Imagine your farm's slurry pit could become a fertiliser factory. This project built a machine that zaps air with plasma — basically a controlled lightning bolt — and mixes the captured nitrogen into manure, turning it into a much better fertiliser. Farmers plug it in, feed in slurry, and out comes a product that replaces expensive chemical fertiliser while cutting the smell and greenhouse gas emissions. Think of it as upgrading waste into a premium product right where it's produced.
Livestock farmers spend heavily on chemical fertiliser while sitting on mountains of manure that causes pollution, odour complaints, and regulatory headaches under the EU Nitrates Directive. Rising fertiliser prices and tightening emissions rules are squeezing farm economics from both sides. There is no affordable on-farm technology that converts manure into a compliant, high-quality fertiliser substitute.
The project developed a commercial-ready manure processing unit consisting of an optimised plasma reactor, an absorption system, and a plasma generator with power supply — designed for serial production at a target unit cost below EUR 50,000 with a maintenance schedule under 3 months. Pilot testing verified the performance of the resulting organic fertiliser.
If you are a dairy farmer dealing with rising chemical fertiliser costs and tightening Nitrates Directive rules — this project developed a plasma-based manure processing unit targeting a cost below EUR 50,000 that converts your slurry into improved fertiliser on-site, cutting purchased fertiliser expenses and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from your farm cycle.
If you run a biogas plant and struggle to dispose of or add value to digestate — this project built a plasma treatment unit that upgrades digestate into a higher-value fertiliser product. The system was designed for serial production with maintenance intervals under 3 months, making it practical for continuous biogas operations.
If you distribute agricultural technology and want to offer farmers a solution to both fertiliser costs and emissions compliance — this project produced a first-of-a-kind commercial plasma unit ready for serial manufacturing. The EUR 1,459,565 EU-backed development across 3 countries provides a validated product you could add to your portfolio.
The project set a business requirement of unit cost below EUR 50,000 for the serial production design. Return on investment depends on farm size and local fertiliser prices, but the unit replaces purchased chemical fertiliser with an on-farm product made from manure, air, and electricity — the main ongoing cost is power consumption.
This was a Fast Track to Innovation (FTI) project specifically focused on commercialisation. The demo deliverable was to design a first-of-a-kind commercial system suitable for serial production, with pilot testing to verify fertiliser performance. The coordinator N2 Applied is a commercial company, not a research lab.
The technology was developed by a consortium led by N2 Applied AS (Norway), with ScanArc Plasma Technologies and the University of Antwerp. IP arrangements would need to be discussed directly with N2 Applied, who develop the total concept for the farmer. Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not disclosed.
Yes. The project explicitly targets compliance with stricter environmental regulations as a key benefit. The plasma treatment reduces nitrogen emissions and odour from manure, which directly addresses Nitrates Directive requirements. This mitigates regulatory risk for farmers and ensures business continuity.
The project set a business requirement of maintenance schedule below 3 months, meaning the unit should run for at least 3 months between maintenance interventions. The design was optimised for stable continuous operations with low maintenance as a core commercial requirement.
The system is designed to process livestock slurry and biogas digestate. The plasma reactor treats the manure by fixing nitrogen from air into the material, upgrading it into an improved fertiliser. Based on available project data, specific livestock types or slurry compositions are not detailed.
The project closed in November 2022 after completing its commercialisation objectives. N2 Applied AS (n2applied.com) is the commercial entity behind the technology. Based on available project data, the unit design was completed and ready for serial manufacturing by project end.
This is a lean, commercially focused consortium of just 3 partners across Norway, Belgium, and Sweden — with 67% industry participation and 2 out of 3 partners being SMEs. N2 Applied AS (Norway) leads as the commercial integrator developing the full farmer-facing concept. ScanArc Plasma Technologies builds the plasma hardware, while the University of Antwerp provides the underlying plasma science. This structure — two commercial companies plus one research partner — is typical of technologies that are past the lab stage and heading to market. The coordinator already operates as a product company (n2applied.com), which increases the likelihood that the technology will actually reach farmers rather than staying in academic papers.
N2 Applied AS is a Norwegian SME — contact via n2applied.com for commercial inquiries about the plasma manure treatment unit.
Want an introduction to the N2 Applied team or a detailed technology brief? SciTransfer can arrange a direct meeting with the developers.
