Rudanac Biotech will drive sustainable solutions for mining and agriculture
The startup is working on the revaluation of steel, end-of-life tires and scrap metal through biotechnological processes, transforming these wastes into iron nanoparticles with potential for various industrial and environmental applications.
Within the framework of World Recycling Day and the commemoration of the International Day of Women in Mathematics, the Regional Ministerial Secretary of Science, Héctor Bravo Vásquez, visited the regional company Rudanac Biotech, one of the awardees of Startup Science 2026, an initiative promoted by the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation and the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID), which this year allocated more than $11 billion to strengthen science and technology-based companies in the country.
From Antofagasta, -Chile-, Rudanac Biotech positions itself as one of the biotechnological initiatives focused on circular economy and sustainable mining. The startup works on the revaluation of steel, end-of-life tires and scrap through biotechnological processes, transforming these wastes into iron nanoparticles with potential for various industrial and environmental applications.
"Projects like Rudanac Biotech precisely represent the kind of innovation we want to drive from science and technology: solutions developed from the territories, with regional relevance and capable of addressing global challenges such as sustainability, circular economy, and responsible mining," said Héctor Bravo Vásquez, the Regional Ministerial Secretary of Science of Antofagasta.
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"Thanks to the award from Startup Ciencia, the company will be able to validate two new applications: "the use of nanoparticles as biofertilizer and as a stabilizer of mining tailings, thus closing the final cycle of the process we carry out in Rudanac Biotech"," explained Nadac Reales, founder of the company.
The entrepreneur also highlighted the territorial impact this innovation could have on the northern macro-zone, particularly in the development of agriculture in desert areas and in more sustainable solutions for the mining industry.
"As a biofertilizer, this would allow farmers from the northern macrozone to access products generated in the region. And regarding tailings, this validation would allow us to move towards more sustainable treatments and dispositions for this type of waste," he added.
The award to Rudanac Biotech also highlights the role that women play in the country's scientific and technological ecosystem, especially in STEM areas, where disciplines such as mathematics are fundamental for the development of innovative solutions related to biotechnology, mining, and sustainability.
Startup Science is one of the key instruments of ANID to support the transition of technologies from the laboratory to the market. The 2026 call awarded resources to 85 Chilean companies, more than half of which come from regions other than the Metropolitan, consolidating the growth of the scientific innovation ecosystem at a regional level.