Economic growth in countries around the world has too often been at the expense of the environment. Probiosphere recognise that effective solutions are achieved, not by restricting growth ambitions, but by implementing sustainable long-term methods.
In a world full of organisations trying to create brand new inventions, there is something inspiring about a company that believes a successful and happy future is right in front of us. Probiosphere Inc is one of those companies, and they are catching the eye of some of the world’s leading entrepreneurial minds.
Founded in 2015 by Pierre Naider Fanfan in Quebec, Canada. Probiosphere is an exciting biotechnology company focused on the production of microbes for wastewater treatment plants, soil decontamination and methane producing plants. Specialists in operating at the point where chemistry, biotechnology and industrial biology collide, Probiosphere have rapidly built a range of products that their engineering clients not only trust, but rely upon to achieve environmentally friendly and profitable operations.
Behind the company’s early success is over a decade of research into the science of wastewater treatment and the environment. This, combined with a driving commitment to be a leading light in the world of white biotechnology, has seen Pierre Naider Fanfan and his team achieve great progress already.
From a scientific point of view, white biotechnology refers to the production and processing of chemicals, materials and energy using living cells, for the industrial scale synthesis of products. It seeks to reduce the environmental impact moving from oil-based to sustainable processes. For Fanfan and his team, they embrace this and take it further with a commitment to protect life in any form and create processes that require less energy and create far less waste.
This combination between an almost philosophical and scientific focus has seen Probiosphere create a compelling proposition that appeals to many.
“We give back to life, the place it deserves in our environmentally engineered solutions,” and it’s this entwining of science with a broader purpose that has helped Probiosphere rewrite the textbook for their industry.
A Growing Suite of Innovative Biotech Products
Probiosphere have already created seven different products – all of which are based on using syntroph oxidation bacteria (SOB) in a consortium style approach. This means that the bacteria eat together and, as a result, are stronger and more resistant.
By using a diversified methodology where some of the products can include up to 70 different bacteria strains, Probiosphere is able to embed further resistance within the products but still maintain a fully natural approach.
The company appreciates that while many of their customers want to do more to support the environment they also need their operations to be profitable. With this in mind, Probiosphere have been diligent in ensuring that the improvements that their products can provide are truly measurable.
For example, based on a one ton per day production, they have been able to prove a saving of 96 tons per year of CO2 and when it comes to sludge digestion, the savings that a customer can achieve are about between 50% and 70% less than the cost of mechanical dredging.
Serving customers in the most hostile environments
Probiosphere recently shared an incredible story of how they’d been able to help a customer who was up against the most challenging of situations.
H2O Innovation Inc is a water and wastewater treatment company that operates in some of the harshest conditions on the planet. One of the projects is based at the Meliadine mine which is located in Nunavut in the remote north of Canada.
They rely on bioreactors for their work and these are very fragile during their start-up phase and when you add in the compilation of the remote location and extreme conditions, there is no room for error.
H2O Innovation had already found that Probiosphere’s ProReactor product was the perfect way of dealing with this crucial start-up phase but unfortunately during one recent project, the heater in the container that H2O Innovation were using for storage had failed and the material was then subjected to temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius below zero.
The cost and delays to replace the ProReactor would have been crippling but Probiosphere were very happy to be able to reassure H2O Innovation that they had created their strains to be incredibly resilient and that they should feel confident to continue as planned. The project went ahead successfully and H2O Innovation were relieved that they’d chosen to partner with Probiosphere.
Simplicity through complexity
For Probiosphere, there is an underlying contradiction that causes conflict in the way far too many of us consume at the moment. For Pierre Fanfan, the model of consumption is very linear – we get, we use and we waste.
However, the model of the planet and environment that we exist within, is not linear – it is cyclical. Plants are born, they grow, they die and return their nutrients to the soil to feed the next generation.
It’s the simplicity of this cyclical model that Probiosphere have grasped and are using to redefine the industrial sector. With Probiosphere’s approach, companies will no longer need to remediate their waste by using more resources and more energy. They will instead be able to turn items such as wastewater into a genuinely valuable resource by harnessing the nutrients, enzymes and good microbes to help clean other materials and reduce harmful outputs.
By recycling the mineral and organic elements of other processes to produce good microbes, Probiosphere can create environmental products with high added value.
The fact that the wastewater treatment additives are both affordable and effective when it comes to environmental protection is a clear demonstration of how Probiosphere has been able to embrace the learnings of nature and find a simple solution to a very complex situation.
Well-deserved Recognition through Global Awards
It is this powerful combination of environmentally driven mindset with cost effective solutions that has attracted the attention of so many including the Solar Impulse Foundation.
The Foundation are an impressive organisation that has focused its energies and expertise on addressing the biggest sustainability challenges that the world faces. The Foundation, and its leader, Bertrand Piccard, have been on a mission to encourage, review and award 1000 solutions that present genuinely clean and profitable solutions.
Piccard is an amazing individual who has combined his passion for adventure with his purpose of helping people find innovative solutions to crucial problems. He accomplished the first ever non-stop balloon flight around the world on Breitling Orbiter 3 before then circumnavigating the globe in an airplane powered only by the sun.
The Foundation focuses on supporting and promoting those who are able to present solutions to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the United Nations in 2015.
The team from Probiosphere were very proud to receive a Solar Impulse Label award that the Foundation felt addressed three of the 17 SDGs; including helping provide every person in the world with clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy and helping organisations achieve responsible consumption and production levels.
An exciting future
Probiosphere has already achieved so much but their journey is only just beginning. They have carefully selected a number of like-minded partners who can help them evolve their approach. These partners – which include the likes of Cégep de Rivière-du-Loup, Bioptere, York University and EDWWE network – have enabled Probiosphere to add depth to their team as well as valuable external expertise.
There is a rapidly growing trend around the world of companies seeking to find the balance between sustainable operations and profitable growth. Probiosphere’s approach is the perfect solution for these organisations and its commitment to creating new, commercially effective products that treat the planet with respect is sure to continue to be at the cutting edge.
To learn more about Probiosphere and its award winning bioaugmentation products, please visit http://www.probiosphere.technology