courtesy
Joaquín Víquez created his company, Viogaz, in 2009 to produce gas through animal’s manure. 7 years later, he has received a recognition for his sustainable energy project.
Last week, he received a notice from MIT Technology Review magazine, which is linked to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from America, and he will receive the award at a ceremony to be held in Guatemala on November 12th.
He grew up in a family dedicated to the field and he always knew that for farmers things are not easy, especially on a small scale, where competition and regulations can kill any entrepreneur. So he came up with the idea of using the excrement of livestock. Now, he is proud of everything he has achieved.
Víquez installed digesters in 223 families from 7 Latin American countries, generating 8 million cubic meters of methane, equivalent to almost 5 million liters of gasoline. He was able to do so by treating more than 400 thousand tons of manure equivalent to treat 1.8 million people’s water per day.
It has a social good, it is a venture because we know that producers have many challenges to overcome in their business which is very marginalized and we believe that biodigesters can be a way to empower them,
stated Víquez.
According to Víquez, the benefits of biodigesters are cost reduction, proper management of waste and less pollution.
The award, which was granted in conjunction with the Inter-American Development Bank, included 6 other Central American researches in areas such as plasma technology for banking use, wastewater and cancer treatments.