The main goal of the Project is to integrate large-scale, stable and reliable production of a CO2-free nitrogen fertilizer in a real life situation into various existing high-tech cultivation systems, demonstrating constant and reproducible quality and crop yields at least as good as with traditional fertilizers is acquired.
During the project 5 different growers with different cultivations will install a Freya Natural Nitrogen unit in their facility. The unit will be integrated in the current fertilizer and feeding water systems. Therefore, parties have to prepare a new recipe where they will replace synthetic nitrogen fertilizers by sustainable natural nitrogen produced by the Freya Natural Nitrogen unit.
The results of the trials will show that integration of the Freya Natural Nitrogen unit is possible in High Tech cultivations with good results in yield. Main goal is to show these cultivations can decrease in CO2 footprint by using the Plasma Activated Water technology of VitalFluid.
Project STIM-00102 duration: 1 January 2023 – 31 December 2025.
The project is co-financed by the European Union and Provincie Noord-Brabant. We will introduce all participants of the project below.
Energy crisis, surface water pollution, nitrogen emission; in this dynamic time, the existence of greenhouse horticulture is under pressure. Sustainability is a necessity. Koppert Cress plays a leading role in horticulture in this area together with their daugther company Division Q. However, Koppert Cress wants to take the next step in the coming years and grow completely emission-free executed by Division Q. Koppert Cress is therefore fully committed to innovation by collaborating with promising startups and wants to inspire the rest of the sector to follow this example. That is why Koppert Cress has decided to transfer its sustainable innovations in this new company that will focus 100% on this: Division Q.
At Groentekwekerij ‘t Bleekerven, vegetables of the highest quality are grown all year round in approximately 10 hectares of greenhouses.
‘t Bleekerven BV is a family business. With an organization in which you can switch gears quickly and where everyone knows what they have in common.
1990 is the start of Groentekwekerij ‘t Bleekerven together with father Piet Aarts and brother Willy Aarts, cucumbers are grown on 1 hectare.
The management of Groentekwekerij ‘t Bleekerven consists of Peter and Janine Aarts. These are supported by the framework, consisting of Jan, Anneke and Tijn. Janine is responsible for the entire administration. Peter is responsible for management, purchasing, energy, climate and control of the entire organization. Jan takes care of HR and logistics/sales. Anneke ensures that all employees in the greenhouses are managed and that the team leaders know what is expected of them. Tijn, Peter’s son, started working in 2020 at Groentekwekerij ‘t Bleekerven and is involved in cultivation, certification and sales.
In April 1968, Cees van der Vleuten and his wife Claartje set up a greenhouse horticulture business of 0.4 hectares on Boterwijksestraat named Kwekerij van der Vleuten. In the first years, tomatoes were grown in the greenhouse in the summer and lettuce in the winter. In addition, they had a strawberry cultivation outside in the open ground. In September 1984, son Gerard joins the partnership and an expansion to 1 hectare takes place. From this time on, Kwekerij van der Vleuten is only focused on tomato cultivation.
Kwekerij van der Vleuten gradually grew from 2.2 hectares in 1992 to 3 hectares in 1999. In January 1997 Gerard took over the company from his father and in September 2016 (grand)son Joost joined the company. 50 years later, the third generation is ready to take over the nursery in due course.
Kwekerij van der Vleuten grow almost 5 hectares of cut tomatoes in their greenhouse. These tomatoes are processed, pre-cut for the catering industry, but also used for fresh soups available in the supermarket. They are looking for innovative sustainable solutions for the future. Therefore, biological crop protection is used in the greenhouses. For example, the parasitic wasp is used against whitefly.
Microalgae cultivation large scale is one of the solutions for climate change. How? The same way as it started billions of years ago, when so much CO2 was transformed in O2 that life as we know it, was possible.
As the climate change is happening so fast and water is becoming scarce, the food chain of producing protein via animal production is to expansive and harmful to the environment. Therefore, algae cultivation can be a sustainable solution. It is a sustainable source of protein.
Fykia is focusing on developing large scale algae production farms to produce proteins in a sustainable way to change the food chain.
BioscienZ BV is an industrial biotechnology company founded by Wim de Laat in 2011 and is developing new technologies based on microbial fermentation as a core competence.
BioscienZ provides Contract Research Activities besides serving as an incubator for proprietary technologies.
BioscienZ has access to a broad toolbox including Molecular Biology, Fermentation, Analytical tools and Down Stream Processing technologies and has 35 fermentors from 0,25 L to 300 L. BioscienZ is active in both classical strain improvement (mutation and selection) as well has rDNA technologies in a high throughput manner and has proprietary platform technologies (bacterial, yeast, fungi, vectors and fermentation and DSP protocols).
On January 1, 2020 a new company called The Protein Brewery B.V. (www.theproteinbrewery.nl) was founded that is commercializing protein products made by fermentation technologies developed by BioscienZ BV.
