Nitrogen-enriched plasma activated water, an unparalleled plant feeding system

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Nitrogen is a vital nutrient in plant development and is currently mainly supplied through synthetic Nitrogen (N) fertilizers. Currently produced from fossil-fuels (natural gas and coal), this artificial Nitrogen (NH3) can only be absorbed by plants once it is transformed by microorganisms into NO3-. However, during this biological process, up to 70% of N is lost into the soil, resulting in soil and water pollution. Only in Europe, the direct cost derived from this contamination has been quantified in around 14 billion/year. VitalFluid, start-up with long expertise in plasma technology, has developed an innovative plasma nitrogen fixation unit -PLAN2FIX- able to extract N directly from the air and dissolve it into water on the spot, through our patented plasma activation technology. The resulting water (plasma activated water, PAW) is enriched in NO3-, which is readily absorbed by plants. PAW can be used as N-fertilizer and customized so that the exact amount of N the plant can absorb is delivered, and thus no N is lost into the environment. Our N-enriched PAW is a sustainable and non-pollutant alternative to synthetic N-fertilizers that increases the uptake of nutrients by 20%, has an optimal acidity of pH 5,5 and active oxygen species that kill pathogens and serves as an extra oxygen nutrient. Besides, PLAN2FIX can be powered by renewable energy and connected to the irrigation system, providing a practically free zero-carbon PAW on the spot. No transport, storage, or distribution network is needed to supply farmers with our fertilizer, availability is ensured while price volatility (fossil-fuel price) avoided. Farmers will just need to invest in Plan2Fix units to have an unlimited source of liquid N-fertilizer, eliminating their dependence on suppliers and cutting costs by 48% per hectare/year (35% lower total cost).