Sustainability
Sustainability starts and ends with Agriculture...
...Here is how it works:
Circular Economy
Ductor uses different types of organic wastes from agriculture, aquaculture and other organic sources to turn them into energy and fertilizers, specializing in wastes that are high in nitrogen and cannot be used directly in conventional biogas processes. These wastes are fed into the Ductor reactor where a patented consortium of micro organisms works on fermenting them. Then, nitrogen is recovered as liquid nitrogen fertilizer that can be utilized in agriculture. The remaining solid-liquid phase enters the main biogas process to produce energy for municipal or industrial applications. The digestate is then upgraded to fertilizing and soil improving products and recirculated to agriculture as input materials.
Agriculture
The world population is at a historical high and will grow further in the coming decades up to around 10 billion people by 2100. The current farming systems are in urgent need for significant improvements to succeed in feeding so many people.
Based on agricultural science and biological mechanisms, Ductor’s aim is to support all farming system alike in becoming more efficient.
To reach higher yields sustainably, soil and plant demands have to be met at the same time. Whilst the plants’ yields main driver is nitrogen, the overall yield level is determined by soil fertility. Thus, a systematic approach is needed to achieve the optimal outcome in terms of yield quality and quantity. An optimal mix of soil and plant nutrition helps avoiding the so-called yield gap and optimize on fertilizer input.
This is why Ductor’s solid fertilizers provide important amounts of organic matter that provide structure and also nutrients to the soil. By targeted application of liquid nitrogen fertilizers, the desired yield level can be achieved. A real investment for the future, as healthy soil allows for higher yields with lower input requirements and better resilience to external stresses like salinity, droughts, pests, weeds and disease.
CO2 Footprint
Through improved management and use of agricultural wastes, the Ductor process allows for the avoidance of significant greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts. The optimized, modular process design approach allows to make best possible use of synergies in different project context settings.
The proof of concept can be demonstrated by measuring GHG-impacts according to the GHG-protocol.
Responsible Sourcing
Valorizing waste streams
Nowadays the incorporation of sustainable practices is required in all industries to help mitigate adverse impacts on the environment and public health. Ductor is offering a safe, responsible and economical solution to valorizing waste streams from agriculture and returning them as energy and valuable input materials to farms in the form of fertilizers.
Local solutions - sourcing and distribution
Ductor encourages short-travelled solutions by transforming locally available agricultural wastes into standardized, high-quality premium fertilizers. The processing of wastes allows for a targeted application, which enhances the efficacy and efficiency of the process. Ductor aims to build up long-term supplier relationships to root the operations locally. The distribution of Ductor fertilizers is allocated according to the best product-market fit, also taking minimization of carbon footprint for transportation into account.
Non-factory farming
Sustainability begins at the source. Therefore, Ductor sources organic material such as animal manure and other wastes of organic origin responsibly. This includes that inputs from animal origin come from so-called non-factory farming operations whenever possible, which is a prerequisite for approval as an input for organic farming in many countries.