<\/p>\n
Corr\u00eda 2011 cuando el ingeniero civil de la Universidad Cat\u00f3lica, Mat\u00edas Sjogren, trabajaba en un family office buscando nuevas soluciones agroindustriales para el manejo de residuos, cuando en su casa en Rapel, su padre instal\u00f3 un sistema para descontaminar el agua, el que utilizaba bacterias que se inoculan a trav\u00e9s del excremento de lombrices.<\/p>\n
Se trataba del sistema BIDA, creado por el investigador e ingeniero civil Alex Villagra, quien no le estaba sacando el m\u00e1ximo potencial como negocio, ya que vend\u00eda la ingenier\u00eda m\u00e1s que una soluci\u00f3n integral. Por ello, se juntaron, conversaron y vieron que unidos hab\u00eda una oportunidad para dar mayor escalamiento industrial a la soluci\u00f3n. As\u00ed sumaron a Rafael Concha y, entre los tres decidieron emprender y crear la empresa Biofiltro, para expandir el sistema.<\/p>\n
Y no se equivocaron. Redise\u00f1aron el modelo de negocios enfocado en plantas industriales para filtrar aguas residuales de origen industrial y domiciliario, la
cual puede ser reutilizada para riego. La tecnolog\u00eda tiene la particularidad de que es de bajo costo, no utiliza qu\u00edmicos y no genera lodos ni olores, y ahorra hasta 80% de energ\u00eda en comparaci\u00f3n a los sistemas tradicionales, comenta Sjogren, gerente general de la firma. Adem\u00e1s, durante el proceso se genera un humus que es comercializado como fertilizante org\u00e1nico, y que a 2017 puede llegar a representar hasta 8% de las ventas de la empresa. Si bien este fertilizante es de propiedad de Biofiltro, est\u00e1n buscando el mecanismo para que sea un win-win para ambas partes, pudiendo la empresa que utiliza el sistema llevarse un porcentaje de las ventas o recibir un precio rebajado por su uso como abono.<\/p>\n
A la fecha, facturan US$ 1 mill\u00f3n y esperan cerrar este 2014 con US$ 2 millones. Cuentan con 65 plantas de tratamiento de aguas residuales instaladas
en Chile para empresas como Soprole, Agrofoods, Cecinas Llanquihue, Minera Los Pelambres, Bavaria, Mulpulmo, Ind\u00f3mita, entre otras. Y est\u00e1n trabajando para posicionarse como una empresa para el mundo, con un agresivo plan de expansi\u00f3n en Estados Unidos y Nueva Zelanda. Ese es el foco hoy, asevera Sjogren.<\/p>\n
Tienen cinco plantas industriales funcionando en Espa\u00f1a, cinco en Brasil y una en M\u00e9xico, por medio de representantes locales, pero se dieron cuenta de
que no era la forma correcta de crecer. Necesitaban tener mayor presencia y operar las plantas, de lo contrario, la tecnolog\u00eda quedaba al desamparo y sin
soporte t\u00e9cnico. As\u00ed es que definieron los dos pa\u00edses prioritarios.<\/p>\n
Como necesitaban de recursos frescos, a inicios de este a\u00f1o lograron levantar US$ 4 millones de inversionistas chilenos, lo que les permiti\u00f3 iniciar el proceso de expansi\u00f3n para los pr\u00f3ximos dos a\u00f1os. De inmediato, Alex Villagra y Rafael Concha hicieron sus maletas para crear Biofiltro USA en Estados Unidos, espec\u00edficamente en el valle central de California, donde instalaron plantas pilotos. Este estado es estrat\u00e9gico para validar el sistema en el pa\u00eds. A juicio de Sjogren, es la zona indicada para hacerlo, pues es donde se concentra gran parte de la agroindustria del pa\u00eds y enfrenta una gran crisis h\u00eddrica. Adem\u00e1s, tienen un gran problema con las aguas subterr\u00e1neas debido a que tienen altas concentraciones de nitratos (nocivo para la salud humana), producto del Est\u00e1n avanzando r\u00e1pido, se\u00f1ala. Ya tienen instaladas cinco plantas piloto en diferentes industrias, que les est\u00e1n permitiendo dar a conocer la tecnolog\u00eda y contar con las aprobaciones regulatorias respectivas. Y est\u00e1n pr\u00f3ximos a cerrar un contrato para construir la primera instalaci\u00f3n industrial. La meta de la firma es instalar 20 plantas a 2017, lo que implicar\u00eda ventas por US$ 20 millones, y en el mediano plazo abordar otros estados del pa\u00eds del norte.<\/p>\n Oficina en Nueva Zelanda<\/strong><\/p>\n Los recursos levantados tambi\u00e9n les servir\u00e1n para profundizar y dar mayor dinamismo al mercado de Nueva Zelanda, pa\u00eds al que llegaron en 2009. Actualmente han desarrollado ocho plantas de tratamiento \u2013cinco municipales y tres en lecher\u00edas\u2013, y el plan de negocios contempla construir 18 sistemas a 2017. Para Mat\u00edas Sjogren, pese a que \u00e9ste es un pa\u00eds peque\u00f1o, tiene mucho potencial debido a que es un gran consumidor de tecnolog\u00edas sustentables y con las regulaciones ambientales m\u00e1s exigentes. Ejemplifica que cada casa, condominio o empresa, independiente de su tama\u00f1o, est\u00e1 incorporando plantas de tratamiento con tecnolog\u00edas avanzadas, lo que representa una enorme oportunidad para el negocio.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Back in 2011, the Civil Engineer graduate from Chile\u2019s Catholic University, Mat\u00edas Sjogren, was working in his a family office, seeking agro-industrial solutions for waste management. While at home one day in Rapel, his father installed a system for decontaminating water which used bacteria inoculated by the excrement of earthworms.<\/span><\/p>\n The system his father had installed was the BIDA system, created by the researcher and Civil Engineer, Alex Villagra. At that time, Villagra was not getting the maximum potential out of his business, primarily because he was selling the engineering side of things rather than seeking a more comprehensive solution. As a result, Sjogren and Villagra met, they talked, and soon realized that by working together there was an opportunity to improve the scalability of the idea. As such, Rafael Concha joined the endeavor and between the three of them they decided to create the company Biofiltro, as a way of expanding the system.<\/p>\n And they were not mistaken. They redesigned the business model focusing on industrial plants for filtering wastewater from both industry and households, which could then be reused for irrigation. As Sjogren, General Manager of the firm, explains, the technology it uses has the distinctive feature of being low cost, it does not use chemicals and does not generate sludge or odors, in addition to producing energy savings of up to 80% compared to more traditional systems. Furthermore, a peat humus is generated during the process which is then sold as organic fertilizer. By 2017, the sale of this fertilizer could account for almost 8% of company sales. While the fertilizer is owned by Biofiltro, the firm is looking for an external partner mechanism by which a win-win situation can be attained for both parties. Such a situation would allow a participating business that uses the system to either take a percentage of sales or receive a reduced price for its use as fertilizer. <\/p>\n To date, the company has a turnover of US$1 million, and by the end of 2014 this figure is expected to reach US$2 million. It has 65 wastewater treatment plants installed across Chile for companies including Soprole, Agrofoods, Cecinas Llanquihue, Minera Los Pelambres, Bavaria, Mulpulmo, Ind\u00f3mita, among other. Biofiltro is working to position itself as a global company, with aggressive expansion plans for the United States and New Zealand. This is their current focus according to Sjogren.<\/p>\n It has five industrial plants operational in Spain, five in Brazil and one in Mexico, via local representatives. However, its founders have realized that this was not the ideal way to grow the business. They needed greater presence and control over plant operations, without which the technology would simply sit idle and lack ongoing technical support. As a result, they devised a list of priority countries. <\/p>\n In need of new funding, at the beginning of the year they managed to raise US$4 million of Chilean investment, which has enabled them to begin the expansion process over the next two years. Immediately, Alex Villagra and Rafael Concha packed their suitcases and headed north, to create Biofiltro USA in the United States. They specifically targeted the Central Valley of California, where they had installed a number of pilot plants. The state of California is a strategic location in terms of validating the system in the United States. According to Sjogren, it is the perfect place to implement the initiative, because the state is where a large part of the country\u2019s agro-industry is based and it is currently facing a large-scale water crisis. In addition, there is a big problem with underground water due to high concentrations of nitrates (unsafe for humans), the result of over-irrigation with animal waste by the dairy industry. This situation, he notes, is not entirely regulated. However, he points out that California is taking steps to regulate and supervise the practice, and is even debating subsidies for expanding the use of water treatment systems, which would open the door to the Chilean solution. The state also has one of the strictest regulatory systems in the country, which will lend the company additional commercial weight when entering additional states or countries.<\/p>\n The company is making swift progress, according to Sjogren. They already have five pilot plants installed across different industries, which ensures they have all the necessary regulatory approvals in place. This situation also allows them to fully assess the technology. They are currently close to signing a contract to construct their first industrial installation. The company target is to install 20 plants by 2017, requiring sales of US$20 million. In the medium term, they plan farther expansion into additional US states. <\/p>\n New Zealand Office<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The investment raised in 2014 is also useful for strengthening their position and ensuring greater dynamism within the New Zealand market, where they arrived in 2009. They have currently developed eight treatment plants in the country \u2013 five for local governments and three in the dairy industry \u2013 and the business plan contemplates the construction of 18 systems by 2017. For Mat\u00edas Sjogren, despite New Zealand being a small country, it has great potential. This stems from its high consumption of sustainable technologies and its incredibly strict environmental regulations. He points to the example that every house, condominium or company, regardless of its size, is incorporating treatment plants with advanced technology. As a result, it represents a huge opportunity for Biofiltro. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" <\/p>\n Corr\u00eda 2011 cuando el ingeniero civil de la Universidad Cat\u00f3lica, Mat\u00edas Sjogren, trabajaba en un family office buscando nuevas soluciones agroindustriales para el manejo de residuos, cuando en su casa en Rapel, su padre instal\u00f3 un sistema para descontaminar el agua, el que utilizaba bacterias que se inoculan a trav\u00e9s del excremento de lombrices.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Corr\u00eda 2011 cuando el ingeniero civil de la Universidad Cat\u00f3lica, Mat\u00edas Sjogren, trabajaba en un family office buscando nuevas soluciones agroindustriales para el manejo de residuos, cuando en su casa en Rapel, su padre instal\u00f3 un sistema para descontaminar el agua, el que utilizaba bacterias que se inoculan a trav\u00e9s del excremento de lombrices.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","news_tax":[],"user_type":[],"class_list":["post-5240","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
exceso de riego con purines (residuos) de la industria lechera. Situaci\u00f3n que, acota, no est\u00e1 del todo regulada. <\/span>Sin embargo, se\u00f1ala que el estado de <\/span>California est\u00e1 tomando las medidas <\/span>para normarlo y fiscalizarlo, y <\/span>contempla, incluso, subsidios para <\/span>masificar la utilizaci\u00f3n de sistemas <\/span>de tratamiento de agua, lo que abre <\/span>las puertas para el ingreso de la <\/span>soluci\u00f3n chilena. Tambi\u00e9n tiene una <\/span>de las regulaciones m\u00e1s exigentes <\/span>del pa\u00eds, lo que les dar\u00e1 mayor peso <\/span>comercial a la hora de llegar a otros <\/span>estados o pa\u00edses.<\/span><\/p>\n