When we talk about climate change, the first things that come to mind are record heat temperatures, natural phenomena that did not occur in certain areas before, melting glaciers and forest fires. In Chile, we have seen all of the above. However, one of the most obvious effects of global warming in the country, and in the world, is water scarcity.
It is estimated that about 72% of the national surface suffers from drought and that Chile is one of the 18 countries with the highest risk of suffering water stress. The water deficit has been an urgent problem for at least a decade and, in fact, there is talk that we are in the greatest period of drought in the last 60 years.
According to the United Nations, the water footprint of global production is 70% related to food production. The World Bank estimates that more than 330 million hectares in the world have irrigation facilities. And since agriculture is one of the country's essential economic activities, both farmers and decision makers must promote a more sustainable use of water to mitigate the effects of the water crisis.
Quipasur, in its quest to be a partner for its customers, is constantly developing new products and technology that are innovative and take into account the environmental problem. That is why the company created a partnership to be the distributor of O2, a water evaporation mitigator for dams and ponds, specially formulated so that agricultural, mining, sanitary, energy and industrial companies can reduce their water losses and use this resource in a more efficient and sustainable way.
O2: good for the company, good for the environment
Five years ago, Carlos Korner began developing a product that did not exist, a liquid monolayer that prevents water evaporation by up to 80%, a problem that, with rising temperatures and the lack of rainfall, has become indispensable.
"Evaporative water losses are gigantic. A third of the volume of water is lost per year. An agricultural dam in Chile loses between one and two vertical centimeters per day. If you look at the water surface in one hectare, it is 6,000 cubic meters per month. That's enough to irrigate an entire olive plantation in its entire season," says Korner, CEO of O2.
Quipasur, seeing the potential of the product being developed, decided to be part of the process and become an investment partner and distributor of O2, adding to its product portfolio an innovative, "made in Chile" and environmentally friendly mitigator.
"The efficiency curve of the O2 monolayer is one month, preventing water evaporation by up to 80%. In other words, if a dam of one hectare evaporates 6,000 cubic meters, with O2 it could recover 5,000 or 4,800 cubic meters, allowing companies to make better use of their water resources," says Korner, who points out that his product is also harmless, as it does not affect the fauna.
In fact, in its five years of life, O2 has already received a series of recognitions that endorse its contribution to sustainability. In 2020 they won the First Place for Environmental Innovation from the Chilean-British Chamber and were chosen among the Top 5 sustainable projects in Latin America in an initiative of CNN and the European Union called "Re-Acciona por el Clima" (Re-Acciona for the Climate).
In this sense, together with O2, Quipasur takes another step forward in innovation towards the creation and distribution of products that help its customers to overcome the water crisis, with a vision of the future and concern for the environment.
O2 Company product covering a body of water
Marco Salazar, Quipasur's Development Manager, pointed out that "one of the advantages is the operator's safety, since it is not necessary to be close to the fire line when the pieces are melted, as this goes inside the sleeve". He also highlighted "its high efficiency, given that its exclusive formulation allows insulation with a high thickness layer, which minimizes heat loss in the upper part of the uprights, this is achieved because its formula has expandable components. The expansion of an exothermic pellet is of the order of 500 times its original volume, so it completely covers the surface".
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