The Problem
25.3 million individuals live in food deserts with little to no access to fresh food.
24% of global greenhouse gas emissions are from agriculture.
40% of all food produced is wasted and emits greenhouse gases while decomposing.
44% global synthetic fertilizer use which causes health externalities, runoff, and depletes key nutrients.
Solutions
Our innovative anaerobic digestion system takes in 500 lb of food waste a month, producing 200 gal of liquid fertilizer a month and 1,400 kWh of energy in the form of captured methane gas.
We are also highly experienced engineers and data scientists that consult in greenhouse, hydroponics, aquaponics, and soil remediation projects.
Seahorse AD System, Hydroponics
Locally sourced and organically produced liquid fertilizer $30/gal
Closer look
Our first Seahorse Anaerobic Digestion system was built in May 2019, along with a reconstruction of our upper level greenhouse. Our system has been running successfuly since then, and we have been further analyzing the inner workings and biome reactions occuring within.
Current digestate data:
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100 lb/week food waste input
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40 gal/week fertilizer output
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pH: 7.43
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NO3: 640 ppm
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K+: 1100 ppm
Our Team
About us
Ecotone Renewables was established in Pittsburgh PA to educate communities about sustainable practices of agriculture and develop the technology necessary for scaling these practices. Food is central to culture, health, and education, yet the current food system produces excessive waste and imposes dangers on the environment. This is why Ecotone is dedicated to building the tools necessary to empower communities to redevelop and grow through sustainable food practices. Ecotone Renewables has developed the “Seahorse”, which reinvents the food waste disposal system, taking food that would otherwise be wasted and turning it into renewable energy electricity and nutrient-rich fertilizer. Ecotone aims to close the food loop by transforming otherwise wasted food and energy into nutrients that restart the food loop.
Our Partners
A Decision Science major at Carnegie Mellon University, Sasha's passions for sustainable food waste come from her previous background of farming — meaning that she has built a strong understanding of the agricultural industry as well as data and business research involved within the project. Sasha's innovative approaches to solving agricultural problems span multiple continents as she has worked on projects in the U.S., Norway, and India.
Kareem Rabbat is about to graduate from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in Environmental Engineering and a certificate in Engineering for Humanity. He has designed and implemented aquaponics/hydroponics systems in Brazil and The United States, is a certified operator of anaerobic digesters, and is well versed in breakdown and distribution of nutrients in both soil and hydroponic biomes.
A Materials Engineering graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University, Dylan's focus is on the application of material innovation in the production of renewable energy. His previous experience includes AEM Fuel Cell research under Dario Dekel at the Technion and additively manufactured silver scaffolds for application in Li-ion batteries as a researcher at CMU. Additionally, Dylan has experience as a failure analyst for turbine engines from his experience working for GE Aviation.
CEO
Sasha Cohen Ioannides
CIO
Kareem Rabbat
CTO
Dylan Lew
At Ecotone we believe in constant innovation; be that with plumbing fixes or integrating new systems into our modular digester. Rob provides solutions to many of the smellier parts of our business. He studies biology and environmental studies at the University of Pittsburgh and is focused on fertilizer production and optimization within our system.
Nutrient & Digester Technician
Rob Davis
COO
Kyle Wyche
Kyle received his B.S in ecology & evolution from the University of Pittsburgh. During his time he gained experience with building a startup, creating business models, and performing research in data analytics. His early love for sustainable food systems originated with home gardens and his passion for creating terrariums and paludariums.
