Local fertiliser production by plasma treatment

Informations projet

SmartNitroFarm

N° de convention de subvention: 101008819

DOI

10.3030/101008819

Projet clôturé

Date de signature de la CE 10 Novembre 2020

Date de début 1 Decembre 2020

Date de fin 30 Novembre 2022

Financé au titre de

• PRIORITY 'Societal challenges

Coût total

€ 3 895 000,00

Contribution de l’UE

€ 2 499 999,00

Coordonné par

N2 APPLIED AS
Norway

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

Période du rapport: 2021-12-01 au 2022-11-30

Résumé du contexte et des objectifs généraux du projet

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.

Travail effectué depuis le début du projet jusqu’à la fin de la période considérée dans le rapport et principaux résultats atteints jusqu’à présent

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.

Progrès au-delà de l’état des connaissances et impact potentiel prévu (y compris l’impact socio-économique et les conséquences sociétales plus larges du projet jusqu’à présent)

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