In a world increasingly strained by climate change, water scarcity, and the clustering of industrial activity in vulnerable regions, the traditional model of economic growth based on linear water extraction is no longer viable. Mexico faces a critical scenario: over 70% of water usage is concentrated in the agricultural and industrial sectors, while many regions suffer from overexploited aquifers and inefficient urban networks. Within this context, industrial parks, key drivers of national economic development, often operate under a use-and-dispose logic, discharging thousands of cubic meters of untreated or underutilized effluents daily.
This project proposes a radical transformation: a modular, scalable, and replicable Industrial Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Plant located in the El Bajío Industrial Park, in the state of Guanajuato. Its purpose is not merely to treat wastewater but to turn it into a strategic resource for internal reuse within the park, closing the water loop and significantly reducing pressure on freshwater sources. Every cubic meter of regenerated water means one less extracted from the aquifer, one less polluting the environment, and one more strengthening local industrial resilience and competitiveness.
The plant employs advanced membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology, delivering Class 1 quality water for reuse in industrial processes, cooling towers, or landscape irrigation. With an initial treatment capacity of 50 L/s (4,320 m³/day), the system can supply up to 40% of the park’s current water demand, equivalent to the daily consumption of 17,000 people. The initiative is structured according to the principles of additionality, traceability, and intentionality outlined in the VWBA 2.0 methodology, enabling certification of measurable water and environmental benefits.
The project addresses an urgent need: upgrading industrial water infrastructure to meet ESG standards, anticipate new environmental regulations, and position itself as a benchmark in water circularity. It engages the park operator, anchor companies with high water usage, local government agencies, and certified technology providers. Moreover, it aligns with the Water Positive strategies of global companies seeking to replenish more water than they consume, acting directly within a high-priority, overexploited basin.
The installation of an industrial water reuse plant in El Bajío Park is rooted in a clear technical and strategic opportunity: transforming an environmental liability, industrial effluent, into a high-value water asset. The current challenge lies in the lack of an efficient, unified treatment system within the park, resulting in scattered discharges, regulatory non-compliance, and full dependence on freshwater for production. Existing infrastructure, when available, is outdated, underperforming, and fragmented across users.
This project directly addresses that fragmentation through a centralized model of advanced treatment and reuse, capable of generating uniform, high-quality water with full traceability. In the short term, it is expected to reduce the park’s freshwater demand by up to 40%, generating significant operational savings for user companies. In the medium and long term, it enhances the industrial system’s water resilience in the face of drought, reduces regulatory risks, and strengthens the park’s environmental reputation.
The environmental benefits are compelling: pollutant discharges are avoided, usable water is reinjected into the economic cycle, pumping-related emissions are reduced, and the local water balance is stabilized. The selected MBR technology removes more than 95% of organic load and guarantees reuse standards aligned with NOM-003-SEMARNAT and international frameworks such as ISO 16075.
The project is led by a coalition of the park operator, structuring firm Aqua Positive, and certified technology partners. Its modular design makes it easily scalable to other industrial parks in Mexico facing similar issues, and its digital traceability structure enables external validation through VWBA methodology. In a context of increasing sustainability demands and restricted water access, this kind of solution positions participating companies as pioneers in a new era of regenerative industry.
Now is the time to act. Companies that adopt this solution not only gain efficiency and regulatory compliance, they gain legitimacy, visibility, and a strategic advantage with investors, clients, and regulators. Becoming “Water Positive” is not just a corporate milestone; it is a business opportunity rooted in innovation, resilience, and leadership.
The proposed solution involves designing and installing an industrial wastewater treatment and regeneration plant equipped with advanced technologies capable of operating efficiently, safely, and adaptable to the variety of effluents generated in the industrial parks. The facility will include a full treatment train consisting of physical pretreatment (screening, grit removal), biological treatment via Sequencing Batch Reactors (SBR), tertiary filtration, activated carbon systems for organic compound absorption, and ultraviolet (UV) disinfection units to ensure microbiological safety of the reclaimed water.
The goal is for the treated water to be reused in non-potable but high-demand industrial applications such as cooling systems, equipment washing, boiler feed, surface cleaning, or irrigation of green areas within the industrial parks. This strategy will directly reduce the use of first-use water (potable or well water), thereby easing the pressure on overexploited aquifers and lowering the industrial complex’s overall water footprint.
In addition, the advanced treatment will remove priority pollutants before any residual discharge, significantly reducing organic loads, suspended solids, and the presence of heavy metals or complex compounds, thus preventing environmental impacts on receiving bodies and supporting regulatory compliance. Implementing this solution represents a key step in the industrial water transition, ensuring greater operational resilience, environmental sustainability, and alignment with national and international water frameworks.
The project will be developed on an industrial parcel strategically located within the El Bajo industrial park cluster, with direct access to common sewer collectors and the necessary energy infrastructure for continuous operation. Implementation will begin with civil works, including construction of treatment platforms, equalization tanks, structures for treatment modules, and installation of internal pumping lines and distribution networks.
Modular treatment units will be installed to allow for progressive commissioning, scaling capacity as more industries join the system. This modularity will also ease maintenance and accommodate various effluent profiles. The plant will connect to a closed-loop network for reclaimed water distribution, designed to serve specific demand points in the park, such as cooling towers, wash stations, and irrigation systems.
System operation will be backed by an automated control scheme, including sensors for continuous monitoring of key quality and flow parameters (pH, turbidity, BOD, TSS, heavy metals), all integrated into a centralized control and alert system. Performance traceability and reporting will be managed through the Aqua Positive digital platform, enabling real-time data sharing with users, auditors, and regulatory authorities.
Field validation will include periodic sampling campaigns and testing by certified laboratories, complemented by external audits and regulatory compliance verification. Project implementation will actively involve local industrial associations, the State Water Commission of Guanajuato (CEAG), anchor companies in the park, and operating utilities.
This project emerges as a strategic response to the growing water stress facing the El Bajo industrial region, where high industrial water demand and insufficient treatment capacity have created a scenario of aquifer overexploitation and environmental degradation. Companies in the industrial park require structural solutions to ensure operational continuity under scarcity while meeting more demanding environmental regulations and progressing toward internationally recognized sustainability standards.
In this context, the construction of a modular industrial wastewater treatment and regeneration plant is proposed, designed from inception to adapt to the park’s growth. The plant will include advanced physico-chemical and biological processes to ensure reliable treatment and enable safe reuse of the water, especially in non-potable, high-demand applications such as cooling, cleaning, or boiler feed.
The system will be linked to an internal reclaimed water network, supplying various industrial plants within the park through dedicated distribution nodes and individualized metering. The entire operation will be automated and monitored in real-time using strategically placed sensors and a digital platform (Aqua Positive) that centralizes management, data analysis, and compliance reporting.
Implementation will involve coordinated public-private partnerships including end users, utilities, CEAG, and potential funding sources. The expected outcome is a robust, scalable, and replicable system capable of measurably replacing first-use water with reclaimed water, generating volumetric water benefits in m³/year, significantly reducing pollutant discharges, and substantially improving the region’s water and environmental resilience.
