In a world facing an unprecedented climate crisis, where 40% of the population lives under water stress and projections indicate that global water demand will exceed available supply by 56% by 2050, the Vicente Trapani Wastewater Treatment Plant emerges as a technological, sustainable, and strategic response from Argentina’s citrus sector. Every year, the agri-food industry discharges millions of cubic meters of effluents with high concentrations of organic matter, nutrients, and solids, squandering a resource that could be a source of water, energy, and regenerated fertility.
This project breaks that inertia: it transforms liquid and solid effluents into reusable water, clean energy, and biofertilizers, using advanced biological, physico-chemical, and energy processes that integrate anaerobic digestion, DAF flotation, and biological nitrification–denitrification treatment. All of this operates under a regenerative circular-economy model, where every liter treated becomes added value for the basin and for the industry.
Its implementation represents a concrete opportunity to demonstrate that industrial innovation can return to the system what it extracts, closing the water cycle and reducing the water footprint by more than 438,000 m³ per year, equivalent to the consumption of 6,000 average households.
This transformation not only improves operational efficiency, but also drives a transition toward a new culture of clean, resilient, and traceable production, capable of turning waste into resource and impact into measurable benefit.
More than a treatment plant, the Vicente Trapani WWTP redefines the relationship between industry and nature, showing that water efficiency is also a source of resilience and competitiveness. Its contribution equals the annual consumption of more than 6,000 average households and generates sufficient biogas to supply part of the complex’s own energy demand.
Aligned with Water Positive principles, it meets the pillars of additionality, traceability, and intentionality by increasing the net availability of water within its basin and ensuring that every regenerated liter has a measurable, verifiable, and lasting impact.
The intervention is framed within a global context of resource scarcity and growing water demand in the food industry. Through a state-of-the-art biological and physico-chemical treatment system, the plant not only complies with environmental standards, but also increases the net availability of water within its basin through internal reuse and full recovery of effluent.
The main challenge lay in managing more than 1,200 m³ per day of effluents with a high organic load and elevated BOD, generated by citrus processing at the Vicente Trapani industrial plant, located in northwestern Argentina. The lack of adequate treatment implied contamination risks for receiving bodies and inefficient use of the water resource, worsening pressure on a basin already strained by agro-industrial activity. The WWTP emerges as a comprehensive, technologically advanced solution designed to address this challenge with efficiency, traceability, and a long-term vision.
The project employs combined biological and physico-chemical treatment technology, including anaerobic digestion, dissolved air flotation (DAF), sequential biological reactors, and automated disinfection and control systems. With this infrastructure, 100% of the effluent generated is treated, equivalent to more than 438,000 m³ of water per year, recovering regenerated water for irrigation or industrial cleaning, generating biogas as a source of thermal and electrical energy, and producing solid digestate that can be reused as an agricultural biofertilizer. This model turns an environmental liability into a circular asset with triple impact: hydric, energy, and productive.
The benefits are immediate and quantifiable: a 90% reduction in methane and CO₂ emissions, elimination of liquid discharge to the environment, and partial replacement of fossil and chemical inputs. Behind this transformation, several actors are coordinated: Sa.To Green Energy as technology developer, Vicente Trapani S.A. as operator and main investor, and strategic partners from the academic and environmental spheres for performance monitoring and validation. This collaborative ecosystem ensures data quality, operational continuity, and transparency in measuring volumetric water benefits (VWB).
The model is fully replicable in other agro-industries in the country and the region, particularly in the citrus, sugar, and wine sectors, where effluent characteristics are similar. Its scalability lies in modular design, proven technologies, and the ability to adapt the system to different flow rates or types of organic waste. Acting now is key: every day without treatment represents thousands of liters of polluted water and wasted energy. This project shows that forward-looking companies can be protagonists of a new water economy, gaining operational efficiency, ESG compliance, brand reputation, and competitive differentiation, while actively contributing to the global goal of being Water Positive.
The proposed technical solution is based on a hybrid gray-green infrastructure (the “gray” component relies on traditional engineering for effluent control, conveyance, and treatment, and the “green” component comprises biological and natural processes to regenerate nutrients and enable water recirculation), combining advanced engineering and biological processes to ensure maximum utilization of the water resource. This alternative was chosen after evaluating different technologies, from constructed wetlands to MBR systems and conventional physico-chemical treatments, selecting a configuration that integrates anaerobic digestion, DAF flotation, and sequential biological treatment for its higher efficiency, lower energy consumption, and ability to adapt to load variations. With an operation of 1,200 m³ per day, the plant reaches a treatment capacity of 438,000 m³ per year, ensuring total reuse of treated water and generation of biogas and organic fertilizers. Its hybrid nature allows it to function both as gray infrastructure (effluent control and treatment) and as green infrastructure (nutrient valorization and recirculation), with digital governance that ensures real-time traceability and control.
Implementation unfolds in clearly defined phases. During the engineering and design stage, water and energy balances are established, hydraulic modeling is developed, and high-efficiency equipment is selected, ensuring compliance with ISO and national standards. The civil-works phase focuses on construction of reactors, conveyance lines, and support structures, using corrosion-resistant materials prepared for climatic variability. Subsequently, technological installation introduces automated control systems (PLCs, flow sensors, flowmeters, oxygen and temperature analyzers), along with DAF modules, biological reactors, and anaerobic digesters. During commissioning, flow calibrations are performed, organic load tests are carried out, and water-quality performance is validated. Continuous operation is supported by digital monitoring (SCADA) and predictive-maintenance protocols, while benefits verification and communication use the VWBA methodology to certify treated volume, reused water, and environmental benefits generated.
The main risks identified include technological failures, hydrological variability, possible interruptions in power supply, and social acceptance of by-products. To mitigate them, the system incorporates operational redundancies (duplicate pumps and sensors), contingency plans, and rapid-response protocols. Shared governance has been implemented involving the operator, the technology developer, and environmental authorities, ensuring transparency and service continuity. In the face of climate change, resilience is ensured through modular systems that allow flow-rate adjustments, biogas storage as energy reserve, and continuous monitoring of climatic conditions to adapt operations. There are also specific protocols to prevent critical failures, including management plans for accidental contamination, supply shortages, or saline intrusion, integrated into the ISO 14001 system.
This solution directly addresses a structural technical and environmental problem: organic overloading in industrial effluents and underutilization of water in water-stressed areas. Its relevance in this context is supported by the technology’s ability to operate with high efficiency under variable conditions, with selection criteria based on environmental impact, cost-benefit, replicability, and regulatory compliance. Aligned with Water Positive principles and the VWBA framework, it meets the criteria of additionality by generating benefits beyond basic operations; of traceability through continuous digital measurement; and of intentionality by being planned with an explicit objective of net increase in the water resource.
The benefits are measurable and multifunctional: more than 438,000 m³ of water recovered annually, a 90% reduction in methane and CO₂ emissions, and elimination of liquid discharges into the environment. Added to this are social impacts such as strengthened public health, local job creation, and improved agricultural practices through the use of biofertilizers. Economically, the plant reduces disposal and energy costs, improves operational resilience, and positions the company for certifications and ESG standards.
The model’s scalability is broad: it can be replicated in citrus, wine, sugar, or food-processing agro-industries in Latin America and Mediterranean regions with similar water-scarcity conditions. Its competitiveness versus other alternatives stems from integrating low operating-cost processes, self-generated energy, and measurable environmental returns. The success of its expansion relies on public-private partnerships, technological cooperation, and regulatory frameworks that promote water reuse and energy valorization. In short, this solution turns effluent management into a driver of environmental and economic transformation, capable of regenerating resources, inspiring investment, and strengthening hydric resilience in the basins where it is implemented.
Project implementation is structured under a phased, adaptive scheme designed to ensure operational continuity and the fulfillment of verifiable volumetric targets. It develops across six interdependent phases that allow control of every technical and environmental variable, ensuring efficiency, traceability, and resilience.
Phase 1 – Diagnosis and baseline: This stage establishes the initial water and energy conditions of the plant. Effluent volumes generated, their composition (BOD, TSS, pH, conductivity), and associated emissions are quantified. Through laboratory sampling and online sensors, performance indicators (KPIs) are defined to compare with-project and without-project scenarios. Data are integrated into a hydraulic and energy model, supported by remote-sensing tools and georeferencing of discharge points.
Phase 2 – Design and engineering: Based on the diagnosis, hydraulic modeling, water and energy balances, and equipment selection are carried out. Criteria of energy efficiency, material durability, and climate adaptability are applied. Detailed engineering includes defining design flows (1,200 m³/day), organic loads, reactor sizing, and specifications for automatic control and SCADA systems. Water-stress scenarios are considered and contingency plans are developed.
Phase 3 – Civil works and assembly: Structural works are carried out on tanks, biological reactors, equalization chambers, and conveyance lines. Structures are built with anti-corrosive materials with high resistance to temperature and humidity. At this stage, the bases are prepared for integration of automation and sensing systems, including flowmeters, dissolved-oxygen probes, IoT level and pH sensors, and temperature analyzers.
Phase 4 – Technological installation and commissioning: This includes assembling treatment equipment: DAF system for grease and solids separation, biological reactors for nitrification–denitrification, anaerobic digester for biogas generation, and final disinfection unit. During commissioning, flows are calibrated, aeration parameters adjusted, and the efficiency of BOD and TSS removal validated. Alarm thresholds and automated control routines for deviations are established.
Phase 5 – Continuous operation and monitoring: The plant operates under a digital control scheme based on SCADA and IoT, which records in real time the flows, water quality, and biogas production. Data are stored on a central platform and reported periodically to the basin authority and external verifiers. Monitoring includes semiannual audits, preventive maintenance, and updates of VWBA/WQBA balances. Physical traceability is ensured by identifying inflow and outflow streams, and digital traceability through automated reporting.
Phase 6 – Validation, verification, and continuous improvement: Audit protocols are applied in accordance with ISO 14001, that is, internal and external environmental reviews that verify compliance with the environmental management system under ISO 14001, assessing performance, legal conformity, and opportunities for continuous improvement, and VWBA 2.0, contrasting performance against the baseline. Volumetric benefits (m³ treated and reused), effluent quality, and avoided emissions are validated by independent third parties. Feedback mechanisms allow adjustment of aeration, recirculation, or chemical dosing based on results. In addition, predictive maintenance plans and periodic technological updates are maintained to ensure the permanence of benefits.
The governance scheme involves Vicente Trapani S.A. as operator and responsible for managing regenerated water; Sa.To Green Energy as technology developer and technical support; and local environmental authorities as external verifiers. Each phase has assigned responsibilities, cross-checking mechanisms, and traceable reporting. This adaptive model ensures that the plant evolves with hydrological variability, maintaining its efficiency and contribution to regional hydric resilience.
The Vicente Trapani WWTP constitutes a comprehensive technical intervention focused on the reuse of industrial effluents and the energy valorization of organic waste, combining high-efficiency physico-chemical and biological processes. Its operation is based on a treatment train composed of pretreatment (screening and equalization), dissolved air flotation (DAF), biological reactors for nitrification–denitrification, and anaerobic digestion, with a nominal capacity of 1,200 m³/day and greater than 95% removal efficiency for BOD and TSS. The entire system is automated and digitally monitored through IoT sensors and a SCADA platform, guaranteeing water traceability from entry to final reuse. It complies with ISO 14001 standards, Argentine environmental regulations, and WHO parameters and the European Directive 91/271/EEC for wastewater treatment.
This solution responds to the challenge of organic pollution and water scarcity affecting the Salí–Dulce Basin, providing a tangible response to the lack of treatment infrastructure. Before the project, effluents were discharged without treatment, degrading water quality and affecting availability for other uses. With the plant in operation, 438,000 m³ of water per year are recovered, reused internally for irrigation and cleaning, and discharges to the environment are avoided. In addition, anaerobic digestion generates biogas that partially replaces the use of fossil fuels, and a solid biofertilizer that replaces synthetic fertilizers, closing the nutrient and energy loop.
Concrete results are reflected in improved water quality (BOD reduction from 1,200 to less than 80 mg/L, and 90% reduction in TSS), a 90% reduction in methane and carbon-dioxide emissions, and energy savings derived from biogas. Environmentally, pressure on aquifers and surface waters is reduced; socially, local employment is created and public health is improved by eliminating polluting discharges. From an economic and governance perspective, the project adds strategic value to the Water Positive roadmap by demonstrating additionality, traceability, and intentionality in water management. It also strengthens the company’s ESG reputation, consolidating its social license to operate and its alignment with global commitments such as SBTi, NPWI, the SDGs, and the European ESRS E3 standard.
Due to its modular nature, the plant can be replicated in other agro-industries (citrus, sugar, wine) and in regions with similar water-stress conditions, both in Latin America and in Mediterranean zones. Its scalability is supported by proven technologies, availability of local materials, and the ability to adapt to different flow rates. Alliances with public bodies, technology companies, and local communities facilitate its expansion under cooperation and shared-governance schemes.
The expected final impact translates into a substantial improvement in the basin’s water balance, with a direct increase in net water availability and a reduction in pollutant loads. The plant strengthens climate and operational resilience, contributes to the regional circular economy, and sends a forceful message to investors and society: water sustainability is not a cost, but a strategic investment that drives competitiveness and environmental regeneration.
