Sergio Espinoza

Guatemalan environmental engineer who developed low-cost solutions to combat water pollution in Central America

Sergio Espinoza (b. 1985) is the visionary behind Aqualife Technologies, a social enterprise that creates affordable water filtration systems using recycled materials. Growing up near contaminated rivers in rural Guatemala motivated him to study environmental engineering at MIT. His breakthrough invention, the Puriflow System, uses locally sourced bamboo charcoal and UV light to purify 2,000 liters of water daily at a cost 70% lower than conventional methods. Deployed in 150+ communities since 2012, these systems have provided clean water to over 500,000 people.

In 2016, Espinoza launched the Green Rivers Initiative, training youth to build water treatment infrastructure while restoring river ecosystems. His partnership with UNICEF's Guatemala office expanded access to 18 rural schools. Espinoza's documentary "The Last Drop" (2021) exposed industrial pollution in Lake Atitlán. He recently developed a mobile app AquaMap that tracks water quality in real-time across Central America.