Tractor Exhaust Fertilizer System Goes Commercial

Tractor Exhaust Fertilizer System Goes Commercial FERTILIZER APPLICATION Fertilizer Application (58f) 33-4-28 The idea of turning your tractor into a mobile fertilizer plant is alive and well. The system was on display at the recent Western Canada Farm Progress Show. FARM SHOW first reported on the revolutionary new idea about three years ago (Vol. 30, No. 5). On display at the show was the big 15-ft. long, 2 by 2-ft. cooling chamber that's designed to install behind a tractor pulling tillage or seeding equipment. Exhaust from the tractor's muffler goes into the cooling chamber. From there it's injected into the ground. On an air seeder, the fan forces the exhaust down through the same hoses that deliver seed and fertilizer to the ground. "The goal is to reduce the amount of fertilizer needed to grow a crop. At the same time, we hope to lower greenhouse gas emissions," says Gary Lewis of Cowley, Alberta, who invented the patent-pending system. He has also formed a company, Bio-Agtive Emissions Technology, to sell the equipment. When FARM SHOW first reported on Lewis's work, it was still in the very early experimental stage. There were nine farmers in Canada who were testing the equipment. Last year more than 100 farms in the U.S., Canada, and Australia were licensed to use the Bio-Agtive technology, and this year that figure is expected to reach about 150. Farmers pay a one-time initial technology use fee of $15,000 which is used to continue research and development. "We're collaborating with farmers around the world, learning together, and applying science with machinery. We're also getting support from industry and input from scientists and engineers from around the world," says Lewis. "We've tested the idea on several different crops including peas, wheat, oats, canola, soybeans, and potatoes. "Systems are fabricated on a first come, first served basis. The technology use fee holds your place in line for the next system fabricated by our worldwide installation teams." Much of the research has gone into using computers to match the system's output with soil types and the crop needs. "We're custom blending different fuels to produce different types of fertilizer, depending on the crop's history and nutrient requirements. And we're testing all different sorts of fuels, including biofuels, and how to modify the engines to put out the maximum amount of exhaust." Lewis notes that the same idea is often used in greenhouses where carbon dioxide is pumped in to stimulate growth. "In many cases our system allows farmers to grow corn without using commercial fertilizer. And they're growing higher quality corn that tests higher in minerals and nutrients. "The biggest advantage is that we're increasing microbial activity in the soil dramatically, which helps break down nutrients. The exhaust helps stimulate the nitrogen fixing bacteria without destroying microorganisms in the ground like anhydrous does." A big challenge was figuring out how to sufficiently cool the exhaust, he says. "The exhaust coming off the tractor at high temperatures must be cooled down to about 150 degrees so it won't melt hoses and pipes." To draw attention to his exhibit at the Regina show, Lewis also displayed a push mower designed to pump exhaust fumes to grass as the lawn is mowed. Exhaust is routed from the mower's muffler through coils, which serve as a cooling chamber and then under the mower deck to stimulate growth. "We're testing the same idea on riding mowers. We take tissue samples every 10 to 14 days to monitor the benefits," says Lewis. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gary Lewis, Bio-Agtive Emissions Technology, Cowley, Alberta, Canada T0K 0P0 (ph 403 628-2106; gary@bioagtive.com).

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