Project description
Killing bugs the natural way
Insecticides are toxic substances used to kill insects. Essential in modern agriculture, synthetic insecticides are effective in preventing crop losses and lowering the cost of farming but this practice has resulted in environmental contamination. For instance, the accumulation of some insecticides in the environment may harm wildlife and humans. The EU-funded PestiSi project is developing a natural alternative that can be applied during long-term grain storage. It’s based on formulated diatomaceous earth, which is made up of the fossilised remains of plankton. While it can kill any insect with an exoskeleton, it is completely harmless to humans and other mammals. The project will develop the commercialisation strategy and manage distribution channels.
Objective
The European Union targets to reduce the application of chemical pesticides, however due to the climate change and increased transportation, the problems related to pest invasions are increasing. We have developed a natural insecticide that can be applied during long-term grain storage based on formulated diatomaceous earth. Our product can kill all insects during storage with a long-lasting effect that is completely harmless to humans and other mammals. Our objective is to commercialise our diatomaceous earth as insecticide material during storage, to develop the commercialisation strategy (including pricing) and distribution channels in Europe as well as to scale-up and standardise our production.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2Coordinator
2400 DUNAUJVAROS
Hungary
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.