Vital Fluid
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By simulating lightning, VitalFluid, a TU Eindhoven spin-off, is developing an alternative to chemical pesticides in greenhouse horticulture. When lightning strikes water, then water has a temporary disinfecting effect. Even rain during a thunderstorm has this short-lived effect. Start-up VitalFluid mimics this natural phenomenon. By further refining the technology that was developed at Eindhoven University of Technology, validating it, and bringing it to the market, the company is working on a novel and sustainable method for fertilization. 

This effort now gets support from the National Growth Fund, which spends a budget of 6.6 million Euros on developing plasma as a platform technology, aimed at enhancing sustainable food production.

This subsidy supports the development of plasma technology within the Plasma4Agrifood project. The project is part of the broader Agrifood NXTGEN Hightech program. Plasma4Agrifood consists of a collaboration between Royal Agrifirm Group, Eindhoven University of Technology, Blue Plasma, N2 Applied, and VitalFluid.

Henk Aarts, N2-Applied, Paul Leenders, VitalFluid, Thuur van Onzen, Blue Plasma, Harm Waterborg, Blue Plasma, Guus Pemen, TU Eindhoven, Kees Overheul, Agrifirm.
Henk Aarts, N2-Applied, Paul Leenders, VitalFluid, Thuur van Onzen, Blue Plasma, Harm Waterborg, Blue Plasma, Guus Pemen, TU Eindhoven, Kees Overheul, Agrifirm.

Within the project, four applications of plasma technology are being further developed, tested and validated:

  • Sustainable nitrogen fixation for crop cultivation
  • Air treatment in livestock barns
  • Manure treatment to reduce ammonia and methane emissions
  • Sustainable alternative for crop protection

The objective of this project is to showcase the benefits of plasma technology and demonstrate how it can be employed to enhance the productivity and sustainability of food production.

This project is made possible in part by a contribution from the National Growth Fund program NXTGEN Hightech. This program will invest as much as € 1 billion until 2030 with over 330 partners, in more than 60 projects and in six essential domains. In doing so, NXTGEN HIGHTECH will make a significant contribution to the structural and sustainable economic growth in the Netherlands and offer solutions for the major societal challenges in the areas of energy transition, health, safety and food.

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