Cadereyta, Nuevo Leon MEXICO
PEMEX Oil Refinery
Wastewater Treatment Facility
The company made regular site visits to a Mexican wastewater treatment facility to provide plant personnel with technical support and ensure that a water infrastructure finance firm’s financial investment was being properly operated and maintained.
The wastewater treatment facility was built to serve a PEMEX oil refinery in the high desert country of Mexico’s Sierra Madre Mountains approximately 25 miles outside of Monterrey, Mexico’s third largest city.
In Mexico, wastewater is often used as a resource. In the water poor desert, the Cadereyta wastewater treatment facility recycles 100% of the wastewater for reuse. Most is returned to the refinery, some is used on site. Treated wastewater is the only water supply source at the treatment plant. Except for bottled water which is used for drinking, all of the water used on site is treated wastewater. This includes shower water.
The latest in technology is used to treat the PEMEX refinery wastewater to very high standards. Wastewater is softened and pH adjusted. Conventional biological treatment is followed by chemical addition, sedimentation, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis (RO). An evaporative tower removes the salt from the RO reject brine. Brine and sludge are disposed on site. Purified wastewater is returned to the refinery for reuse. The company worked closely with the on-site operators to ensure effective, on-going treatment.