Business

Landfills are an overused and expensive solution for the disposal of organic waste, with 95% of Colombia’s waste going directly to landfills. This leads to a strain on, and the eventual collapse, of existing landfills, creating unsanitary conditions for local communities. At the same time, organic waste is being created in large quantities from agricultural activities, with a lost opportunity to use these raw materials for valuable outputs.

BioTermica Innovación uses deep technical expertise to provide mobile biorefineries that transform organic waste at source. The company offers modular ‘as a service’ biorefineries for smaller food producers and municipalities, enabling the uptake of new technologies in hard-to-enter markets. These biorefineries come in varying sizes and are also offered as larger turnkey models for industrial clients that can be purchased upfront. Organic waste can be transformed into valuable biochar, bio-oil and syngas, both for on- and off-farm use, providing an additional revenue stream for BioTermica Innovación.

Impact

Biotermica's waste-to-resource technology delivers decentralized solutions across the agrifood, public, and industrial sectors. Their valorization process offers both environmental and economic benefits by converting local organic residues into clean energy and soil-enhancing inputs, while replacing costly landfill disposal with low-emission, revenue-generating alternatives. By producing biochar for soil restoration, bio-oil as a diesel substitute and natural pesticide, and syngas for on-site energy, the model sequesters carbon, reduces fossil fuel use, and improves soil health to strengthen resilience and reduce emissions. The company is also exploring carbon credit opportunities through applications in coffee production.