SUSTAINABILITY
Biostimulants are defined as additives such as microorganisms , algae extracts and amino acids , which stimulate natural processes in soil and plants , improve nutrient uptake , promote growth and protect plants against abiotic stress factors such as drought and frost . Unlike fertilisers , they have an extremely low nutrient content and they do not contaminate plants or the environment .
Like conventional leaf fertilisers , Evonik ’ s biostimulants are sprayed onto the upper side of the leaf . From here , they reach the underside , where the nitrogen-fixing bacteria penetrate it via small pores known as stomata . As well as acting as stimulants , they protect the leaf from rain and UV radiation and act as natural nutrient providers .
To make sure the bacterial agents reach the right site in the plant , a biodegradable spreader from Evonik ’ s Break-Thru product range is used . In combination with the company ’ s Sipernat silica , this increases the lifetime and storage stability of the microorganisms .
“ We are benefiting from our expertise in microbiology , agriscience and chemical formulation because the bacteria ’ s specific ability to provide nitrogen to the plants can only be used efficiently in combination with
Evonik has developed an epigenetic chip for testing
these Evonik aids ,” said Jan Wolter , who heads the Farm to Fork area at Creavis .
An initial greenhouse trial with wheat and corn showed an up to 50 % reduction in the use of nitrogen fertilisers . Field trials are now going on in various environmental conditions to verify these results , along with work to optimise the formulation . Evonik expects to launch the first biostimulants commercially between 2025 and 2027 .
Epigenetics & animal welfare
Driven by increasing consumer concerns about how farm animals are treated , Evonik has developed a test method for chicken products with the aid of epigenetics . This is a branch of biology that can be used to explain why cells with identical genomes develop and age differently ; it is behind the science of determining people ’ s biological age .
Working with Professor Frank Lyko , head of the Epigenetics department at the German Cancer Research Centre in Heidelberg , Evonik researchers have identified 20 million methylation sites , which occur when enzymes transmit methyl groups to selected sites in the chicken genome . This generates data on the individual chicken ’ s life .
Together with Illumina , a provider of systems for the large-scale analysis of genetic variation and function , Evonik also developed an epigenetic chip . When a pre-treated sample of meat is applied to a test area on it , this rapidly measures changes in its genome . The data can be read with a special appliance and are then evaluated using AI-based algorithms .
Evonik is building up an epigenetics and bioinformatics platform at its laboratories in Singapore , which are validating the method , feeding data to the algorithms and exploring new areas of application . The company expects to make specific tests available to customers in the short- to mid-term . “ Sustainable poultry production that explicitly takes animal welfare into account is becoming realistic ,” claimed Walter Pfefferle , a biologist at Creavis
Biobased silica
Separately , Evonik has entered a strategic cooperation with Austria ’ s Pörner Group and Phichit Bio Power to supply its Ultrasil brand of sustainable precipitated silica to tyre manufacturers . Silica is the key ingredient for fuel-efficient tyres , reducing fuel consumption by up to 8 %.
Under this agreement , Phichit is licensing in Pörner ’ s process to generate silicate from rice husk ash ( RHA ), an abundant agricultural waste product in Thailand , in its rice mills and biomass power plants . It will also invest in a new RHA sodium silicate plant .
By using only green biomass energy , Evonik said , it will deliver a CO 2 footprint reduction of up to 30 % compared to its standard silica . “ For the first time , we can offer our customers an Ultrasil silica with an improved sustainability profile , thus we can support our customers ’ carbon reduction and circularity goals ,” said Emmanuel Auer , head of the Silica business line . ●
Deborah Lippmann
CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS
EVONIK k + 49 201 177 4086 J presse @ evonik . com j www . evonik . com
44 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981