AMBER announces magnetic-assisted agricultural spraying project with Magrowtec

24 July 2023

AMBER, the SFI Centre for Advanced Materials and Bioengineering Research hosted by Trinity College Dublin (TCD) is collaborating on a fourth project with MagrowTec (formerly MagGrow), an Irish SME based in Dublin, specializing in magnetic-assisted agricultural spraying.

The fourth collaborative project between AMBER and MagrowTec will build upon previous projects that have yielded important results into the magnetic field effects upon spray performance. The fourth project acts as a platform to gain further insight into the use of nanobubbles, opening up new areas for research and development. This project is being led by Prof. Michael Coey, AMBER and School of Physics, Trinity College Dublin and Dr Plamen Stamenov, AMBER and School of Physics Trinity College Dublin.

Prof. Coey said of the new research project “We are delighted to enter our fourth project with MagrowTec. Nanobubbles of air dispersed in water have a remarkable ability to alter its properties until they disperse a day or two later, leaving the water just as they found it, with no residue. They have great potential for ‘green agriculture’, for example by using reactive oxygen species as pesticides, which we plan to explore in an exciting new partnership with MagrowTec over the next two years.”

Nanobubbles, often referred to as ultra-fine bubbles, are typically characterized by diameters in the range of ten to a thousand nanometers, this is comparable in size to viruses. Due to their stability nanobubbles have been shown to exhibit properties including area to volume features and that can potentially be exploited to support a widening range of applications potentially including seed germination control, nutrient uptake, oxygen uptake, foliar feeding, pathogen management, and water treatment. All of which align with global food security and environmental challenges, whilst offering significant commercial potential to have an international impact.

“We’re thrilled to embark on our fourth project with Prof. Coey and his team at Trinity. Our collaboration with Trinity College not only reinforces the efforts of our Research and Development teams in Ireland and the UK, but also deepens our scientific understanding of our technology. This strategic partnership enables us to enhance our existing product line, explore new avenues of product development, and ultimately make a greater impact on the global challenges we currently face. We are thrilled to be working alongside Professor Mike Coey and his esteemed team at Trinity, as their expertise and industry leadership will accelerate the optimization and advancement of MagrowTec products. Together, we are addressing critical issues such as water scarcity, minimizing pesticide waste, and mitigating environmental damage caused by spray run-off and drift.” – Gary Wickham, CEO, MagrowTec

About MagrowTec

Established in 2013, MagrowTec is based in Dublin, Ireland, and employs over 40 people in the USA, Canada, Australasia, and Europe who share the company’s vision to develop a more sustainable approach to primary food production.

MagrowTec’s core magnetic assist technology is a patented, proprietary technology that significantly reduces waste associated with conventional pesticide spray applications, delivering important plant protection products where they matter the most. Conventional crop protection spraying suffers from a compromise between crop/weed coverage and drift. MagrowTec technology solves this compromise.

MagrowTec customers are seeing multiple benefits such as: 20% + increased coverage & up to 70% drift reduction. Additional benefits of the company’s innovative spray technology include a reduction in water usage by up to 50%, extended spray windows, and decreased labour requirements. The MagrowTec system has no moving parts, is easy to install and maintain, and can be fitted to a new or existing crop sprayer. For more information, visit www.magrowtec.com