Transforming a wastewater treatment plant into a biofactory

The transformation of the wastewater treatment plant into a biofactory in Granada (Spain) initiated in 2015, managed by the mixed ownership company Emasagra (the Municipal Water Supply and Sanitation Company), allowed the increasing reuse of water and its transformation into energy. Compared to the previous model, the biofactory represents a new way to achieve circularity through energy generation, water reuse and recovery of waste resulting from the purification process of water. According to Emasagra, the innovation consists in: i) moving from being a big consumer of energy to producer; ii) reusing treated water rather than only purifying it and returning to the natural environment; and iii) transforming waste into resources, rather than dumping it into the landfill.