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We are developing and demonstrating an agritextile product produced from the protein extraction from waste nut meal protein.
About
Problem
Agricultural textiles are an essential tool in commercial agriculture. However, these materials are harmful to the local ecology, releasing microplastics and creating emissions at end-of-life. Importing these materials to the Amazon creates additional harms.
Solution
Utilise a local Amazon resource to create fibres for twine, mulch mats and other agricultural textiles.
Our proposal is to convert waste nutmeal from nut oil production into a useful fibre.
Specifically, protein is extracted and filtered from group nutmeal. It is then dissolved in common solvents and extruded through our design of wet spinning equipment. This forms fibres which are then stabilised and would to form twine.
Market
The global agricultural textile market is $10.5bn globally. Plastic use in
Latin America is growing with plastic films for mulch mats alone covering
200,000 hectares in the region. In the Amazon region, Brazil uses
approximately 35,000 hectares for crops protected under plastic, while
Peru, driven by its blueberry exports, has reached close to 1,000 hectares.
Our fibres will be relevant for agricultural textiles in meat, arable and fruit production.
Key Benefits
Environmental Impact
Introducing our solution at scale in the Amazon could displace 900,000kg of plastics, saving 3.8 million kg of CO2e of local emissions alongside additional ecological impact.
Supporting the nut economy has a secondary impacy through promoting Amazon friendly crops and limiting deforestation.
Social Impact
This will create a regenerative agronomy model that can provide additional incomes for community nut oil operations.
A 200t community oil press could produce 70t of twine from their protein waste, generating $190k USD for the operators.
It can also ensure economic value is retained in the Amazon region. A reduction in microplastics and pollution from agritextile is a further impact.
Funding need
To set up this prototype at scale and convert protein into twine, investment of $112k USD per installation is required. The ROI for this system would be less than 1.5 years.
This funding could be a mix of public, private and NGO finance.
Applications
Scaling our prototype
Currently the prototype is being developed in the UK ready for introduction to local operators in the Amazon basin. We are partnering with small and medium sized nut oil operators. They produce nut oil from unsellable nuts and generate a significant amount of waste in the form of nut meal or nut cake.
Oil producers range in size from 2400t per year with a typical output of 240t for smaller community presses. Our solution would be viable for 15t and upwards organisations.
A small production unit could convert their waste nut meal into fibres which could be formed into a useful twine on low cost equipment. These fibres can then be sold into the local agricultural supply system. This will displace the nylon, polyethylene and polypropylene materials current used.