A new $19 million project is set to help Canadian farmers further improve their sustainability and reduce carbon emissions through the commercialization of a new micronutrient fertilizer.
Soileos is a sustainable, non-polluting, climate positive micronutrient fertilizer created from the upcycling of pea, lentil, and oat hulls.
AGT Food and Ingredients Inc. (AGT Foods), Lucent BioSciences (Lucent), NuWave Research, IN10T and Aberhart Ag Solutions, and Protein Industries Canada (PIC) are collaborating to scale and distribute the product. The project includes the installation of a new manufacturing process for the production of Soileos in Rosetown, Sask., that when completed, will produce up to approximately 6,500 tonnes per year of micronutrient fertilizer and create 25 jobs.
This new 50-50 joint venture between AGT Foods and Lucent, which will operate as AGT Soileos, will also lead to improve efficiency of the fertilizer, particularly a shortening of the reaction time required in manufacturing to bind the plant-based fibres to the micronutrients from hours to minutes, reducing energy and water use, and an expansion of its availability across Western Canada.
Initial field trials of Soileos on broad-acre crops such as durum, lentils and peas demonstrated how Soileos transports zinc, manganese, and iron to plants – leading to improved protein content, yields and soil health, while increasing returns for farmers, minimizing environmental impacts, and bringing value to low-value by-products.
The addition of NuWave Research, IN10t and Aberhart Ag Solutions supports the scale-up and improves the effectiveness and availability of Soileos.
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