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Chilean inventors created a living biofilter that reduces more than 90% of smoke and odors with plants, roots, and microorganisms and gained international recognition.
In a country where millions of people live with air pollution problems caused by wood heating systems and industrial processes, two inventors decided to seek a solution inspired by nature itself. Agricultural engineer Aníbal Montalva Rodríguez and architect Miguel Ángel Fernández Donoso, from Chile, developed a living biofilter capable of reducing more than 90% of fine particulate emissions and odors using plants, roots, and microorganisms as the basis of the process.
The invention attracted international attention and placed the two among the finalists of the European Inventor Award 2026, one of the most prestigious innovation awards in the world. The recognition came because the system proposes a low energy consumption alternative to an urban and industrial problem that continues to lack a simple solution in many cities.
Living biofilter was born from the air pollution crisis caused by wood and industrial smoke in Chile
According to the European Patent Office, the project arose in response to a very present reality in Chile, where approximately 72% of households in the central-southern regions use wood as the main source of heating in winter. At the same time, various industrial activities also emit smoke, odors, and particles that compromise air quality.
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This scenario helps explain why the invention gained traction so quickly. The problem is not restricted to a specific sector but affects homes, entire neighborhoods, and productive areas. Instead of thinking only about conventional industrial filters, the inventors sought a system that could act more naturally and continuously.
The proposal grew precisely because it tackled a central point of Chilean urban life. The challenge was not just to filter smoke, but to find a viable method to reduce pollution without requiring solutions that are too expensive or difficult to apply on a large scale.
Technology uses plants, roots, and microorganisms to clean smoke before it reaches the air
According to the European Patent Office, the system’s logic seems simple but required careful technical development. The smoke generated by the chimney is captured and directed to the biofilter, where it first goes through a cooling stage until it reaches a temperature compatible with the activity of living organisms.
After that, the flow passes through a vertical structure filled with vegetation and a substrate developed to retain and degrade contaminants. In this environment, fine particles are trapped in the material’s fibers, while roots and microorganisms begin to decompose some of the pollutants present in the smoke.
The process creates a kind of functional ecosystem. Some of the contaminants are transformed into nutrients used by the plants themselves, which reduces the need for aggressive chemical processes and helps differentiate the technology from other traditional emission control methods.
Chilean inventors turned the idea of a green wall into a real air purification system
Initially, the idea faced skepticism. The creators themselves reported that many people viewed with skepticism the notion of a plant wall capable of treating combustion smoke. The doubt was understandable because the project seemed to go against conventional industrial logic.
Instead of relying on complex metal filters, chemical reagents, or energy-intensive structures, the system was designed to take advantage of biological mechanisms already known in nature. It was precisely this combination of engineering, agronomy, and architecture that allowed the concept to take shape.
The result was a commercially known solution as Filtrovivo, which came to be seen not just as an environmental experiment but as a concrete alternative to reduce emissions in different contexts.
Results above 90% placed the Chilean biofilter among the most promising cases of environmental innovation
According to the European Patent Office, tests and demonstrations conducted by the developers indicated that the system can reduce more than 90% of fine particulate matter and odors generated by combustion processes. This rate was what most caught attention in the evaluation of the technology.
One of the most impressive effects appears visually. After passing through the system, the smoke that exits the chimney practically disappears in many applications observed by the inventors themselves. This helped make the impact of the solution much easier to understand for the public and potential users.
In addition to particle control, the performance against odors increased interest from different sectors. In various activities, the problem is not only in visible smoke but in the discomfort caused by persistent smells, and it was precisely there that the biofilter also showed strength.
System can be used in homes, schools, hospitals, public buildings, and industries
Another point that strengthened the project was the possibility of adaptation. The biofilter was not designed only for large industrial operations. According to the proposal presented by the inventors, the system can be scaled for homes, schools, hospitals, public buildings, community heating systems, and industrial facilities.
This flexibility greatly expands the potential market for the technology. Instead of relying only on very large clients, the invention can be applied at different scales, which increases its social and urban relevance. The smoke from a home and that from an industrial operation are not the same, but the treatment principle can be adjusted.
This scalable nature also helps in the project’s positioning in SEO and editorial interest, because the solution is not restricted to a technical niche. It engages with broad themes such as air pollution, sustainability, environmental innovation, and public health.
Six pilot units proved that the system worked outside the laboratory
The project’s advancement was not limited to controlled tests. With support from the Chilean regional government, six pilot units were installed in the city of Temuco to validate the technology in real operating conditions. This step was decisive in showing that the solution could work outside an experimental environment.
The results observed in these facilities helped consolidate the system’s viability and encouraged the patent registration of the technology. It was from this moment that the initiative ceased to be just a promising idea and began to gain commercial structure.
Over time, the practical experience itself paved the way for the creation of the company Filtrovivo, responsible for bringing the technology to new clients and expanding its presence in different regions of the country.
Almost 10 million people face pollution above recommended levels in Chile
According to the Ministry of the Environment of Chile, almost 10 million people in the country are exposed to pollutant concentrations that can reach levels up to eight times higher than those recommended by the World Health Organization. This data helps to understand why smoke and particle control solutions have become so urgent.
Prolonged exposure to this type of pollution is associated with an increased risk of respiratory, cardiovascular diseases, and other public health problems. This means that the technology developed by Chilean inventors not only enters the field of innovation but also in the prevention of health damages.
When an invention manages to connect simultaneously with health, environment, architecture, and industry, it naturally gains editorial strength and search potential. It is precisely this intersection that makes the case of the two Chileans strong enough to perform well on Google Discover.
Living biofilter shows that nature can do what complex machines do not always solve well
A large part of air pollution control technologies relies on industrial filters, chemical systems, or high-energy cost equipment. The Filtrovivo takes a different path. Instead of fighting pollution solely with machines, it uses biological processes that have existed in nature for millions of years.
This choice makes the invention particularly strong as a narrative and as a product of public interest. It turns plants, roots, and microorganisms into protagonists of air cleaning, showing that innovation is not always about adding complexity, but about intelligently reorganizing what nature already knows how to do.
In a country where millions of people live daily with smoke generated by heating and industrial processes, the invention of the two Chileans shows that some of the most powerful solutions can arise precisely from the precise observation of natural mechanisms that have been in plain sight all along.
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