Biofertilizers and botanical-origin activators are among the biotechnology solutions to nitrate water pollution

Asebio

23 April 2024

Last March, theEuropean Court of Justice condemned Spain for water pollution resulting from residues derived from agricultural and livestock activities. In December 2022, the European Commission decided to take our country to the aforementioned community tribunal due to the "inadequate response" to excessive water pollution by nitrates, especially in groundwater. The presence of nitrates in water originates from their use as fertilizers in crops and in livestock waste, such as the high production of manure in the pork sector.

In this context, the European Court of Justice has determined that Spain has violated the Water Quality Law. This decision is based on the non-implementation of all measures currently mandatory in Aragon, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Extremadura, and the Community of Madrid, as well as the lack of complementary actions in the first three regions mentioned plus Murcia. Another point referred by the Court to affirm that Spain has not complied with the community regulations is the failure to act with sufficient measures to remedy water eutrophication (the presence of elevated nutrients added to water derived from fertilizers and other residues) throughout the national territory.

Nitrite water pollution has been a pending issue in Spain for several years. The European Commission already warned about this problem in November 2018. The use of fertilizers (plus the filtration of organic residues derived from livestock) currently used to promote intensive production results in around 800,000 tons of nitrates entering the natural environment and ultimately polluting water.

The use of fertilizers, as recognized by theMinistry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, poses a risk to the environment if used excessively since the surplus nutrient can contaminate surface or groundwater. The most common pollution is generated by nitrate reaching water through filtration or runoff. Another agricultural source of nitrates is the oxidation of ammonia from animal waste. Agriculture requires the use of fertilizers or manure applied to the soil to provide nutrients to plants and facilitate their growth. Common fertilizers include manure, fish farm waste, and sewage sludge; synthetic compounds called chemical fertilizers can also be used. Fertilizers contain chemical elements that act as nutrients, with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium being the main ones.

Preventing water pollution from nitrates requires good agricultural practices. Products used in plant nutrition or soil improvement must meet two fundamental requirements, according to information gathered by the aforementioned ministry: agronomic efficiency and absence of harmful effects on health and the environment.

A concerning scenario for which biotechnology offers solutions aimed at promoting a sustainable and healthy agri-food system. Sustainable agriculture and livestock farming are essential to tackle the challenge posed by new growth models resulting from the exponential population growth. Biotechnology enables us to obtain crops resistant to diseases and adverse climatic conditions, reducing the use of chemical phytopharmaceuticals. It also ensures safer and healthier food through crop improvement, obtaining new sources of proteins and functional foods with higher nutritional value, and the detection and identification of substances.

"The amount of toxic and non-toxic waste generated by human activity is overwhelming and continually growing, making waste management difficult and creating demand for new technologies from different areas of knowledge. The role of biotechnology, both in developing solutions and creating non-polluting substitutes, is absolutely crucial," explain the technical managers of Biomar MT's Scientific Area, a biotechnological company specializing in Marine Microbiology and Natural Product Chemistry.

As we have seen, one of the main sources of nitrate pollution is the massive use of nitrogen fertilizers in agriculture. "Much of it is not utilized by plants and ends up contaminating water reserves," warn from Biomar MT.

Within the "Green Deal" strategy, the European Union expects a 20% reduction in fertilizer use by 2030. "These green policies, among others, clash with the interests of farmers, generating the massive protests that have swept across Europe in recent months. Therefore, we believe that progress towards more sustainable agriculture in our country involves offering farmers profitable alternatives to the use of environmentally harmful products."

Improving crop yields by reducing the use of harmful fertilizers

Biomar MT works to generate affordable bioproducts aimed at improving agricultural productivity while preserving natural resources. "Among other projects, we work on screening bacteria with plant growth-promoting or bio-stimulant properties, which will be key in the context of more sustainable agriculture." They apply selective isolation techniques to obtain microorganisms that contribute to greater efficiency in the use of nitrogen fertilizers by plants, thus helping to reduce both the initial nitrogen fertilizer input and subsequent water pollution.

"One of our products, in the commercial registration phase, has demonstrated the ability to improve crop yields by 40% with a 25% reduction in the use of harmful fertilizers. Our biopesticide pipeline is achieving efficiencies of up to 60% fewer plants affected by fungal infections and reductions in damage severity of up to 96%," they share.

"Our bio candidates for nematode protection are achieving results of up to 84% reduction in infestation. All these results in field trials reinforce our conviction that the development of new sustainable and effective biotechnologically derived products is the key to the change we need."

The biotechnology company also highlights its advances in mycoremediation as a technology that utilizes the transformative capacity of fungi, based on their natural functioning, using material considered as toxic waste for humans and degrading it until releasing its components, now harmless, into nature. "In our collection, we have found microorganisms capable of degrading hydrocarbons, becoming a promising soil decontamination tool. Additionally, we also have microorganisms that produce surfactant compounds, which collaborate in the dispersion of contaminants, substantially improving biodegradation."

Botanical-origin assets and the development of non-toxic industrial disinfection products

"We are working on the controlled release of our assets through encapsulation to ensure that plants have enough time to absorb the asset, reducing the amount of water that leaks into water sources. This technology is potentially applicable to other substances such as nitrogen fertilizers, thus reducing the amount of nitrates in the soil," detail from 4MEDIKS, a Green Chemistry startup specialized in the development of botanical-origin assets on an industrial scale that offers sectorial solutions to contribute to improving the health of people, animals, and plants.

"We have also seen many advances in precision agriculture. We were invited to attend the II Castilla y León Economy Forum precisely to talk about the circular economy. And there we were able to learn about several companies dedicated to developing precision agriculture systems. These systems use data and models to optimize the application of water and fertilizers, ensuring that they are applied in the right quantities and only where and when plants need them," they add from 4MEDIKS.

The company develops different application routes for its formulas based on botanical-origin assets. "From disinfecting surfaces that come into contact with food, post-harvest disinfection with the intention of replacing solutions such as sodium hypochlorite to the development of new phytosanitary products that can repel or eliminate pests and diseases without harming the environment or human health."

"Undoubtedly, the main advantages of these solutions are to provide greater food safety while reducing the use of synthetic chemicals and preserving biodiversity," they explain.

4MEDIKS also works on the development of non-toxic industrial disinfection products for vegetables and fruits that guarantee the absence of pathogens such as Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli, among others.

"With these solutions, we seek to eliminate or reduce the presence of dangerous pathogens, such as Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli, without resorting to aggressive chemical substances that can have adverse effects on the environment or human health. The first benefit, and the most evident one, is the reduction of chemical contamination. By using non-toxic disinfectants, the amount of potentially harmful chemical substances that can end up in soil and water is reduced," they indicate.

"Another benefit of the products we are developing is that they pose a lower risk of developing resistance in microorganisms. This is a growing public health problem since chemical disinfectants can, and have indeed been shown to, contribute to the development of resistance in the microorganisms they treat. This implies that these disinfectants may no longer be effective against those microorganisms in the long term." In this regard, they argue that non-toxic products are "generally safer for the people handling them, as well as for the end consumers of the treated foods," reducing exposure to hazardous substances, thereby reducing the risk of diseases and conditions associated with aggressive chemicals.

The work of these two companies reflects how biotechnology is providing solutions that lead us towards more sustainable agri-food models. In the current context, it is crucial to promote research focused on finding products with an environmental, safe, and effective profile that ensure food production in a growing society while minimizing environmental impact. It is necessary to bet on a multifaceted approach that involves changes in agricultural practices, stricter regulations, and a commitment from both the public and private sectors towards sustainability.

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Healthcare · Biosimilars · Rare diseases · Climate change · Agrifood · Food & feed · Agriculture