Organic Fertiliser That's 'Alive' Could Reduce Climate Change, Eliminate Toxins

While synthetic fertiliser may have made it possible to grow large amounts to crops to keep up with a population explosion, these fertilisers have a huge carbon footprint.

Now, a startup called Kula Bio is trying to change that. A product of research undertaken at Harvard, the startup has created a fertiliser that uses microbes instead of fossil fuels "to give plants the nitrogen they need to grow quickly," Fast Company reported.

In ordinary circumstances, the bacteria used by the startup would only survive for a few hours, but the company's new process makes them live for more than two weeks - allowing more capture of nitrogen for crops.

Kula Bio/Fast Company

A new way to fertilise

Regular fertiliser made from fossil fuels are responsible for over 20% of carbon footprint from agriculture. The leftover fertiliser that ends up in the oceans creates "dead zones." To create nitrogen (in the form of ammonia), synthetic fertiliser use natural gas, adding to its woes.

Kula Bio is standing up to this challenge. For starters, it grows microbes in a bioreactor - offering them a nutritional mix. Later, the food source is cut off. This sends them into a conservation mode frenzy - making them hoard energy. This process helps microbes survive in the field.

Uncredited

Also read: IIT Kanpur Engineer Built Cheap Cold Storage Device To Reduce Farmer's Losses

How is it used in the field? Quite simply, it is sprayed onto crops just like synthetic fertiliser. Microbes essentially eliminate the potential to pollute nearby water bodies. Synthetic fertiliser just washes off when it rains, but these microbes "produce nitrogen on demand."

When nitrogen gets depleted, the microbes start the process to produce more. When it's abundantly available, the same microbes shut down the process.

representational picture

When microbes die, the carbon captured by them becomes part of the soil - making the soil healthier. According to its founder and CEO, Bill Brady, it's likely to be either carbon neutral or carbon negative.

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The company claims that their product can replace 80% of any farm's synthetic fertiliser usage, eventually replacing it completely.

What do you think about this novel method to making fertilisers nature positive? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.

References

Peters, A. (2022, February 3). If farmers spray these microbes on crops, they don¡¯t need synthetic fertilizer. Fast Company.