ATEC* Biodigester International
What is the specific problem you are addressing?
Around 3 billion people across the globe use traditional biomass fuels, which have effected economic and time burden on households and also create health-related issues within families (especially women) – killing over 3.5 million people per year or 1 in 18 deaths.
At the same time, vulnerable developing country farmers are being coerced into chemical fertilizer overuse, which FAO predicts will lead to total soil degradation within 60 years – causing huge shocks in global food systems.
What is your offering and how does it transform/disrupt the energy sector?
ATEC* produces, sells, and distributes high-quality rural household biodigesters that provide 500-1500L of biogas for cooking per day plus 20 tons of organic fertilizer for farming each year. ATEC’s product is unique in that its patented design is the world’s first that can be installed in challenging environments (flooding, earthquakes, cyclones, etc.), which affect up to 90% of rural communities as well as being commercially scalable to be sold through existing retail channels.
What is the underlying technology that you are using?
ATEC* is using anaerobic digester to create biogas and nutrient-rich fertilizer from manure, human, kitchen and green waste. ATEC* has established a patented new rotor-molded design biodigester that uses export-quality UV-treated LLDPE plastic with an expected lifespan of 25 years. On average, a household will save $313 per year, have payback on the investment of 2 years, and enjoy increased crop yield of up to 35% plus a smoke-free modern cooking environment.
What are the partnerships that you are seeking?
Following ATEC’s successful $1m Series A round last year, ATEC* is now looking to markets beyond Cambodia. ATEC’s provisionally patented design has a global forecast potential of 228 million farming households with ATEC aiming for a minimum of 1 million units across five countries to make a significant impact on the SDGs. If we are to achieve this, we are seeking partners who can unlock distribution and consumer financing channels into high potential markets such as Bangladesh, Myanmar, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, and India. Please see video below on ATEC: