Colombia faces one of the most severe air pollution challenges in Latin America, with 99.3% of its population living in areas that exceed World Health Organization guidelines.
Against this backdrop, Colombian entrepreneur Mariana Pérez has developed a solution that tackles both environmental and health crises – earning her a place among the top ten innovators in the Young Inventors Prize 2025, awarded by the European Patent Office (EPO).
At just 27, Pérez is the founder of Ecol-Air, a startup behind a technology that captures not only carbon dioxide but also nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide – gases linked to respiratory illness. Unlike traditional carbon-capture devices, her system mimics the human respiratory system, using artificial “bronchioles” and “alveoli” to absorb pollutants from the air.
“My invention is just like a giant vacuum that captures a volume of air and puts it through this system and breaks down all the contaminants into a tank,” she explains. Installed on chimneys or as free-standing air purification stations, the machine treats polluted air and processes the toxins into biodegradable polymers – materials that can be repurposed into sustainable packaging or industrial components like tiles and bags.
