Smallops produces high-quality iron nanoparticles encapsulated in carbon using hydrothermal carbonization, enabling their application in wastewater treatment, biogas production, and soil enhancement. The company transforms agricultural waste into valuable products, addressing the challenges of waste management and environmental remediation.
Funding
$134.3K raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
Founders
Product
Problem
Agri-food industries face challenges in managing and valorizing organic waste streams like olive pomace and vegetable water (alperujo and alpechín), which can lead to environmental problems due to their high organic load and the presence of inhibitory substances. Traditional waste management methods are often costly and fail to capture the potential value of these byproducts.
Solution
Smallops provides a nanotechnology-based solution that transforms agri-food waste into valuable products, specifically biogas and carbon-encapsulated iron nanoparticles. The company utilizes hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) to process organic waste, such as that from olive oil production, into biogas while simultaneously producing iron nanoparticles. These nanoparticles can then be applied in wastewater treatment, biogas production enhancement, and as soil amendments, creating a circular economy approach to waste management. Smallops' technology improves anaerobic digestion (AD) performance by accelerating hydrolysis, increasing methane content, and preventing the formation of hydrogen sulfide (H2S).
Target Audience
Smallops targets agri-food industries, particularly olive oil producers, seeking sustainable and cost-effective solutions for managing and valorizing their organic waste streams, as well as companies in the wastewater treatment, biogas production, and soil enhancement sectors.
Features
- Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) process for converting organic waste into biogas and carbon-encapsulated iron nanoparticles
- Production of iron nanoparticles with magnetic properties suitable for water treatment, biogas enhancement, and soil fertilization
- Technology to pretreat alperujo and alpechín to remove inhibitory substances, improving biogas production yields
- Solutions for efficient management of agri-industrial byproducts, identifying valorization opportunities and sustainable solutions
- Nanoparticles can increase biogas production by 10-20%