Biofactories

According to the company that coined this new concept, biofactories operate under 6 main principles:^[2]

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.

In September 2018, Aguas Andinas’ biofactory project was awarded with the Momentum for Change recognition,^[3] given by the United Nations (UN) during its Climate Change conference; acknowledging its contribution to this new strategy that seeks to prevent climate change.

Furthermore, in October 2018, Chilean foundation Recyclápolis gave its Recyclápolis Environmental National Award^[4] to Biofactoría Gran Santiago's biomethanation plant, implemented by Chilean companies Metrogás and Aguas Andinas.