Nickolas Themelis, director of the Earth Engineering Center and a guest of Columbia University, visited SERC Chile to meet with researchers and share his expertise in waste-to-energy conversion.

On September 2, Rodrigo Palma, director of SERC Chile, welcomed Nickolas Themelis, professor and director of Columbia University’s Earth Engineering Center.

A delegation from the Innovation Fund for Competitiveness, led by its director Gonzalo Rivas and Jaime Álvarez, met with the researcher, who possesses extensive experience in waste-to-energy conversion. Also in attendance were José Manuel Robles, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Universidad del Desarrollo; Alex Godoy, head of environmental affairs at the same university; Professor Svetlana Ushak, a researcher for SERC Chile's Research Line 4; and Gisele Feldman, a consultant for the Columbia Global Center in Latin America.

Feldman emphasized the significance of Themelis’s visit for the advancement of energy initiatives in the country.

“This meeting is crucial for establishing connections between centers to develop a collaborative project in renewable energy and sustainable waste management,” she noted.

Regarding Chile's potential to develop this field, the consultant stated:

“We are making progress. Globally, 20% of landfills are beginning to implement recycling. Although this figure is lower in Chile, we possess the land availability, infrastructure, professional expertise, and climate conditions necessary for implementation. It is highly beneficial to expand our knowledge of the waste-to-energy methodology used by Nickolas Themelis; while Chile currently focuses on recycling waste into new products, the capacity to convert it into energy represents a significant and innovative prospect for us.”

During the meeting, participants discussed their respective roles and explored opportunities for future collaboration.