Advances in sustainable agriculture at Institute of Technology Tallaght Dublin
start date: Fri, 06 Jun 2008 10:32:00 BST
end date:
An undergraduate student and lecturer at the School of Science in the Institute of Technology Tallaght Dublin have developed a new prototype biological fertiliser for the agricultural and horticultural market. The fertiliser called N2-Fix Biotic Fertiliser was selected as a finalist in this year’s Enterprise Ireland Student Enterprise Ireland Awards that were held in Cork Institute of Technology on June 3rd and 4th last.
Demand for food and bio-fuels is increasing the global demand for fertilisers. Currently 1.4 million tonnes of nitrogen fertilisers are used in Ireland per annum representing a national market value of 560 million euros. The majority of fertilisers that are used in the agricultural and horticultural sectors are chemical fertilisers. Their production relies heavily on the use of fossil fuels and in particular natural gas. Chemical fertilisers are applied to soils in concentrated form and contribute to the pollution of ground water, rivers and lakes with nitrate run off from the land. The use of chemical fertilisers also leads to the increased release of nitrous oxide from soil into the atmosphere by the natural breakdown of chemical fertilisers in soil. Nitrous oxide is 200 times more powerful than carbon dioxide as a green house gas and is a major contributor to global warming. Although organic, manure based fertilisers would appear to be environmentally sustainable their use also leads the distribution of potentially infectious micro-organisms in the environment and also contributes to nitrate pollution of water systems and nitrous oxide emissions to the atmosphere. The EU Nitrates Directive places restrictions on the use of chemical fertilisers among European farmers. Restrictions on the use of chemical fertilisers allied to the increasing need for productivity from the EU agri-sector caused Dr. Colleran and Ms. Cummins to focus their attention on developing a safe and environmentally sustainable alternative to chemical and organic fertilisers that can lead to increased crop production.
The Institute’s research team have developed a simple fertiliser product that is capable of releasing nitrates slowly and continuously to the soil at levels that stimulate plant growth and are unlikely to contribute to atmospheric nitrous oxide or nitrate pollution of water systems. The fertiliser which is termed a “biotic-fertiliser” consists of living organisms that are safe and occur naturally at low levels in soils. The research team have increased the levels of these organisms in the laboratory and have placed them into a bead material that can be placed into soil to advance plant growth. Although the product is still in it’s the early stages of development, the scientists at the Institute teamed up with a team of business students under the guidance of IT Tallaght business lecturer, Dr. Philip McGovern, to develop an entry to the Enterprise Ireland Student Enterprise Awards. The team of Suzanne Cummins, Desmond O’Connor and Catherine Maher developed a commercial business plan around the biotic fertiliser product concept and were awarded a merit prize at the enterprise competition recently. The Institute of Technology are intent on advancing the technological development to the next phase and eventual commercialisation of this revolutionary product.
Students from the Institute of Technology Tallaght Dublin showcased a prototype revolutionary new fertiliser called N2-Fix Biotic Fertiliser at the Enterprise Ireland Student Enterprise Awards held in Cork Institute of Technology recently. The students are (pictured above from left to right) Catherine Maher, Desmond O’Connor and Suzanne Cummins were awarded a Merit Prize.
