CCS Energie-advies conducts research into the production of the promising production crop: duckweed. The plant with the poison-green leaves, often found in stagnant or slow-flowing water, has a high protein content of 40% and grows to a doubling of biomass per day (!). Duckweed could be a good replacement for soy in feed mix for cows, pigs and chickens. For CCS Energie advies time to do research on an optimal production of this water plant.
Despite the obvious qualities of duckweed, it is not yet possible to break through with the plant. CCS Energie-advies seizes this opportunity, because in addition to the growth potential, duckweed performs the digestate of manure fermentation and converts nutrients such as (ammonium) nitrogen and phosphate into fresh biomass. With this, the miracle plant also solves a part of the manure problem.
In the vision of CCS Energie advies, to make duckweed a success, everything has to be right. That only works by working together and looking at solutions, therefore: “The strenght of unity”. Growth must be maximal (maximum nutrient intake and maximum production) and the protein concentration must be high. This means that the growing conditions must be optimal continuously. CCS Energie-advies is currently investigating how a duckweed pond can be set up to achieve these optimal conditions. Checking a biological system is often unmanageable, but an optimal growth condition can be found by monitoring.
The knowledge acquired about duckweed and the automation of operational activities should make it possible to produce duckweed commercially in the Netherlands. By doubling production (or more!) per hectare in comparison with corn or grass, duckweed is a high-quality replacement for imported soy.
Questions and information
Do you have any questions or would like to have more information about duckweed production? Gijs van Pruissen would like to help you. He is available on +31 (0) 570 – 667 000 or vanpruissen@cocos.nl.
About this article
8 November 2018 / Author:
