At a time when global attention is focused on water security during World Water Week, Pacifico Mexinol is demonstrating how a large-scale industrial development can incorporate circular water economy principles by treating and reusing wastewater rather than competing for freshwater resources. In addition, the Project neither draws water from the Bay of Ohuira nor discharges water into it.

Pacifico Mexinol is being developed by Transition Industries LLC, a company dedicated to developing ultra-low-carbon methanol and hydrogen projects worldwide. The project is on track to become the world’s largest standalone Net Zero chemical production facility, with a production capacity of 6,130 metric tons (MT) of ultra-low carbon methanol per day.

One of the core principles underlying the plant’s design and engineering is alignment with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The project’s sustainable design—including Net Zero emissions, its location on repurposed agricultural land, no impact on Bay of Ohuira, the use of existing infrastructure wherever possible, and its wastewater reuse program—demonstrates that economic development can be advanced while respecting the environment, promoting social inclusion, and maintaining a long-term vision for future generations.

Mexinol’s water strategy reflects the principles of UN Sustainable Development Goal 6, including Target 6.3, which calls for increased recycling and safe reuse of wastewater. When the plant begins operations in 2030, Mexinol will transform wastewater into a strategic resource without competing with agricultural, municipal, or domestic users for natural water sources.

Through this technological investment, Pacifico Mexinol will position itself among the few companies in the world using municipal wastewater at this scale and with this level of technological innovation, minimizing environmental impacts while maximizing the beneficial use of water resources.

As part of the project’s technological and sustainability innovation, as well as the company’s Good Neighbor/Strategic Social Investment initiatives, Mexinol’s investment includes the rehabilitation and modernization of the 9 de Diciembre wastewater pretreatment plant operated by the Ahome Municipality Drinking Water and Sewerage Board (JAPAMA). This will enable the plant to recover its original treatment capacity while also contributing to the protection of natural resources and surrounding ecosystems.

The JAPAMA plant, which receives wastewater from the city of Los Mochis, has experienced considerable deterioration due to aging infrastructure and equipment failures. Mexinol will repair and modernize the existing infrastructure through the installation of mechanized screening and grit-removal systems, the restoration of pumping capacity, and improvements to process automation. These upgrades will enable the plant to handle the full wastewater flow and significantly reduce discharges of untreated water into the local environment.

The water used by the future Mexinol facility will come from treated wastewater purchased through the payment of a fee to the wastewater treatment plants operated by JAPAMA in the Municipality of Ahome. The wastewater will travel by pipeline to the Mexinol facilities, where the project’s new wastewater treatment plant will further treat it for use. Clean, unused water will then be recycled back to JAPAMA’s oxidation lagoons. This circular process gives the water a second life as a valuable industrial resource while generating additional revenue for JAPAMA.

Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in early 2025, Veolia, a French multinational company and global leader in optimized resource management, including water management, will be responsible for the design and equipment of the treatment plant for the methanol project in Ahome. Veolia will also be responsible for commissioning, start-up, and operation of the equipment to optimize system performance and ensure efficient and sustainable operations.

For more information, please see:

Noly: A Small Molecule with a Big Mission: explaining how science can help us build a cleaner industry. Through Noly’s story, we can understand how chemistry is being transformed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEczGqPFS44

Mexinol’s Innovative Water Use Solution:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnmDJ_Rtlzg

ABOUT TRANSITION INDUSTRIES

Transition Industries LLC, headquartered in Houston, Texas, is a global developer of ultra-low-carbon methanol and hydrogen projects in North America, focused on addressing climate change and advancing environmental and social sustainability. For more information about Pacifico Mexinol or Transition Industries, please email inquiries@transitionind.com.

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