Biofactories
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The name biofactory comes from the improvements which different installments of traditional health services (
wastewater treatment Wastewater treatment is a process which removes and eliminates contaminants from wastewater. It thus converts it into an effluent that can be returned to the water cycle. Once back in the water cycle, the effluent creates an acceptable impact on ...
and
water treatment Water treatment is any process that improves the quality of water to make it appropriate for a specific end-use. The end use may be drinking, industrial water supply, irrigation, river flow maintenance, water recreation or many other uses, ...
plants) have been through; this has been done by reassessing them into a
Circular Economy A circular economy (also referred to as circularity or CE) is a model of resource Production (economics), production and Resource consumption, consumption in any economy that involves sharing, leasing, Reuse, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and ...
(CE). The concept was first used by Chilean company Aguas Andinas’ CEO, Narcís Berberana. Yves Lesty, Carlos Castro and Lisette Gajardo were the engineers that took part in its origin. Overall, biofactories have gone from a lineal processing approach, where resources are extracted and then processed, thus generating waste; to factories that supply with new valuable resources, such as
electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...
,
natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...
, agricultural fertilizer or
clean water Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of water bodies, with a negative impact on their uses. It is usually a result of human activities. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and groundwater. ...
, which are obtained from what it used to be considered as waste. The first biofactory complex was created in 2017 by Aguas Andinas, when this new strategy was applied to its different wastewater treatment plants, La Farfana and Mapocho-Trebal; and La Florida water treatment plant, grouping them all together under the name of Biofactoría Gran Santiago. During its first year, Biofactoría Gran Santiago generated a total of 51.792.240
kWh A kilowatt-hour (unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a non-SI unit of energy equal to 3.6 megajoules (MJ) in SI units, which is the energy delivered by one kilowatt of power for one hour. Kilowatt-hours are a common b ...
of
electrical energy Electrical energy is the energy transferred as electric charges move between points with different electric potential, that is, as they move across a voltage, potential difference. As electric potential is lost or gained, work is done changing the ...
, 160.337
BTU The British thermal unit (Btu) is a measure of heat, which is a form of energy. It was originally defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. It is also part of the United Stat ...
of
biogas Biogas is a gaseous renewable energy source produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste, Wastewater treatment, wastewater, and food waste. Biogas is produced by anaerobic ...
, 111.842
tonnes The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1,000  kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton in the United States to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the s ...
of
fertilizer A fertilizer or fertiliser is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from liming materials or other non-nutrient soil amendments. Man ...
destined to
agricultural crops A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. In other words, a crop is a plant or plant product that is grown for a specific purpose such as food, fibre, or fuel. When plants of the same species a ...
, and 603 millions cubic metre of clean water that was returned to its natural sources.


Principles

According to the company that coined this new concept, biofactories operate under 6 main principles: # Water run: Using the energy of water as a resource, they create new opportunities for its use after being cleaned; such as irrigation and underwater aquifer refill. # Run with its own energy: Using a renewable source such as water, the main objective of a biofactory is to take over the total amount of its operations’ electrical requirements and feed its own system, both as energy and as biomethane. # Waste transformation: They understand waste as a source of new resources, such as the mud that comes from the process of wastewater cleaning, which is used as agricultural fertilizer. # Air protection: Within its facilities, they have deodorization systems that neutralize the odour, they reduce gas emission, and they take over the reforestation of its surroundings; minimizing its environmental impact. # Biodiversity protection: They promote initiatives that generate an optimal ecosystem for wildlife. A few of them are the cleansing of rivers contaminated with wastewater, the preservation of its environment, and the creation of artificial lakes that aim to protect the same environment. # Social involvement: #* Community engagement: Funding of social initiatives. #* Collaboration with other companies: Boosting of projects that deal with the processing of water that comes from other areas. #* Research: Enhancing both biotechnology and process engineering investigations.


Acknowledgements

In September 2018, Aguas Andinas’ biofactory project was awarded with the Momentum for Change recognition, given by the United Nations (UN) during its Climate Change conference; acknowledging its contribution to this new strategy that seeks to prevent
climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
. Furthermore, in October 2018, Chilean foundation Recyclápolis gave it
Recyclápolis Environmental National Award
ref> to Biofactoría Gran Santiago's biomethanation plant, implemented by Chilean companies Metrogás and Aguas Andinas.


References

{{reflist Waste management Water treatment facilities