Progress 09/01/12 to 08/31/14
Outputs
Target Audience: Target audiences were primarily growers who buy fertilizer products, and also buyers of fertilizer products who are NOT growers. This last category includes re-sellers of fertilizer, such as wholesalers and blenders. A secondary audience was wastewater sites who potentially can use our wastewater technology, which generates fertilizer products in their unprocessed state. Changes/Problems: One major change in approach was made. The original workplan called for development of processing techniques to produce the higher-value struvite products to be done under a subcontract with WSU (Washington State University). Further consideration of WSU's capabilities revealed only marginal expertise and facilities in this specific area, and coincidentally, discussions with FEECO International of Green Bay, Wisconsin showed advanced knowledge and ideal facilities for this work. Therefore, after gaining agreement from both WSU and FEECO, and gaining approval also from the SBIR staff, the subcontracted work was shifted from WSU to FEECO. Other work subcontracted to WSU remained in place with WSU. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Summary of Accomplishments Manufacture of spherical struvite pellets of marketable size and hardness at commercial scale. Formation and testing of struvite spikes suitable for home gardening systems using patented chemical drying technique. Completion of nursery growing trials by Washington State University demonstrating that struvite is a drop-in replacement for conventional phosphate fertilizers. Completion of research by the Agricultural Research Service and Washington State University testing struvite with field crops. Design and implementation of a processing system rendering struvite into a basic, saleable form for turf-grass fertilizer companies. Testing and Confirmation of commercial-scale drying process and request for proposals submitted to equipment manufacturers. Purchase Agreement with a fertilizer company and processing of struvite product. Assessment by national experts of struvite’s potential advantages in the agricultural sector, most notably as a pop-up fertilizer for row crops, and identification of need for further research. Multiform has successfully produced marketable struvite pellets at a commercial scale in conjunction with a major industrial processing company, while also identifying vendors of drying and granulating equipment that will render struvite into a marketable product for turf-grass fertilizer companies. Both the pellets and granulated product have been officially inspected by potential buyers and have met all required specifications. Washington State University expanded its growing trials beyond the greenhouse tests performed last year, applying struvite to nursery starts grown outdoors. The results authoritatively demonstrated that struvite stimulates plant growth as well as conventional phosphorus fertilizers and that it can achieve these results even when applied in very small amounts directly to plant roots. Based on this and other crop research conducted by Multiform and its agricultural marketing consultant in Phase 1, Multiform submitted an inquiry to leading researchers on “pop-up” and “starter” fertilizers, compiling a list of nutrients that could be added to struvite to tailor its application to specific crops, such as corn and soybeans, and research questions to focus on in the future. At completion of this SBIR phase 2 grant, Multiform is preparing to install a drying and processing system at its Boise facility, enter a service agreement with an industrial manufacturer to produce high-value pellets, and build a fourth struvite extraction facility in Green Bay, WI. Leveraging the successes achieved during this SBIR-supported project, Multiform has received during this project $575,000 in further investment agreements (debt and equity) from five investors. (Multiform had previously received over $500,000 in earlier investments, stemming from investor enthusiasm resulting from successes demonstrated in earlier SBIR projects at Multiform.) The current funds are intended to bridge to a larger investment, which Multiform expects will be its last need for external funds before it becomes cash-flow-positive. Multiform is now in advanced discussions with two enterprises (one being a venture capital group and the other being a large corporation related to the agriculture industry) for provision of this final, larger investment. Conclusion This project, funded by the SBIR program, has moved Multiform Harvest Inc. forward in four major ways. First, through the work needed to prepare its un-processed struvite for the upgrading process, it now has a means to dry, de-lump, package and sell (with ready customers) its raw struvite from its three (soon to be four) existing wastewater extraction sites. Second, the project developed a commercially feasible upgraded product (again, with ready customers) consisting of high-quality, round, hard, size-controllable, flowable pellets, with the process to produce it demonstrated at full scale. Third, the work developed means to produce molded products (tablets, spikes, etc.) for additional high-value specialty markets. These latter means have not been demonstrated at commercial scale but can be further developed as Multiform and its market reach expands. Finally, the project’s successes have enabled the enterprise to access $575,000 in capital beyond that reported in earlier communications with the SBIR program and positioned it well in its current negotiations with financiers for a final investment to bridge the enterprise to a cash-flow-positive condition.
Publications
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