From the CBI.

A Virtual Conference In which new discoveries are presented About sargassum, Integrated United Nations Environment ProgramUnexpectedly, it seems that a research and production center is located in the municipality of Catano working with this sponge.

Via Zoom, Jason Cole, Executive Vice President of Company Innovation C-Combinator, Explains how they make products derived from circuses on the island since October 2020.

But in an interview with him Center for Investigative Journalism (CBI), Director of Research and Development Benjamin Jலlen makes it clear Most of its raw materials do not come from the coast of Puerto Rico, They are saturated with brown algae, but from the coastal state of Quintana Roo in Mexico.

Upon entering the company’s offices in Catano, an investigative team can be seen analyzing sarcasm models. Bottles of biofuels derived from this algae can be found in the laboratory table. In another office, fertilizers are stored for agricultural purposes. In microbiology there are areas where a physician analyzes fluids and others, where a scheme aimed at producing tomatoes is illustrated. Another part of the task force is in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo.

The function of the 26 employees is given as the promise of the green economy to manage the circus and turn it into inputs for production. Biostimulant products for plants, rubber for sandals, creams for vegetarian cosmetics, as well as other products that can be used for agriculture and mangrove restoration are some of the circus derivatives coming out of Catano. C-Combinator is registered in Delaware and Puerto Rico and is its CEO and Founder. Jeff Chopin.

Benefited by the research and production orders issued by the company Incentive code. “This has allowed us to be very helpful in establishing an advanced research center in Puerto Rico. We currently have more than seven full-time staff, five of whom work in advanced science. In general, we are based in Puerto Rico because it is already a world-class center for manufacturing and advanced science, companies , With the ecosystem of universities and research institutes, we can use to start a completely new industry based on the island. With regard to the development of marine and innovative products, “he said. George Vega Matos Placeholder Image, Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Public Affairs of the company.

One of the researchers at the company’s lab is a bachelor’s graduate Coastal marine biology From University of Puerto Rico in Humacao. Although the 24-year-old realized that the large accumulations of sarcasm were an event that took place a decade ago, he explained that doing nothing to solve the problem would be detrimental to the health of communities.

“If you look at it from a scientific point of view, it’s a recent phenomenon, but if you put it in the context of people and their daily lives, the circus problem seems to have been there forever. I was 14 years old when these accumulations started. I only realized the extent of the problem when I came to the university, “he told the CBI. Adriana Guzman.

Unlike Puerto Rico, Mexico has federal protocols to deal with this algae before it reaches the shore. C-Combinator has been contracted by Mexican Hotels to collect sarcasm in the tourist area of ​​Yucatan, through its subsidiary ENSOL Caribbean Group.

“There are fewer workers there. Even if we had a chance in Puerto Rico we would think so, but now it’s not worth it. There is no understanding at the government level [en Puerto Rico], Or at the level of the Creole elite with economic power. Puerto Rico has no vision of the potential to re-create the primary resources of the manufacturing sector, including the production of plastics, bioplastics, textiles and non-textiles, ”explained Vega Matos.

If sarcasm from Mexico is the mainstay, why did they choose Puerto Rico to set up the company? What drew them to the island? The CBI asked Vega Matos.

Much of the circus moving through the Caribbean ends on the Yucatan Peninsula, especially in the tourist area of ​​Quintana Rouge. Compared to Puerto Rico, it gets more sarcastic, with the government and the business community prioritizing a serious environmental and economic emergency. That’s why, in our first phase, we’re accumulating the bulk of our collection in Mexico; In short, there are many more sources for the sarcasm harvest.

In the long run, however, we will have the infrastructure needed to support the collection network across the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico. That’s why the island is important: as an advanced research and production center we can take the circus from all over the Caribbean. And transforming sarcasm harvests into advanced products that make it economically viable.

On the other hand, the lack of strategies and policies at the local and federal levels is one of the main obstacles to managing this algae, the executive pointed out.

“Puerto Rico does not always have the resources at home, has no interest at the federal level, and many companies that do this at the regional level are technically excluded because we are not part of it, because the United States does not participate in it,” Vega Matos revealed.

C-Combinator executives have spoken with officials from the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources to gather sarcasm in the country and clarify issues related to jurisdiction, but the talks did not go beyond that.

The regional issue, the lack of jurisdiction over the beaches, has been a major embarrassment.

“If we collect sarcasm here [en una playa], Do we have uniqueness? Because we can make some kind of investment in employees and machines. We can’t make this kind of investment without clarifying the jurisdiction, ”said Vega Matos.

The company sought to find some level of sarcasm in Palmas del Mar in Hamako and Playa Lucia in Yapukova.

“They have no problem picking up their sponge. They take it there, so we have no permitting problems because the collection was done before. [Lo que nos llevamos] It is enough to do our research, ”said Jellan.

“Our scale activity is in Mexico, but now we do the processing at the highest level. The infrastructure in Puerto Rico is excellent. The intellectual capacity in Puerto Rico is enjoyable,” Jellen said.

Would it make commercial sense for the company if they had the opportunity to make extensive use of the circus reaching Puerto Rico, with certain guarantees of jurisdiction such as exclusive rights to collect circus on certain beaches? The CBI questioned Vega Matos.

Access to beaches is an important factor. This allows us to invest in projects and resources for collection. It also helps us to work with regulators and communities to ensure that disruption does not occur. [del ecosistema] During collection and avoid environmental impact. But more than that, it’s about shared investment in infrastructure and resources: we can collaborate on technical support in the form of physical infrastructure, such as boat access to the sea barriers that connect the circus, as well as with experts in biology and natural resources.

Currently, there is one for the C-Combinator Bell They appeal to investors interested in the sustainable economic model they claim to represent.

“In this way we are democratizing our group of investors, allowing people to buy our vision and reap the benefits of supporting us at this point. There will be an urgency to invest quickly in companies that provide solutions to various aspects related to climate change, and we hope that anyone who knows about the importance of developing these new economies will benefit. Vega Matos said.

Raphael R. Thias Torres is a member Report to the United States.

This release in Metro Puerto Rico is the result of a collective agreement Center for Investigative Journalism.