The project proposes the installation and operation of an industrial wastewater treatment plant in the industrial parks of Guanajuato, a region characterized by its intense manufacturing activity and growing pressure on local water resources. The main objective of this infrastructure is to regenerate water used in industrial processes through advanced treatment, making it suitable for reuse within the same facilities. This approach not only significantly reduces the extraction of groundwater—currently overexploited—but also improves the quality of water that may eventually be returned to the environment.
The project introduces a structural transformation in water resource management by shifting from a linear model—where water is used once and discarded—to a high-efficiency circular system in which industrial effluents are captured, treated, and reused. This logic of industrial recirculation helps reduce operational costs, emissions associated with water pumping and transport, and regulatory risks linked to pollutant discharges.
The proposal aligns with the Volumetric Water Benefit Accounting (VWBA 2.0) methodology, which enables standardized measurement of the volume of water recovered and no longer extracted thanks to the project. It also incorporates the Water Quality Benefit Accounting (WQBA) framework to quantify reductions in key pollutants such as Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), and heavy metals. Together, these tools ensure that benefits are technically robust, verifiable, and aligned with international standards for water sustainability.
The industrial region, located in a strategic node of Guanajuato state, faces critical water-related challenges that threaten both environmental sustainability and the economic viability of industrial operations. On one hand, there is systematic overexploitation of local aquifers to meet high water demands from the automotive, metalworking, chemical, agribusiness, and manufacturing sectors. This pressure has led to a continuous drop in piezometric levels, deeper wells, higher energy consumption for pumping, and the progressive depletion of groundwater reserves.
On the other hand, a similarly serious issue exists in the management of industrial effluents. Most plants lack adequate infrastructure to treat wastewater to acceptable quality levels, resorting to only primary treatment or direct discharge into sewers or water bodies without sufficient purification. As a result, receiving bodies in the area—such as tributaries of the Laja River—are being polluted with water containing high organic loads (measured as BOD), TSS, and heavy metals like zinc, chromium, nickel, and lead, which severely affect aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem health.
The interaction between these two factors creates a situation of high water vulnerability: while freshwater availability declines, pollutant loads increase. This dual stress creates an unsustainable water pressure that jeopardizes future water supply for productive and domestic uses, undermines the competitiveness of the industrial cluster, and deteriorates the region’s environmental quality. A structural intervention is therefore urgent and essential to restore hydrological balance.
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.
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