another leap toward sustainable human presence in space.

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