Filterless and water-based technology for ammonia reduction in agriculture

The costs associated with Ammonia emissions from agriculture have been estimated from the literature (Guthrie et al, 2020) and best available projections for emissions (NAEI, 2022), at **£700m**, with projected values, if no actions are implemented, to go as high as **£16.5bn** per year (Royal Society, 2018).

**Existing technological solutions**, including traditional scrubbers **are inefficient and expensive**, requiring or intense labour presence (for frequent manure/slurry removal) or large underground tanks and ventilation infrastructure. Other filter-based alternatives, require expensive and frequent filter changes and disposal, generating special waste and high recurring costs and maintenance, making them not economically viable.

In this project we are proposing **our innovative and alternative solution and approach**, called APA (Air Pollution Abatement), a patented technology which is **filterless and water-based** that simplifies the installation process, makes cheaper the removal of pollutants from the air, and can operate as a stand-alone element or as a cluster, reducing drastically the running and maintenance costs.

We are requesting this fund because, although our system has been already tested and applied successfully in other sectors (industry and urban environments) and for different pollutants (particles and gaseous/chemical) with excellent results, **we have never tested our system for direct removal of ammonia** **from the air and neither in an agricultural environment**. However, the reason we believe we can succeed, if this Phase 1 will be funded, is because ammonia is highly soluble in water and comparable to another pollutant (formaldehyde) that our technology is able to remove.

Also, our technology offers already **a strongly protected IP** (20 patents) and **the flexibility to develop solutions in different shapes and forms**, occupying a limited space, hence able to be deployed closer to the animals making more effective the abatement, as well as providing direct benefit to the animals.

We are conscious of the importance of assessing rigorously the technology and first APA application in this sector, and for that we have granted the **collaboration with** **a UK-based world leading consultancy** **in the Environmental sector**, with excellent monitoring capabilities and in-depth knowledge of the emissions and agricultural sector, and established links with farms.

In Phase 1 we will also **focus on the stakeholders engagement and end-user requirements** gathering activities, which are fundamental steps to develop and fine-tune our solution to a new level, adapt shape/form, and plan for next step (Phase 2) making APA suitable to be applied widely and effectively in this new sector.