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The innovation was presented as a patent application to the National Institute of Industrial Property (INAPI) of Chile by Loretto Contreras Porcia, director of the Laboratory of Ecology and Molecular Biology in Algae (LEBMA) of the Andrés Bello University (UNAB) and researcher at the Quintay Marine Research Center (CIMARQ UNAB) and the Milenio SECOS Institute, who proposes a technological solution with a focus on circular economy and public health. ​

 

The invention - registered in December 2025 - describes a method of adsorption of arsenic from fresh water through the use of biochar obtained from Macrocystis pyrifera, a brown algae abundant on the coasts of Chile, activated with ferric chloride (FeCl₂). ​ The patent protects both activated biochar and its production process and its application in arsenic adsorption systems, with the aim of generating safe drinking water. The development takes on special relevance considering the persistence of this contaminant in various regions of Chile, mainly associated with natural geological conditions.

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The risk of volcanic areas ​

 

According to a World Bank report published in 2019, between 2011 and 2018, arsenic levels equal to or greater than the threshold of 0.01 mg/L (or 10 μg/liter) – the maximum value recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for drinking water – were recorded in 83 of the 392 locations evaluated in the country. ​

 

“Much of the volcanic area of ​​northern Chile, in particular, had access to drinking water contaminated with arsenic until 2017,” explained Dr. Contreras. ​ One of the territories studied is the Altiplano-Puna area, where research has shown that the distribution of arsenic is strongly influenced by the tectonic environment and intense volcanic activity. In these areas, volcanoes act as emission points that allow arsenic released from the Earth's crust to reach the surface, from where it can be moved downhill through groundwater and surface water, such as rivers, streams and streams. ​