From a seaweed invasion in the Caribbean to a global business idea
Andrés Bisonó León, founder & CEO of SOS Carbon, knows how to turn a problem into an opportunity. He is successfully tackling the invasion of sargassum seaweed in his Caribbean home, the Dominican Republic, through determination, innovation and, most importantly, a holistic approach.
Read about his passionate invention that can help sustain food security and the environment, while creating jobs.
Andrés Bisonó León grew up in a family that cared deeply about the wellbeing of its country, the Dominican Republic. With a grandfather who established the first workers’ union and a father who sponsored schools in marginalized communities as a side project, dedicating his time and knowledge to projects that serve the greater good is something that comes naturally to Andrés.
His whole attitude towards life is positive. For the 32-year-old, it all comes down to how we see and tackle problems. Challenges are opportunities for change – and a better life, according to Andrés. That is why he got involved in a university programme promoting education in low-serving communities and became a board member of ProHispanica – so he could do something about the challenges people are facing.
After his studies in mechanical engineering and while working in Philadelphia, United States, Andrés became aware of the sargassum invasion that his home country was facing. Sargassum is a brown macroalga found on the surface of the sea and transported by the currents of the Atlantic Ocean from Brazil to the beaches of the Caribbean.
The then 27-year-old contacted an old friend, a professor he knew at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), with whom he had previously worked on community and employment projects in the Dominican Republic after Hurricane Irma hit the island in 2017.
The professor inspired Andrés to do something about this “seaweed problem”.
“When we started our research, we realized that from an engineering point of view, tackling sargassum has been a largely untapped sector.”
The young engineer, together with a master’s student at MIT, set to work: using local infrastructure, available resources and the know-how of the fishermen, they developed the technology and design for a sustainable model that would capture the sea’s sargassum.
Caribbean culture is largely centred around the sea, with high social dependency on coastal and marine natural resources. Most people live near the coast and depend heavily on marine resources for livelihoods based on fishing and tourism.
Over the years, sargassum seaweed has been blooming due to higher water temperatures caused by climate change, coastal pollution and fertilizer run-offs. In 2022, sargassum hit a record high of 24 million tonnes hitting the coastlines of the Caribbean.
The Dominican Republic, being on a small island, relies heavily on its coastal community. The first consequence that Andrés witnessed from the heavy exposure to sargassum around the coasts was that algae remove the sunlight and oxygen from corals and the marine ecosystem, with fish and turtles dying as a result.
Second, the fishermen had difficulties getting their artisanal boats out to sea, as they were stuck in vast amounts of weed.
Third, studies regarding fish stock reduction in correlation with sargassum showed the decline of fish diversity from 30%-60%.
Fourth, when sargassum rots on the coast, it releases back captured carbon and methane into the atmosphere, which causes respiratory problems and increases greenhouse gas emissions.
Finally, for tourism to work you need a clean beach.
“Even worse, the smell is intolerable with organic materials rotting. Even if you go to the pool, you don’t want to be there.”
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“Our primary approach has been to develop robust and cost-efficient climate technologies that not only ensure a long-term sustainable solution but also incorporate the local community.” Andrés founded SOS Carbon upon finishing his research and development.
His team was successful in producing the most cost-effective and low-impact solution for sargassum harvesting on the market, the Littoral Collection Module (LCM). Fully silent and simple to install, the module mounts on any artisanal boat and collects the seaweed before it makes landfall.
The LCM system has been deployed and is in operation in four countries servicing a range of customers, from the tourism industry and power plants to seaweed processing groups.
The tech start-up employs local fishermen for the harvesting, a win-win situation as each boat mounting the LCM creates over 10 formal jobs. “It’s cost-effective for us, and at the same time, we are leveraging the know-how of the communities. They know the conditions, the locations, they are the experts.”
But it doesn’t stop there for SOS Carbon.
Andrés knew that collecting the seaweed was only one part of the solution to the overall problem. What do you do with the seaweed afterwards? How do you dispose of it sustainably? How do you bring in sales and employment? For one, SOS Carbon identified an ecosystem of groups interested in high-volume seaweed.
“After we collect it, we provide the sargassum to a third party for processing. We work with international organizations that use it for cosmetics, bioplastics or other value-added products. So far, we have shipped the sargassum to more than 10 countries.”
In addition, SOS Carbon started investing in BlueTech innovation: SOS Biotech is processing the algae to create organically certified biostimulants for agriculture, promoting a sustainable and regenerative agriculture. For example, by using a seaweed-based extract called Marine Symbiotic, farmers increase crop yields and improve their soil’s health, Andrés explains.
“We are working directly with farmers and industrial groups, but our goal is to position the product with distributors and seek trade from established local and international supply chains. Our product has mass potential.”
With temperatures rising and fertilizers leaking into the sea, Andrés expects sargassum to grow in volume over the years. Currently, SOS Carbon harvests more sargassum than it can process or sell, with each LCM system having the capacity to harvest 70 tonnes in a single day.
That is why after drying and properly sorting it, the start-up is storing the seaweed, for processing or supplying it to partners outside the harvesting seasons.
“We would like to scale the production of our biostimulants to combat the sargassum crisis and food security globally. We are happy that we could develop a sustainable operation with clients in each step of the value chain, and that SOS Biotech as a MIT Solve team was selected during Climate Week. Now is it’s time to switch to turbo mode. But for that, we need more funding.”
Out of over 850 applications, Andrés was selected as one of the top eight finalists of this year’s Youth Ecopreneurs Awards. The programme, implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the G20 Global Land Initiative, powers the green and just transition by investing in young entrepreneurs who act as catalysts for sustainable development, environmental justice, and climate action. The programme is anchored in the Ye! community, ITC’s community for young entrepreneurs.
