In a world where industrial zones account for a significant share of water consumption and wastewater generation, the Bogotá Free Trade Zone represents both a challenge and a strategic opportunity. Hosting more than 400 companies within a highly dynamic economic area, this hub concentrates activities that require substantial water volumes for industrial processes, services, and sanitation, while generating effluents with variable loads that have historically been treated in a decentralized manner, without a comprehensive reuse approach.
The global water crisis and growing regulatory pressure in Colombia are accelerating the need for solutions that not only reduce the water footprint but also transform water management into a competitive asset. This project aims to do exactly that: to turn the Free Trade Zone’s treatment and effluent management system into a model for safe, traceable, and scalable water reuse, fully aligned with the Volumetric Water Benefit Accounting (VWBA 2.0) methodology and Water Positive principles.
Through the modernization of the treatment plant and the implementation of an advanced regeneration system (filtration, chemical-free disinfection, online monitoring, and digital traceability), the project targets the recovery of more than 60% of treated water for non-potable uses within the industrial park, replacing fresh water withdrawals equivalent to the annual consumption of more than 5,000 people. The quality of the reclaimed water will be verified under WQBA parameters, ensuring that the benefit is both volumetric and qualitative.
This initiative responds to the urgency of action in high-demand industrial zones and positions itself as a replicable model for other free trade zones in the country. By meeting the principles of additionality, traceability, and intentionality, it not only reduces pressure on local sources but also strengthens the social and environmental license to operate, fully aligned with SDGs 6, 9, 12, and 13.
The Bogotá Free Trade Zone currently faces a scenario typical of consolidated industrial areas: high water consumption from the municipal network, continuous generation of effluents with diverse characteristics, and treatment primarily focused on regulatory compliance, without maximizing reuse potential. This situation results in three key impacts: growing pressure on supply sources, high operational costs from consumption and treatment, and a water footprint that falls short of current market and regulatory efficiency expectations.
The technical opportunity lies in transforming the treatment plant’s operation into a closed-loop system capable of repurposing treated water for industrial processes, irrigation of common areas, and non-potable services, reducing fresh water demand by more than 50%. This will be achieved through the integration of modular advanced filtration technologies, UV disinfection, and real-time quality control, ensuring compliance with reuse standards and full physical and digital traceability of the benefit.
In the short term, the expected impact includes an immediate reduction in potable water withdrawals and lower operational costs related to water use and discharge. In the medium term, the initiative will position the Free Trade Zone as a national benchmark for industrial water management, increasing its attractiveness to companies with ESG commitments. In the long term, it will consolidate a replicable model contributing to Bogotá’s water resilience and to climate and efficiency targets set by Colombian regulations and international standards.
The stakeholders involved, the Free Trade Zone administration, user companies, technology provider, project structurer, and third-party verifier, will be key to ensuring the integrated and scalable performance of the model. Anchor companies with high-consumption operations will be able to lead this transition, gaining economic, regulatory, and reputational benefits, while generating verifiable water credits under international standards.
The proposed solution is based on the development of a modular and scalable system for the treatment and reuse of industrial water, specifically designed to address the heterogeneity of pollutants generated by the different sectors that make up the Bogota Free Trade Zone. This modularity allows each sectoral cluster (food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, logistics, metalworking) to have a treatment line adapted to its pollutant load characteristics, flow rate, and available space.
The modular units will combine treatment trains starting with physical-chemical primary separation processes (coagulation-flocculation, sedimentation, dissolved air flotation), followed by advanced biological treatments through membrane bioreactors (MBR), which allow high removal rates of BOD, COD, nutrients, and suspended solids, with a reduced footprint and no need for secondary clarifiers. Subsequently, effluents will pass through advanced oxidation processes (AOP), applicable for degrading emerging contaminants and recalcitrant compounds, including peroxides, ozone, or UV/H2O2.
As a final stage, disinfection systems using dual-pass ultraviolet (UV) radiation will be incorporated, with microbiological inactivation validation according to international standards, and polishing modules with granular activated carbon or tertiary filtration to ensure the physicochemical quality of the regenerated water. These treatment trains will be operated via a centralized SCADA system, with IoT sensors continuously monitoring critical parameters such as flow rate, BOD, TSS, turbidity, pH, temperature, ORP, and conductivity.
The treated water will be safely reused within the park for non-potable applications such as: floor, cargo vehicle, and machinery washing; green area irrigation; water replenishment in cooling towers; fire protection systems; and external surface cleaning. The segregation by use type and target quality for each will be defined under safe reuse protocols, aligned with Colombian regulations (Resolution 1207 of 2014) and international best practices (WHO Guidelines for Safe Use of Wastewater).
The system will be measured using the VWBA methodology to quantify the volume of water saved by substituting primary sources (aqueduct or well), as well as by reducing discharges into the sewer system. In turn, the WQBA methodology will quantify the pollutant load avoided (kg/year of BOD, TSS, N, P) thanks to the technological intervention. Both frameworks will be subject to external verification by independent entities, enabling certification under standards such as Aqua Positive or Act4Water, and allowing their valuation in environmental benefit markets.
Stage 1: Technical Diagnosis (0–6 months) This stage aims to characterize the current water situation of companies located in ZFB. It involves comprehensive mapping of production processes, water consumption, effluent generation points, discharge quality, and reuse potential. Field inspections, technical interviews, laboratory analysis, and temporary sensors for spot measurements are used.
Stage 2: Modular System Design (months 7–12) Based on the diagnosis, conceptual and detailed design of cluster-specific solutions is formulated. Appropriate technology trains (MBR, AOP, UV, tertiary filtration) are selected, hydraulic modeling, sizing, projected efficiency estimation, and CAPEX/OPEX evaluation are carried out.
Stage 3: Pilot and Validation (months 13–24) A pilot treatment unit is installed at a strategic point of the park or a representative company. This phase validates the efficiency of the treatment train, verifies the quality of reclaimed water, and assesses user acceptance.
Stage 4: Scaling (months 25–48) The full-scale solution is implemented in all clusters under a defined tariff and institutional model. New units are integrated, operational responsibilities established, and a shared water governance system consolidated.
The purpose of this project is to structurally transform the management of industrial wastewater within the Bogota Free Trade Zone, one of Colombia’s most important business complexes. Strategically located in the western part of the city, ZFB groups over 400 companies from the logistics, pharmaceutical, food, cosmetic, and technology sectors. This diversity generates a complex mixture of industrial effluents with variable physicochemical characteristics and a high organic and chemical load.
Currently, companies manage their effluents independently, with localized treatment solutions and no common quality control or traceability system. This leads to inefficient water resource management, regulatory compliance risks, high operational costs, and growing pressure on the urban and regional water system, particularly the Bogota River.
In response, the project proposes implementing a modular and collective infrastructure for the treatment, regeneration, and reuse of industrial wastewater. This infrastructure will be equipped with advanced technologies such as membrane bioreactors (MBR), advanced oxidation (AOP), dual-pass UV disinfection, and activated carbon polishing, enabling the production of high-quality water suitable for non-potable uses within the industrial park.
The system will be monitored in real time using sensors for flow, BOD, TSS, pH, turbidity, temperature, and conductivity, integrated into an interoperable digital platform. This will ensure traceability of benefits in terms of both reused water volume (VWBA) and effluent quality improvement (WQBA), under auditable and verifiable schemes. The project also includes a shared governance model involving user companies, Bogota Free Trade Zone administration, technical operators, and environmental authorities.
Implementation will be carried out in four stages. The first will consist of a comprehensive technical diagnosis, mapping water flows, effluent generation points, and reuse opportunities. The second stage will design the modular system, adapted by company or sector type. The third phase will execute a demonstrative pilot, validating technological efficiency and reuse acceptance. Finally, the fourth stage will scale the system to all companies, with a fair tariff structure, performance indicators, and continuous reporting mechanisms.
The reclaimed water will be used in industrial applications such as green area irrigation, floor and vehicle washing, cooling tower supply, and other non-potable uses. This will significantly reduce the extraction of potable or groundwater, eliminate discharges to the sewer system, and decrease environmental impact on the Bogota River, contributing to its quality improvement.
The project aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDGs 6, 9, 12, 13, and 17, and follows principles of circular economy, water efficiency, and climate resilience. Its implementation will position the Bogota Free Trade Zone as a reference in industrial sustainability in Latin America and provide a replicable model for other industrial parks and free trade zones in the country and the region.
This comprehensive approach not only maximizes operational efficiency in water resource use but also improves the collective environmental performance of companies, creates new technical job opportunities, strengthens the social license to operate, and anticipates future regulatory requirements for water management and corporate sustainability.
