microTERRA

By 2050, there will be 10 billion people calling Earth home. Having food security will be one of the greatest challenges of my generation, we will have to  double our food production to feed a growing world. Agriculture consumes 70% of our global freshwater and the runoff is the main pollutant of our water supply. They are rich in nutrients. the traditional methods used have contributed significantly to nutrient contamination of water bodies, posing a great threat to both ecosystems and people’s health.

So in microTERRA we develop decentralized microalgae systems. That absorb the excess of nutrients and transform them into high-quality byproducts, such as biofertilizer or fish food, all by cleaning the water.

In other words, we create a circular economy business that transforms waste into a resource, making it a business opportunity!

This solution could expand to many countries, because sadly agricultural runoff is a global problem.

Each year 200 mn tons of fertilizer are consumed worldwide. Unfortunately, about half of that fertilizer is being wasted. Fertilizer is applied more heavily than crops can absorb and it is washed away by rain or irrigation before it can be incorporated. These excess nutrients end up in aquatic systems like rivers, lakes and eventually the ocean. The excess of nutrients in water creates algae blooms, eutrophication and dead zones.

According to FAO, agriculture is the biggest water pollutant, and you can easily imagine that with a growing population and growing food demand, this situation is only expected to get worse.

According to INMS “we must halve the amount of nitrogen we dump into the environment by mid-century or our ecosystems will face epidemics of toxic tides, lifeless rivers, and dead oceans”. In 2010, the UN declared access to clean and safe water as a human right. However, the rapid deterioration of our bodies of water indicates the possibility of a water crisis.

Treating wastewater is not only an option, but an obligation. Extracting nutrients is a significant benefit for the environment. The reduction of water transport emissions represents a significant saving of GHG emissions, and the production of biofertilizer can replace the use of synthetic fertilizers that generate excess of nutrients in water. Each system generates a positive and immediate impact, but as more systems are installed, it will create a network effect, leading to a greater impact

Even though every citizen may benefit from larger available amounts of clean water and a reduction of chemical products consumption we mostly target organic farmers. First, because they are used to using non-synthetic fertilizers, to comply with certifications. Second, because our product solves a pain point: most of organic fertilizers have lesser nutrient ratio than chemical fertilizers, which can massively impact farm production. Microalgae biofertilizer has a high nutrient ratio, much higher than other biofertilizers.

We can also help hotels and golf courses with ponds, lakes or other water bodies that need onsite water treatment that does not use any chemical that could affect the existing living species in the water ( fish, plants, etc.)

Although the use of fertilizers is key to the industry, the traditional methods used have contributed significantly to nutrient contamination of water bodies. The excess of nutrients is the main water pollutant in the world (FAO: 2015), posing a great threat to both ecosystems and people’s health.

We see a great opportunity in upcycling fertilizers by extracting nutrients out of the waterways and reusing it in the soil. Utilizing advance bioengineering and IoT, we develop the technology to harvest fertilizer from polluted water onsite. We collect the runoff from farms into a bioreactor where we cultivate microalgae that feed on the fertilizer present in the water. After the microalgae grow, they are harvested and processed, producing new fertilizer. Algal blooms are already widespread due to the excess of nutrients in the water, so we potentiate this phenomenon in a way that allows us to use the output. We contemplate small water treatment systems that, through circular economy schemes, are profitable through production of biofertilizers. With this, ecological problems caused by the loss of synthetic fertilizers are also reversed, since the excess of nutrients is absorbed and returned to the soil onsite.

In addition to cleaning water bodies from the excess of nutrients resulting from agro-industry farming practices, our project addresses, in a very specific way, the need for organic producers to have a chemical-free organic fertilizer. Different studies have shown the benefits of using microalgae as fertilizers, improving the quality and fertility of the soil, and acting as a water retainer (Abd El Baky and El-Baroty, 2013). Moreover, the microalgae biofertilizer has a higher nutrient ratio than other organic fertilizers in the market. By installing modular systems onsite, farmers can produce their own fertilizer, thus eliminating transportation costs and gaining autonomy for themselves.

We have a functional prototype of the system. At the same time, we are conducting research on microalgae consortiums, to improve the efficiency at which microalgae can absorb the excess of nutrients from the water. Our current prototype produces 60 kg of biofertilizer per month and has a payback period of approximately 5 years.

We are developing another protocol in which we don’t produce biofertilizer but fish food. Indeed, fish farmers face the same challenges than organic farmers. They have difficulties to obtain clean water and spend most of their revenues in buying food for their fishes. We currently have 2 pilot projects with fish farmers.

Previous research has used microalgae in water treatments and that it is an excellent fertilizer, but there was no background of decentralized, remote controlled systems that recycle the agricultural runoff. The benefits of the circular economy are using wastewater from agro-industry and transforming it into a biofertilizer or fish food. Furthermore, knowing the background of this type of technology applied to biofuels, allows us to rectify the idea, improve it and implement it avoiding previous pitfalls.

The potential impact is enormous. Large quantities of organic fertilizer are required to secure food production, the opportunity to generate the fertilizer and at the same time to take clean the water represents a sustainable solution that needs to be developed.

Although there are companies that offer products covering aspects of our project, our main differentiator is that we develop the technology that allows us to combine three different processes:

1) Decentralized water treatment. It is not necessary to incur on infrastructure or transportation costs for its operation.

2) Circular economy & Production of microalgae biofertilizer. By recovering the nutrients present in water bodies, our system generates microalgae biofertilizer as a final product. The biofertilizer has a higher nutrient ratio than other biofertilizers. Our systems transform pollution into a resource. The use of the system means autonomy for farmers by allowing them to produce their own biofertilizer.

3) Ecotechnology. Like many ecotechnologies, we sell the technology. microTERRA systems have a variable cost close to zero, since our decentralized modular system works onsite.

The core technology that our solution uses is biotechnology along with our innovations in developing the product to clean agricultural and aqua cultural wastewater. 

According to the preliminary data of the biotechnological development, the design of a semi-continuous system for the optimal growth of microalgae was carried out. The overall process to use our technology involves 3 steps:

1. Pretreatment: The pre-treatment consisted of adapting the quality of the water for the microalgae growth process by means of mechanical and chemical processes. Finally, the pretreatments consisted of centrifugation at 5000 rpm for 20 minutes, filtration with compound filters: tezontle, gravel, perlite and activated carbon and coagulation with a commercial ferric flocculant.

2. Bioreactor: This process consisted of designing a bioreactor for optimal microalgae growth. In one year, six different bioreactor designs were created and evaluated, all operating in batches. The materials to be used, the design and dimensioning of the bioreactors, the aeration system, the filling and emptying system and their assembly were evaluated. Finally, a bioreactor 3.0 prototype was developed after identifying areas for improvement.

3.  Microalgae Harvesting: The algal harvest consisted in determining the process to be used to recover the algal biomass, in order to recirculate the water. It was determined that Liquid 2270C will be the flocculant to use because its use is easier (the other form of lumps), efficiencies greater than 90% are achieved (already optimizing the dose and agitation) and because relatively low doses per liter are required, its economic cost is acceptable.

The development of a decentralized system that absorbs the nutrients from the water and puts them back into land, has great potential for the future of water treatment. The impact on water, agriculture and, therefore on citizens is enormous. In 2010, the UN declared access to clean and safe water as a human right. However, the rapid deterioration of our water bodies indicates the possibility of a water crisis. Treating wastewater is not only an option, but an obligation. It is necessary to develop technologies that adapt to the needs of the market. Extracting nutrients is a significant benefit for the environment. The reduction of water transport emissions represents a significant saving of GHG emissions, and the production of biofertilizer can replace the use of synthetic fertilizers that generate excess of nutrients in water. Each system generates a positive and immediate impact, but as more systems are installed, it will create a network effect, leading to a greater impact.

Moreover, it allows farmers to save money and make them self-sufficient. Indeed, they don’t need anymore to buy chemical fertilizers, or fish food. Fish farmers spend in average 70% of their revenues in fish food.

We have a functional prototype of the system. At the same time, we are conducting research on microalgae consortiums, to improve the efficiency at which microalgae can absorb the excess of nutrients from the water. Our current prototype produces 60 kg of biofertilizer per month and has a payback period of approximately 5 years. Our immediate next steps are focused on the installation of the next 10 prototypes on the field, to monitor efficiency onsite conditions, risk, etc. 

We have already signed our first sales order to sell and install our first functional prototype for a Golf Club. We also have two pilot projects with fish farmers. 

We are currently ready to start testing our two first pilots systems in the field, with some customers who are interested in acquiring it, thus becoming our early adopters. We will focus at first in the regions of Mexico with most agricultural activity: Jalisco, Sinaloa, Veracruz, Michoacán, Chihuahua and Guanajuato.

We are also planning to expand our team to at least six more people, to strengthen the communication and finance areas, and develop a bioinformatics one. At the same time, we are conducting research on microalgae consortiums, to improve the efficiency at which microalgae can absorb the excess of nutrients from the water. We also want to improve the capacity of the bioreactor.

We expect that by the end of 2019 we will be treating 20000 L of water a day. 

On the biotechnological side, the most latent risk is the stability of the consortium. That is, when creating a high consortium in the generation of proteins, we put together several strains in a specific concentration, it is necessary that this concentration remains stable, so that the food is always balanced. 

The second identified risk is the escalation of a biotechnological process, because although there is a work team with experience in the field, specifically in bioprocesses, it is known that there are many unpredictable factors when working with living organisms in large systems. 

Finally, the risk of adopting the system. Although we have spoken with several potential customers and all agree that their most significant cost is fish feed, we know that by being able to offer a solution to this problem, the fish farming business becomes more profitable. However, we are aware that not all aquaculturists are open to technological changes and that it will be necessary to create several success stories that will convince other clients of the effectiveness of our system.

To overcome the biotechnological risk, we have thought about different solutions, among others, that we can give a maintenance every 3 months and reintroduce the correct inocula.

For the escalation of a biotechnological process risk, we have designed a modular system, which allows control over the biotechnological system in a way that simulates a lot, instead of a continuous system.

However, we faithfully believe that the opportunity identified both in business and environmental impact is worth taking the risk, know it and minimize it as much as possible.

We are convinced that innovation always comes with risks.

Marissa Cuevas 

Edmundo Lozoya

Paola Constantino

Mariana Elias

Raul 

Arlet 

Elizabeth

Guadalupe

Marla Lago 

Marissa Cuevas 

Edmundo Lozoya

Paola Constantino

Mariana Elias

Raul 

Arlet 

Elizabeth

Guadalupe

Marla Lago 

In 2014, I decided to make a turn in my professional career and return to the subject I was so passionate about: waste management. So, I decided to focus on a very particular problem in Mexico City: Styrofoam. Mexico produces 600 000 tons of Styrofoam waste per year and unfortunately less than 2% is reused or recycled. I saw that as an opportunity and decided to start my own company: Kitcel. The idea was to transform the Styrofoam waste into wood varnish, using only natural solvents, such as turpentine. In other words, to reintroduce used plastics in the industry, to create a circular economy. This experience helped me develop a strong capacity developing a technical R&D strategy, while allowing me to develop crucial leadership as well as management and administrative skills. Kitcel closed operation in june 2016. During those 2 years we successfully completed a crowdfunding campaign to industrialize our process. Furthermore, I created a team of 5 people who would help run the business. Finally, we had presence in many national and international newspapers. For microTERRA I have successfully raised 58000 usd, from innovation funds, prizes and grants. Moreover, we have built a team of 8 members who believe in our mission and see biotechnology as a solution for the environmental challenges that will come. Some members of the team also worked with me on former projects. Thus, we know each other and know how to work together to be most productive we can. 

We have signed a partnership with the most important biotechnology research center in Latin America: CINVESTAV-Irapuato. Due to this partnership we benefit from excellent research infrastructure at low cost.

Our success and traction are supported by partners, from National Geographic Grantee, to Youth ocean leader and speaker at the World Ocean Summit, Unleash 2018 Talent, FINNOVATEG awardee and more.

We have had presence at the World Ocean Summit as Youth Ocean Leader and Speaker, and as a Talent at the UN Unleash Innovation Lab.

We can install and sell the systems, offering a maintenance service for the client (every 6 months). Since our solution creates a profitable product (biofertilizer/fish food) the user can save money by producing their own fertilizer or fish food.

An alternative business model would be to lease the system. In this case we would install and own the system and only charge the client for the amount of fertilizer used each month.

Worldwide the excess of nutrients in water occurs the most where agricultural activity is high. This solution could expand to many countries, because sadly agricultural runoff is a global problem. Nonetheless, we are focusing in Mexico for the development and adoption of the systems. This is mainly for three reasons:

1.     With 210,000 organic farmers in 2016, Mexico is the third largest organic farming  producer in the world.

2.     The world fertilizer trends and outlook to 2020 shows that Latin America has a negative balance of fertilizers, and is expected to import most of its fertilizer consumption by 2020.

3.     Contrary to the trend of fertilizer prices in the international market, the prices for these raw materials in Mexico have shown a slight increase over the last two years.

We provide value because our systems transform pollution (excess of nutriment) into a resource The use of the system means autonomy for farmers by allowing them to produce their own biofertilizer.

We understand that a financially sustainable revenue model is very important to be in place to have a successful social enterprise. Currently, we are in the pilot phase of our solution. And we have funded the advancement in our technology with grants from  FINNOVATEG- Technology Innovation Fund of Guanajuato State ((USD 48K), National Geographic Society (USD 10K). We also  have financial support from TECHSTARS (Accelerator) and we recently earned the Echoing Green Fellowship. Hence, so far we have been awarded with competitive grants to work on our innovative solution. After advancing further on pilot, we plan to sell our technology as a product and generate revenue from every system sold to every farmer.

I want to belong to a community of successful, experienced change-makers and entrepreneurs that support each other on their path to developing solutions to the world’s most pressing issues. This is a female founded-biotech company, focused on environmental solutions. I believe my startup could create a difference for the environment and I believe in strong networks. Empowering People would allow me access to a series of mentors, and experienced entrepreneurs, that could help us boost our business. Finally, it would allow me to get exposure to get my business some traction, and to inspire other entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams.

To accelerate our solution we would like to partner with organisations which have smooth understanding of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Since we want to integrate this technology with our biotechnological solution to clean wastewater, we would like to partner with such organisations who have made breakthroughs into something similar.

As our company continues to grow, we have found ourselves in the position of needing some extra resources that previously seemed so far away from us. With the latest addition of a full-time Data Scientist to our team, we find ourselves being limited by our infrastructure. One of the biggest drawbacks we are facing is the limited amount of data that we are producing, this is mainly due to the fact that acquiring biochemical measurements of our system is an expensive process. At the time being we can only afford laboratory tests that are not so precise and have to be performed by people as opposed to using automated high precision sensors that can measure the conditions of the system every 5 seconds 24/7. For this reason we are limited to only a couple of measurements every day which translates as a poor database where its extremely difficult to extract knowledge from our system. With this prize, not only will we be able to purchase a robust system of data generation, but we will also be able to expand our development capabilities by aiding our data science team with cloud services, particularly, those of Amazon Web Services (AWS) to store and compute powerful machine learning models that will allow us to better understand our system and get the most out of it.

We have developed an affordable agricultural and aqua cultural wastewater treatment technology with farmers and agro industries as our target customers. What sets us different from our competitors is the fact that we provide solution to both problems (i.e. wastewater treatment and recycle of excess nutrients) in the same technology. And another stellar thing is that we provide a decentralised solution, hence making such an innovation accessible to the farmers. 

We would use the prize money to further make innovative advancement into our technology. Particularly, we will use the prize finance our sensors which we are trying to integrate seamlessly with our biotechnology to give better results.Since, we are try to use AI and machine learning to formulate the timing of algal harvesting, the money would help us dig deep into innovation and help us use the fast-pace technology to solve the biggest challenge of water crisis and ultimately food security.