Imagine a battery that lives in the dirt and eats organic matter to create electricity. Instead of using heavy metals or relying on the sun, it uses soil bacteria to power water valves. It's like a natural power plant that keeps your crops watered without ever needing a battery change.
Precision irrigation is hindered by power sources that either use toxic heavy metals with short lifespans or inconsistent renewable sources like solar and wind. This leads to high maintenance costs and frequent manual battery replacements in the field.
The BIOOCELL, a biological battery consisting of bioanodes with electrogenic bacteria, an optimized battery architecture, and low-energy control electronics for irrigation valves.
If you are a manufacturer dealing with the short lifespan and toxic waste of heavy-metal batteries in field sensors — this project developed the BIOOCELL that provides a maintenance-free power supply for irrigation valves. This removes the need for manual battery replacement over several years.
If you are a provider dealing with the inconsistent energy supply of solar or wind power in remote fields — this project developed a soil-microbial fuel cell that generates stable electricity from soil organic matter. This ensures a continuous power flow for agricultural electronics.
If you are a consultant dealing with the high cost and environmental impact of conventional power sources in large-scale farming — this project developed a biological battery using a silk matrix for electron transfer. This allows for a cleaner, safer energy transition for smart farming operations.
Based on available project data, specific pricing and cost figures are not provided; however, the project aims to overcome the high costs associated with producing and maintaining solar or wind alternatives.
Yes, the project includes a plan for operational environment validation in year 3 (2024-2025) to rate real performance based on feedback from end-users.
Based on available project data, specific patent or licensing details are not mentioned, but the project focuses on developing three technology pillars including bioanodes and low-energy electronics.
The BIOOCELL is designed to be integrated into currently used precise water irrigation technologies to control the opening and closing of irrigation valves.
The project timeline runs from 2023-03-01 to 2026-02-28, with marketing and investment strategies planned for deployment during year 3 (2024-2025).
The consortium is lean and industry-heavy, consisting of 5 partners across 3 countries (ES, NL, SK). With a 60% industry ratio and 3 SMEs, the group is structured for commercial transition rather than pure academic research, led by the SME Arkyne Technologies SL.
Contact ARKYNE TECHNOLOGIES SL in Spain
Contact us to connect with the SOIL2POWER consortium for licensing opportunities.
