Funding helps innovative fertilizer technology move closer to market-readiness
By Lilian Schaer for Bioenterprise Canada
An innovative technology that reduces water and fertilizer use while producing more greenhouse vegetable crops is a step closer to market. That’s thanks to a grant from the Fertilizer Accelerating Solutions & Technology Challenge, funded by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and delivered by Bioenterprise Canada.
International Zeolite Inc. has developed a product called NEREA®, where plant nutrients are embedded directly into zeolite, a mineral with a honeycomb-like structure that makes it very absorbent.
“Through the Fertilizer Accelerating Solutions & Technology Challenge, International Zeolite has moved the dial to bring NEREA® closer to market, which will have wide-spread benefits for the industry,” said Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “This initiative is just one of the ways we’re ensuring that farmers have the tools they need to provide a safe, stable and growing food supply, while supporting local innovators such as this Toronto-based mining company.”
Previous research conducted at Vineland Research and Innovation Centre and the Research & Innovation division at Niagara College through a partnership with the Greenhouse Technology Network had shown that when the product is used as a growing medium or a soil amendment, plants grow faster while needing less fertilizer.
The OMAFRA funding allowed the company to build on those initial result by supporting additional research and validation needed to move NEREA® closer to commercialization, work that International Zeolite President and Chief Operating Officer, Mark Pearlman notes has been very successful.
“We did a lot of indoor validation studies and found that not only does the technology work, but it reduces fertilizer use and shortens the time to market, meaning a grower can grow more crop in the same amount of time,” Pearlman explains.
Results showed an up to 80% reduction in fertilizer use by applying nutrients through the zeolite instead of more traditional methods, and that lettuce and basil crops grown using NEREA® reached maturity nearly one and a half weeks faster compared to those grown without it.
As well, instead of flooding crops with soluble fertilizer, plants get their nutrients from NEREA® right at their roots, resulting in less run-off and leaching into the environment.
According to Pearlman, the research team also did outdoor trials on potatoes to gauge the product’s impact. Here, not only was there a significant reduction in fertilizer use, but growers also completed fewer passes over the fields, resulting in lower emissions and less fuel use.
It was while participating in the Fertilizer Challenge booth at the London Farm Show last year that conversations with growers revealed they not only want to reduce their fertilizer dependence, but they also want better pest control systems. Here too, zeolite can offer a solution, Pearlman discovered.
“Zeolite is a volcanic mineral and when you look at it under a microscope, you see a lot of small spikes on its exterior. If you turn the zeolite into powder, suspend that in water and spray it on the plant leaves, we discovered that there is minimal plant damage from pest infestations,” he says. “We can take Earth’s own nanotechnology and make a pest control system.”
The company also used part of its funding to set up a small pilot plant and begin mixing and curing their own zeolite with fertilizer to test their ability scale up production. That was a major step forward, notes Pearlman, but communications with growers also helped the team understand that agricultural market adoption will take time even once the product is commercially available.
The more immediate opportunities for commercialization lie with the consumer market, so once production is up and running beyond the pilot stage, they’re hoping to sell their product to home gardeners through nurseries and garden centres.
“This will let us fund the additional commercial grower studies we’ll need,” he says, adding the company is now fundraising for its commercial infrastructure build, finalizing its business modelling and working to determine the best location for their future facility.
“The OMAFRA funding helped get us get a better understanding of our customer segments and complete trials, but the biggest benefit we got through the challenge was the network we were able to access and the advice we received,” he says. “Bioenterprise is an accelerator for innovation and that is so valuable. It is so crucial for any business to have access to a network of experts and mentors.”
The Fertilizer Accelerating Solutions & Technology Challenge wrapped up in 2023 and provided support to Ontario-based organizations with commercialization-ready alternative fertilizer products and technologies.
Bioenterprise is Canada’s Food & Agri-Tech Engine, a national agri-technology focused commercialization accelerator. Bioenterprise uses its more than 20 years of industry experience and a global network of experts, mentors, funders, researchers, and industry partners to help small and medium-sized agri-food businesses connect, innovate and grow. Learn more.
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