Humanity has entered an era defined by water scarcity and escalating demand. Global consumption is accelerating even as natural reserves decline, and by 2030 the imbalance is expected to surpass 40%, driving an unprecedented crisis. In Brazil, especially in Minas Gerais, this reality is stark: industrial centers operate alongside fragile water systems where shortages directly affect communities and economic stability. In such a setting, every cubic meter saved becomes a safeguard, and every drop regenerated a step toward resilience.
This water reuse project emerges as a bold response to that challenge. Through the implementation of a Minimal Liquid Discharge (MLD) solution with a third stage of reverse osmosis, recovery rates increase from 70% to 85%. This equates to 2.5 m³/hour of reclaimed water, more than 1,785 m³ per month, enough to cover the basic needs of 12,000 people per year. What was once waste becomes a strategic resource that reduces dependence on external sources and decreases effluent discharges, closing the water loop within industrial operations.
The change is not limited to technical performance: it redefines the role of industry as a leader in water innovation. The project applies VWBA 2.0 to quantify volumetric benefits and WQBA to ensure the quality of regenerated water, guaranteeing that each cubic meter meets the principles of additionality, traceability, and intentionality. This strengthens the social license to operate while positioning industry as a pioneer in embedding verifiable and auditable metrics into ESG strategies.
The industrial market in Betim faces rising risks: high costs for effluent disposal through public utilities, stricter environmental regulations, and scarcity scenarios that could compromise operational continuity. Against this reality, the project’s strategic objective is clear: to transform water management from an operational liability into a competitive, resilient, and environmental asset. Its rationale lies in demonstrating that reuse is not a complement, but the backbone of industrial water security in stressed regions.
The initiative brings together key actors: the industrial operator as project promoter, a specialized water company in charge of design, operation, and maintenance under a BOT model, and environmental authorities in Minas Gerais as regulatory guarantors. Under the Water Positive strategy, each liter reused not only improves internal efficiency but also contributes to effective replenishment at the basin level. In this way, the project sets the path for a new generation of industries capable of turning risks into opportunities and leading the transition toward a truly circular water economy.
The water context of Minas Gerais reflects a critical challenge: overexploited sources, growing pressure on supply systems, and increasingly strict regulations for industrial effluent management. Within this scenario, the facility identified a strategic opportunity: to transform what was previously a costly waste stream into an internal source of regenerated water, ensuring operational resilience and environmental compliance. The installation of a third reverse osmosis stage within the MLD system enables up to 85% recovery, producing more than 21,000 m³ of reused water per year, immediately reducing dependence on freshwater and minimizing discharges to the public network.
The benefits are tangible and high-impact: reduced costs for water consumption and disposal, a smaller water footprint for industrial operations, early compliance with environmental regulations, and a stronger social license to operate. In addition, the project decreases the risk of production stoppages due to scarcity, ensuring continuity in the face of growing hydrological variability. It demonstrates that high-demand industries can integrate reuse into technically demanding processes, with water quality assured under WQBA standards.
The model is viable and replicable: any company with significant volumes of wastewater and regulatory pressure can adopt MLD to close the water loop. Leadership and specialized BOT operation ensure both technical efficiency and financial sustainability. Acting now is critical: the cost of inaction translates into operational risks, regulatory penalties, and loss of competitiveness. By contrast, leading with reuse solutions not only fulfills ESG commitments but also provides market differentiation, international reputation, and alignment with Water Positive and SDG targets. In this way, industry consolidates itself as a protagonist of a transformation that combines efficiency, innovation, and sustainability.
The proposed solution focuses on installing a third reverse osmosis (RO) stage within the MLD system, after evaluating advanced filtration, membrane bioreactors, and hybrid technologies. This third stage integrates high-rejection membranes designed for brine polishing, raising overall recovery efficiency while maintaining permeate quality below 50 µS/cm, suitable for reintegration into sensitive industrial processes. The choice reflects superior performance in maximizing recovery, meeting stringent quality requirements, and reducing concentrate volumes, fully aligned with VWBA 2.0 principles of intentionality and traceability.
The system is engineered for a nominal throughput of 2.5 m³/h, equivalent to over 21,000 m³/year of reclaimed water. It incorporates high-pressure pumps with variable frequency drives, energy recovery devices to optimize kWh/m³, and automated chemical dosing (antiscalants and pH adjustment) to prevent membrane fouling. Control instruments include electromagnetic flow meters, differential pressure transmitters, conductivity probes, and online TOC sensors, all connected to a SCADA platform with IoT integration for real-time monitoring and digital traceability. Independent third-party audits will validate performance and compliance.
Risks identified include membrane fouling, scaling, variability of feedwater salinity, and social acceptance of reuse. Mitigation measures involve the use of advanced pretreatment (multimedia filtration, ultrafiltration, cartridge polishing), redundancy in critical pumps, continuous antiscalant dosing, and predictive maintenance supported by digital twins. Hydrological variability is addressed by modular design that allows flexible operation under different feedwater conditions. Communication protocols with stakeholders ensure transparency and acceptance.
Quantifiable benefits include saving freshwater equivalent to the annual consumption of 12,000 people, reducing concentrate discharged to the public network by more than 15%, and cutting specific energy use by 10% compared to baseline systems. Environmentally, the project reduces pressure on natural sources and lowers CO₂ emissions linked to effluent transport and treatment. Socially, it improves public health protection and community perception. Economically, it reduces OPEX, ensures production continuity, and strengthens ESG positioning through measurable performance indicators.
The model is replicable in other high-demand industries such as automotive, metallurgy, and food processing. Its scalability is supported by modular skid-mounted units, availability of global membrane suppliers, and regulatory frameworks that incentivize reuse. Expansion is facilitated by public-private partnerships, financing mechanisms tied to ESG performance, and international recognition of leadership in circular water practices.
The project follows a phased implementation plan designed for technical efficiency, operational safety, and verifiable traceability. The diagnosis and baseline assessment stage established current water abstraction, effluent reject flows, and quality indicators such as conductivity, TDS, and COD. These values defined the “without-project” scenario used for VWBA comparisons. The design and engineering phase detailed hydraulic balances, pump sizing, membrane array configurations (including pressure vessels and staging), chemical dosing strategies, and system integration with existing treatment lines.
During installation and assembly, the third RO stage was integrated with reinforced piping, high-pressure pumps with VFDs, and a complete set of monitoring instruments—electromagnetic flow meters, pressure and differential pressure transmitters, multiparameter probes for pH, turbidity, and conductivity, plus IoT-enabled sensors. Safety interlocks and redundancy were added for critical components.
Commissioning covered hydrostatic tests, membrane integrity checks, calibration of flow and pressure sensors, and performance tests to verify recovery rates and permeate quality. Certification followed international standards (ISO 14046, WHO guidelines, and national regulations). Once validated, continuous operation began under a BOT model, with predictive, preventive, and corrective maintenance schedules. KPIs include recovery efficiency (%), permeate conductivity, TDS removal (>98%), SDI values, specific energy consumption (kWh/m³), and operational cost per cubic meter. Monitoring is performed through continuous online sensors, monthly laboratory analyses, and periodic performance audits.
Physical traceability is ensured by inlet and outlet mass balance and by direct flow and quality sensors at each stage. Digital traceability is delivered through SCADA integrated with cloud platforms, generating alarms, predictive analytics, and automated reporting dashboards. Independent auditors validate volumetric and quality benefits under VWBA/WQBA frameworks. Governance assigns strategic responsibility to the operator, technical oversight to the specialized BOT partner, and compliance verification to environmental regulators.
The system functions under a continuous improvement and resilience framework. This includes membrane autopsy programs, chemical cleaning protocols optimized by online fouling indices, digital twin simulations for hydrological variability, and scheduled technology upgrades. This ensures both immediate benefits and long-term permanence, consolidating industrial water reuse and circularity as a benchmark for resilient, future-ready operations.
The project consists of installing a third reverse osmosis (RO) stage within an existing Minimal Liquid Discharge (MLD) system to maximize recovery and close the industrial water cycle. From a technical perspective, the system integrates advanced pretreatment (multimedia filtration, ultrafiltration, and cartridge polishing), two existing RO trains, and a new high-pressure concentration stage designed for brine polishing. This configuration elevates overall recovery from 70% to 85% while maintaining permeate quality under 50 µS/cm, compliant with demanding industrial reuse standards. The installation includes variable frequency drive pumps, energy recovery devices to optimize kWh/m³, and automated chemical dosing for antiscalants, pH control, and periodic cleaning-in-place protocols. Instrumentation encompasses electromagnetic flow meters, pressure and differential pressure transmitters, conductivity probes, SDI monitoring, and IoT-enabled sensors integrated into a SCADA platform. Together, these elements enable digital traceability, predictive maintenance, and real-time alarms, ensuring reliable and verifiable operation. The system is designed to produce over 21,000 m³/year of reclaimed water, equivalent to the annual domestic consumption of about 60 families, significantly reducing dependence on external supply and cutting discharges to the public network. The scheme complies with national and international environmental regulations, corporate standards, and VWBA/WQBA methodologies.
The relevance of this solution lies in addressing the structural water stress of the Paraopeba basin, minimizing risks of production interruption, and ensuring compliance with increasingly stringent regulations. Compared with the baseline, where large reject volumes were discharged to the utility and freshwater dependency was high, the project introduces a structural shift toward water circularity and industrial resilience.
Expected results include measurable savings of over 21,000 m³/year of freshwater, more than 15% reduction of concentrate volumes, pollutant load reductions (COD, TDS, and metals), and associated decreases in CO₂ emissions due to avoided transport and treatment. Additional benefits include strengthened public health safeguards, improved perception by local communities, and reinforced continuity of operations. Strategically, the project contributes to the Water Positive roadmap, delivering tangible ESG value in the form of regulatory compliance, enhanced reputation, and sustained license to operate.
The model is designed for replication in other high-demand industrial facilities, both in Brazil and globally. Scalability is supported by modular skid-mounted units, a global supply chain of membranes and pumps, and regulatory frameworks that increasingly favor reuse. Public-private partnerships and third-party verification mechanisms reinforce sustainability and transparency. The final impact is the consolidation of efficient, resilient, and responsible industrial operations that improve basin balance, strengthen climate resilience, and demonstrate the ability of industry to lead the transition to a regenerative water economy.
