Local fertiliser production by plasma treatment

Project Information

SmartNitroFarm

Grant agreement ID: 101008819

DOI

10.3030/101008819

Project closed

EC signature date 10 November 2020

Start date 1 December 2020

End date 30 November 2022

Funded under

• PRIORITY 'Societal challenges

Total cost

€ 3 895 000,00

EU contribution

€ 2 499 999,00

Coordinated by

N2 APPLIED AS
Norway

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - SmartNitroFarm (Local fertiliser production by plasma treatment)

Reporting period: 2021-12-01 to 2022-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The World needs to produce more food with less emissions without using more land. Today, agriculture accounts for about 25% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. Two thirds of all agriculture-based emissions are methane from livestock and a quarter are nitrous oxide from the chemical fertilisers and untreated slurry. At the same time, the world needs more food. Farmers are facing increasing pressure from all sides to improve agricultural practices. We need solutions which can reduce emissions without reducing production.

N2 Applied has developed a revolutionary piece of patented technology, The N2 Unit. It is installed on farms and turns liquid manure into sustainable fertiliser using just air and electricity. The end-product is called NEO fertiliser.

The overall objective of the project is to prepare the N2 technology for commercialisation. There are two main parts of the project. The first part is piloting the technology in different markets and designing a new generation N2 Unit based on feedback from the pilot phase. The second part is business and market development, as well as communication, to ensure a successful market entry.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The work performed during this project can be divided into 3 main parts. The first part is piloting the N2 Technology and testing the performance of the N2 fertiliser, activities have consisted of the assembly of six pilot units, installing each unit at a pilot farm, operating the unit in a real environment and conducting field trials to determine the performance of the N2 fertiliser. The second part has been within technology development, to develop the first-of-a-kind commercial unit based on learning from the pilots. Lastly, the third part has been on business development activities, where signing partnership agreement and creating awareness of the the N2 technology has been vital parts. Results include successfully completing the assembly, installation and operation of the six pilot units in different markets. The feedback and learning from the pilot projects, has contributed to the optimisation of the next generation N2 Unit, the first-of-a-kind commercial unit which was assembled at the end of the project. In addition, results on the business development side include signing a partnership agreement with global agricultural distributor, GEA and launching the next generation N2 Unit at the Eurotier trade show in Hannover. Additionally, we have has major success in attracting media attention.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The last part of the project has involved finalising the design, production and testing of the next generation N2 Unit before launching this into the market. The impact of the project is the commercialisation of a technology that has significant socio-economic impact. The N2 process improves crop yield by an average of 40% compared to untreated manure. The technology eliminates methane from slurry, ensuring a reduced carbon footprint on farms by 30%. Ammonia loss from slurry is eliminated, reducing air pollution from farms by 50%. Additionally, odour is practically eliminated. NEO is a real-world substitution to chemical fertiliser, that upholds production, while emissions are reduced.

Inside a fully assembled N2 Unit

Pilot installation at Holly Green Farm, UK