První biologicky odbouratelný obal CRF hnojiva

Výzkumné a vývojové oddělení společnosti ICL je místem, kde začínají všechny inovace.

Leden 16, 2023
7 min

Společnost ICL představuje technologii eqo.s. Jedná se o nový, plně biologicky odbouratelný obal hnojiv s řízeným uvolňováním živin (CRF) pro trávníky. Tento obal, první svého druhu, najde uplatnění u hnojiv s dobou uvolňování až 4 měsíce. Velmi rychle se rozkládá a zároveň vykazuje stejně kvalitní vlastnosti jako všechna současná CRF společnosti ICL. Susan Sijstermans, senior specialista vývoje produktů v oddělení výzkumu a vývoje společnosti ICL, je jedním z mozků nové technologie. Vysvětluje, co bylo potřeba k vývoji jedné z největších inovací společnosti ICL posledních let.

 

Trávníkáři, kteří v současné době používají CRF hnojiva z portfolia společnosti ICL*, s novou technologií obalu eqo.s mnoho změn nezaznamenají. Vlastnosti výrobku jsou takové, jaké se očekávají od jakéhokoli výrobku ICL. Rovnoměrný růst trávníku, kvalitní barva a hustota. Už není třeba dělat kompromisy a volit mezi biologickou odbouratelností a vysoce výkonnými CRF hnojivy. Susan říká: “Laboratorní testy i polní pokusy potvrzují, že se jedná o skutečně konzistentní a spolehlivý produkt. Vysoce kvalitní CRF vyrábíme již mnoho let, ale toto je první technologie obalování, která splňuje nejpřísnější normy pro biologickou rozložitelnost, které by měly vstoupit v platnost podle legislativy o hnojivech v roce 2026. Právě proto, je tato technologie tak výjimečná. Jsme schopni nabídnout výrobek, který splňuje vysoké standardy ICL z hlediska kvality, vlastností, spolehlivosti a bezpečnosti pro trávníky a zároveň je díky rychlému rozkladu plně biologicky rozložitelného obalu připraven i na budoucnost. Jsem velmi hrdá na to, že jsem se mohla na této inovaci podílet.”

 

*Technologie Eqo.s bude nejprve zavedena v produktových řadách Sierrablen a Sierrablen Plus, poté budou následovat další značky CRF hnojiv (Sportsmaster CRF, Sportsmaster CRF mini, ProTurf a Landscaper Pro). Do konce roku 2023 budou všechny CRF hnojiva pro trávníkářský průmysl vyhovovat očekávané legislativě.

 

Susan Sijstermans (Senior Specialist Product Development) & Petra Vannuys (Scientist Product Development) talking about the new eqo.s technology.

“Uniform turfgrass, good colour and density; there is no need to compromise and choose between biodegradability and a high performance CRF.”

 

Susan is testing the quality of the granules in the lab.

 

Working as a Senior Specialist Product Development

Working at ICL’s R&D department comes with a lot of responsibility. Unlike many other companies where each researcher is assigned to a specific task, at ICL you are involved in the entire process from idea until market launch. “That is what I love about my job here”, says Susan. “You can come up with an idea, test it, and work on it all the way until the innovation ends up at the customer. I can really make an impact here.”

Susan’s role includes the improvement of existing products and creating new innovative products. It all starts with an idea, and although it sounds simple enough, there’s obviously more to it. Susan: “First we need some boundaries like what are we focusing our development on? We need to make sure that the idea is something the customer would actually want and that we can produce it in big volumes both in terms of technical and economic aspects.”

 

“We are able to offer a product that meets the high ICL standards in terms of quality, performance, reliability and safety for turfgrass, and at the same time is future-proof with its fully biodegradable coating; I’m very proud to be part of this innovation.”

 

Collaboration between researchers and industry professionals

Another key aspect of innovating is the collaboration between experts with different backgrounds and point of views. Susan: “We are working with many departments. We need to speak the same language in order to come up with the best possible outcome. For eqo.s we had clear boundaries in terms of time and deliverable; it needed to comply with legislation. We had to find a strategy, and the different angles from different experts pushed us to develop the very best.”

 

 

The development process of eqo.s

The eqo.s innovation started years ago, with a focus on finding a sustainable innovation for urea; to create a coating that complied with the new legislation. Possible options were screened, tests showed which options could be considered, and these possibilities are then reviewed on all kinds of aspects. What can and can’t we do? What does the customer need? Can we sell it?

“There is a whole system behind this innovation. From the start, many colleagues were involved to get it done. At R&D we focused on product development, engineers were involved to get the new product into a bigger production line. Marketing looked at the selling point-of-view and how it fits in the current product portfolio. Agronomists tested the products in the field. The quality department ensured that the product’s quality is according to ICL’s high standards… Long story short; a huge number of experts, time and money is involved in this project. This is what it takes to launch ground breaking innovations.”

“A huge amount of experts, time and money is involved in this project. This is what it takes to launch ground breaking innovations.”

 

Fertilizer granules with eqo.s technology.

 

The coating technology explained

Controlled release fertilizers are usually soluble materials. That is how a plant can use them. It’s also the challenge, because plant’s cannot take up everything at once. Nutrients can get lost in the soil and wash away. Susan: “The coating avoids that from happening. The moisture gets in slowly, nutrients dissolve and are steadily released over a longer period. By finetuning the coating, we can control that release. It is the reason why we can adjust to the plant’s needs and minimize losses to the environment.”

CRFs nutrient release
​​The main characteristic of a CRF is its nutrient release. You have different types of releases, for instance a linear and s-curved release. Linear means that the nutrients are released consistently throughout the longevity, where an s-curved pattern means a slow start and a quicker release at the end. ICLs coating technologies are tweaked in a way that we can completely control the release pattern of the granule. Different release patterns fit the needs of different plant types. For turfgrass we need a linear release pattern to ensure consistent growth.

 

“To create a coating that degrades, but at the same time protects the granule core is quite a contradictive concept.”

 

Antonio Gil (R&D Engineer) in the lab in Heerlen.


How do we test the performance of eqo.s technology?

The testing of these release patterns is maybe ICLs most executed type of tests, both in the lab and in the field. Specifically, for eqo.s, the field trials were very important as the biodegradable coating needed to be tested in different cultivations, climates, and application methods. Susan: “Eqo.s was tested under controlled circumstances in the lab, but only in field conditions you can really see if it holds the working principle. Because to create a coating that degrades, but at the same time protects the granule core is quite a contradictive concept.”

 

“Wherever we put our targets on, we have the people and knowledge to take new steps in plant nutrition to accommodate the needs of turf managers.”

 

“Through trials at independent, external trial stations, eqo.s technology received official certification for its biodegradability according to different ISO standards. Continuous trialling is done by a huge team of ICL agronomists all over the world to continue to prove the added benefits of CRFs with eqo.s technology.”

 

What’s next for the R&D team?

“R&D never stops”, is Susan’s first reply. Of course, ICL will continue to develop innovations for its product portfolio, whether it’s because of changing legislation or other needs that the market is asking for. “For the development of eqo.s, we’ve put our boundary on urea, but we will keep innovating. Wherever we put our targets on, we have the people and knowledge to take new steps in plant nutrition to accommodate the needs of turf managers.”​​​​​​​

 

R&D team from left to right: Petra Vannuys (Scientist Product Development), Susan Sijstermans (Senior Specialist Product Development), Jesus Hernandez (R&D Manager CRF Engineering) & Antonio Gil (R&D Engineer).