Did you know that 97% of the palm tree from which heart-of-palm is extracted is discarded? Guilhermo Queiroz, founder of Biosolvit, the winning company in the ‘Biotech’ category of the Latam Edge Award 22, also did not know that – until one fateful day in 2013, when he realised that there were tons of biomass being discarded by a heart-of-palm production company he visited at the time.
Unhappy with the less-than-great destiny being given to such fantastic material, Guilhermo had the idea of taking advantage of this “waste”, turning it into tree fern supplies made of vegetable fibre, which then started to be commercialised in large retail stores focused on houseware.
Biosolvit – Biomass for a better global environment
But that was not enough. In 2017, Guilhermo wanted to discover more noble uses for the biomass produced through this extraction process. And that was how, during his visits to the University Center of Volta Redonda, he met a researcher who was developing a product using the same biomass discarded after the heart of palm harvest – a product dedicated to absorbing oil spills very efficiently. The researcher became a partner of Guilhermo’s company, and that’s how Biosolvit was born.
“We started taking part in international pitches. The first pitch was in Paris, where we presented our solution at StartOut Brasil. Total Petrolifera liked our product and requested to test it at the Cedre Institute in France. Our product was considered the most efficient oil absorber in the world. As well as being faster and more efficient, it allows for the recycling of the oil, reducing remediation costs,” Guilhermo tells us.
From Barra Mansa, a small city in the South West of Rio de Janeiro, the company started dealing with large oil and mining companies, gas station networks, energy companies, and more. “The biopolymer – oil absorbent – which started being the main product of the Bioblue Ecofast line, made it so that in only 3 years, Biosolvit opted to acquire a product distribution company to expand its growth. “Today, we are 27 times bigger than we were in 2019. We grow at a rate of three times per year. This year, we should reach US$ 3m in revenue.”, he says.
And it doesn’t stop there. The company partnered with another startup to develop the Biogreen Agro solution, a bio fertiliser revitalising nutrients in the soil, therefore recovering productivity in farmlands.
Another line of business is that of organic, mineral fertiliser, made through the solubilisation of rocks to release potassium, phosphorous and nitrogen, plus the bio fertiliser and biomass of the harvested palm. Together, they make up a bio compound that recovers the land.
Another product being developed by Biosolvit was born out of the discovery that, beyond just absorbing oil, biomass can absorb hydrocarbons, which are carcinogenic elements, with 99.7% efficacy.
“Water treatment is a great challenge to be faced by humanity in the coming years, so we are working towards developing a type of “film” destined towards water treatment in filtration systems in both industries and households,” says Guilhermo.
Learning opportunities and moving forward
“Today, the sale of tree fern fibre, which makes up the BioGreen Home line, which was the start of everything, is responsible for very little of our income. This line has another dynamic. It relies on the end customer. Starting our selling journey with small retailers instead of starting with large retailers delayed our expansion process. Retail is a different beast, and a series of small mistakes made it so that this line move forward slower.” says Guilhermo.
These products are now commercialised in 15 Brazilian states through large retail stores.
Bio Green Agro is also entirely focused on developing its agriculture solutions. Other lines, such as BioBlue Response (absorption and containment of oil and oil byproducts) and BioBlue Treatment (for water treatment, still in its trial phase), are moving forwards smoothly and quic...