Organic Water System (OWS)
The bioreactor developed by Van der Knaap enables crops to be grown organically free from the soil. This reactor converts proteins into an organic nutrient solution that is free of organic residues, moulds and bacteria.
In the bioreactor, residual protein and amino acids are converted into nitrate nitrogen NO3--N by specific bacteria. When crops are grown in soil, the soil bacteria convert organic matter into nitrogen that can be absorbed by the plant. With the nutrient solution the bioreactor produces, drip irrigation systems can precisely deliver the right amount of nitrogen. This facilitates precision crop steering.
The organic nutrient can also be used in current soil-based organic growing systems. The yields of these crops are often 50- 60% of the yields achieved in substrate cultivation. With our organic nutrients, this could increase to 80- 90%.
Read more about our sustainable growing systems here.
