Clean Cultivation
Water Hygiene as a Service
Sustainable nutrition requires new methods of agriculture that use less space and water, and preferably reduce dependence on pesticides. Evonik experts have joined forces with partners such as Siemens, water hygiene specialists, and researchers to provide a digital solution.
Digital Water Hygiene as a Service
The novel approach, which has been nominated for the 2024 German Innovation Award, uses the power of data to identify and combat germs in a farmer's water supply. It uses sensitive analytics to measure water quality and dispense precisely-calibrated doses of plant-friendly disinfectants to provide crops with safe, clean water. Internet-of-Things connectivity enables remote telemetry monitoring, developed in close partnership with Siemens.
Greenhouses save space and enable a circular use of resources such as energy and water. However, as closed systems, contamination is a constant threat. A spread of viruses, bacteria or dangerous fungi in an irrigation system can lead to catastrophic crop failures.
Our system offering makes it possible to anticipate disruptive factors such as diseases and then take countermeasures earlier, more effectively, and usually much more gently. By containing the spread of germs from the outset, we reduce the need for pesticides or antibiotics.
Intelligent Dosage
A special feature of Evonik's new solution is the intelligent control of the dosage. Sensors collect water data in real time and complex data analyses, which take into account environmental parameters and operating processes, help to determine the optimal dosage. The user is completely unaware of this complexity in daily operation.
Plant and root health through innovative service approach
Experiments currently being conducted at the Jülich Research Center in Germany are using hydrogen peroxide from Evonik as an oxidizing agent. Hydrogen peroxide, which reliably destroys harmful germs, has clear ecological advantages. It itself breaks down only into water and oxygen, so no harmful residues remain.
In Jülich, the hydrogen peroxide is produced by using a device from the Danish company HPNow that uses a catalyst to produce one percent hydrogen peroxide.
Evonik has also engaged Jülich scientists to test how our water hygiene as a service approach affects plant and root health. The research results will be translated into practical methods and recommendations for agriculture.
That is why the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences at the Jülich Research Center, under the direction of Professor Dr. Ulrich Schurr, is an important interface in practice, working with farmers, horticulturists and breeders in the region to test new technologies under real-life conditions.
Water hygiene as an all-in-one service
Our new business model is based on offering a complete service package. For a flat fee per growing cycle, farmers receive the product, the technology, the active substances and the know-how. The flat-rate service is billed based on usage.
With this, we are responding to future challenges in agriculture, which, as a result of the effects of climate change, is increasingly dependent on the responsible use of water as a resource worldwide.
