The post Steamed reused substrate is as good as fresh in new Proefcentrum Hoogstraten research appeared first on SoilSteam International.

Challenges in Soil Quality
One of the biggest concerns today is the declining quality of arable soil. Globally, around 33% of soil is degraded due to erosion, pollution, salinization, or nutrient depletion. This degradation is mainly caused by unsustainable agricultural practices, heavy use of chemicals and fertilizers, and harmful organisms in the soil. These practices lead to a loss of soil biodiversity and a decline in essential soil organisms that help break down organic matter and cycle nutrients.

Loss of Volume and Soil Sealing
Urbanization has also led to increasing soil volume loss. As urban areas, roads, and industrial zones expand, large land areas are covered with asphalt, concrete, or other impermeable materials, known as soil sealing. In Europe, an estimated 890 km² of soil is sealed annually, reducing arable land and the soil’s ability to absorb water, increasing flood risks, and lowering water storage capacity.

Focus on Sustainable Soil Management
There is a growing trend toward sustainable soil management methods, such as agroforestry, regenerative agricultural practices, and minimal soil tillage (plowing). These methods aim to restore soil structure and organic content, helping to increase soil fertility, water retention, and carbon storage capacity. Sustainable management can also help slow down erosion and reduce soil volume loss in the long term.

Innovative Technologies and Solutions
Technological advancements play a vital role in preserving soil quality and volume. Numerous innovative solutions have been introduced, such as digital soil monitoring, the use of drones to analyze nutrient and moisture levels, and the development of machinery that can clean contaminated soil and reclaim arable land. An example is our SoilSaver, which effectively combats harmful microorganisms without polluting the soil with chemicals. It also removes seeds and plant parts from invasive species, which would otherwise require the disposal of large volumes of soil.

The Way Forward
Ensuring the quality and volume of soil requires collaboration between agriculture, the technology sector, and governments. World Soil Day provides an opportunity to reflect on how we can better care for our most valuable resource. Supporting sustainable management practices, increasing the use of innovative technologies, and engaging society in soil conservation may be the key to maintaining productive soil for future generations.

The post We celebrate world soil day the 5th of December appeared first on SoilSteam International.

To address this challenge, it is essential to focus on the recycling and reuse of topsoil while avoiding the use of chemicals. This is not only important for sustainability and food security but also to maintain the soil’s ability to sequester CO2 and preserve valuable biodiversity. Failure to act now could result in food shortages, high food prices, and potentially lead millions of people into hunger and poverty, argues FAO leader, José Graziano Da Silva.

The Importance of CO2 Sequestration and Soil Microorganisms in the soil

Soil plays a crucial role in the fight against climate change, as it sequesters more CO2 than all the world’s plants and trees combined. Effective CO2 sequestration in the soil can be a crucial strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, new technology supporting sustainable soil management is needed in the future.

More than 50% of the world’s organisms exist in soil ecosystems, making healthy and fertile soil crucial for food supply, biodiversity and climate. Research shows that better soil management can significantly increase carbon sequestration and the potential gain surpassing annual emissions from the global transportation sector.

SoilSteam’s Contribution to Sustainable Soil Treatment

SoilSteam is an innovative player in the agricultural and construction sectors, developing machines that use steam to treat soil. The goal is to reduce harmful microorganisms, insects, nematodes, as well as seeds and weed roots while maintaining soil productivity.

SOILSAVER™ – Sterilization for Reuse

Soilsaver™ aims to sterilize soil in construction projects where invasive plants plant such as Japanese Knotweed and Giant Hogweed are present in the soil masses. This enables the reuse of soil that would otherwise be degraded to landfills. The clean soil can be reused in areas with existing natural soil, allowing the native microorganisms in the surrounding soil to establish themselves in the clean masses.

FIELDSAVER™ – Sustainable Soil Treatment

Fieldsaver™ operates on agricultural land, steaming the soil where it is. It uses hot steam to heat the soil and combat negative microorganisms and weeds without the use of chemicals. Precision steaming allows local treatment around the planting site, providing effective results while keeping energy usage low.

Effect on Microorganisms and Crop Yield

Although steaming affects soil microorganisms, international research and experience show that healthy soil life quickly re-establishes itself. Minimizing temperature and exposure time is a crucial factor in minimizing the drawbacks of soil steaming. SoilSteam, in collaboration with NIBIO, Vegvesenet, and other stakeholders, has conducted research to study the criteria that must be set depending on the diseases or pests present in the soil. It is important to emphasize that soil steaming is a treatment method, where the alternatives are either deposition or treatment with harmful chemicals. Healthy and pest-free soil should not be steamed.

Effects observed on plant life and vegetables after steaming are positive, resulting in faster establishment, higher yields, and increased durability.

SoilSteam’s soil treatment not only contributes to maintaining soil health and supporting sustainable agriculture but also provides tangible solutions for circular mass management, helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and preserves valuable topsoil for future generations. This is a significant step towards a more sustainable and responsible use of the Earth’s resources.

The post SoilSteam provides a significant contribution to sustainable soil management appeared first on SoilSteam International.

“It is urgent that we think differently if we are to achieve the sustainability goals of 65% reuse of masses by 2035. By adopting this technology, we want to contribute to developing tomorrow’s solutions to save arable land while improving our existing products,” says Jakob Årsvold of Bergknapp.

Long-term innovator

Bergknapp has a clear ambition to be forward-thinking and do what makes sense for the environment. They are a company that thinks long-term and contributes to making cities greener and more sustainable. With solid ownership, curiosity about new solutions, and a willingness to lead the way in the industry, they make a significant difference on the path to a more sustainable future. “We have the ambition to be at the forefront when it comes to sustainable soil management, both for the company’s development and to be an inspiration for others,” says Jakob, owner and founder of Bergknapp.

Positive development in the soil industry

Bergknapp experiences that more of their industry colleagues also have sustainability high on their agenda now, which he finds very positive. “There have been significant changes in the industry in recent years,” says Jakob. He explains that it forces a more circular mindset and sustainable solutions. There is a greater focus on reuse and recycling than ever before. “The market leaders are now looking at investments in machinery and equipment that contribute to more reuse, and we are proud to be early adopters of SoilSaver, ends Jakob.

Sustainable mass management has been central to Bergknapp’s production for several years. Now, they are taking their sustainability efforts to new heights by using SoilSaver. By treating the soil with steam, this sterilization process will neutralize invasive alien species such as Japanese Knotweed and plant diseases. Bergknapp is now developing production lines to effectively reuse soil that would otherwise be lost. In this process, both eliminating weeds that would otherwise create significant problems and creating the potential to blend in different types of masses that do not function adequately as soil, can be achieved. In the long run, large quantities of soil masses can be delivered for sterilization at Bergknapp in Sandnes near Stavanger. The machine is also mobile and can be placed wherever desired in the future. In larger projects, this means huge amounts of transportation can be saved by treating the soil locally.

Professional partnership

Jakob says that he immediately found SoilSaver exciting when he first heard about the machine last autumn. Since then, the two companies have maintained close contact. The companies have complementary expertise on both sides. “The partnership with SoilSteam is a win-win: we get a Norwegian professional partner with competent expertise in mass management, and they get an industrial partner that is serious about sustainability,” says Jakob.

Soil is a valuable resource that is the fundament for more than 90% of the food we eat. For way too long it has been polluted and degraded to landfills. Now we have developed a machine that can stop some of this degradation. It is great that we have innovative customers like Bergknapp that adopt new technology and take the industry in a more sustainable direction says Hans Kristian Westrum, CGO and founder of SoilSteam.

The post Congratulation Bergknapp AS! appeared first on SoilSteam International.

1. Soil steaming makes it possible to care for and recycle topsoil.
2. Soil steaming removes pests from the soil without the use of chemicals.

We feel confident that the world needs an alternative, chemical-free way to kill unwanted weeds and harmful organisms in soil. All macro trends point in the same direction. The first draft of a new soil law in the EU will be published in 2023. Topsoil should not be taken for granted, and it is rising higher and higher on the agenda. Topsoil supports 90% of our food production. For far too long, we’ve taken it for granted. Now the warning lights are flashing, and the world is taking topsoil seriously.

We have tested our equipment in cooperation with partners in Norway, Spain, and the USA. The reality we face is dramatic. The authorities want to reduce the agricultural use of chemicals, but farmers have become dependent on these products. On top of that, the world needs to significantly increase food production to feed an ever-growing population. How can it be possible to satisfy all these needs at the same time? No one has yet discovered a definitive answer, but it’s probably reachable by taking many small steps. Two of these steps are taking care of the topsoil and making sure that it is of the highest possible quality. We know that Soil Steam can play an important role in this area.

From concept to testing in 2022

We have built an impressive robot that we called FieldSaver. This is a machine that combines our expertise in steam and biology with modern robotic technology. It is the first machine in the world to offer precision steaming. This means that we only use steam exactly where the plants or vegetables will stand. In this way, we reduce energy consumption and cost by up to 75% and increase speed accordingly. An important question is whether steaming of limited areas is sufficient. We’ve tested that out. Precision steaming has been tried out with some of the leading fruit and vegetable producers in the world – and it works! Now we are working on further adaptations to produce the best possible machine for precision steaming. The potential is huge!

In 2022 our SoilSaver went through long-term testing. First, it was tested for three months right outside our warehouse. Now, for the past four months, it has been tested in the field by our partner Lindum. The results of the long-term testing are so good that we decided to start a series production of the machine. The first machines have been sold to Envir and are currently under production. This is a huge milestone in Soil Steam’s history!

The SoilSaver is also important from an environmental perspective. The machines Soil Steam will deliver in 2023 will have the capacity to process 20 tons of soil per hour. This means that each machine can process up to 50,000 tons of soil a year. That’s the equivalent of 2,500 truckloads! The landfill is the only alternative for the soil that our machines can now process. Landfilling of soil involves a lot of heavy transport and takes that soil out of the cycle. This is not sustainable given that it takes more than 500 years for nature to make one centimeter of new topsoil. Our machines will be able to prevent enormous amounts of valuable soil from ending up in the cemetery. It is with good reason that we call the machine SoilSaver.

Thank you to everyone who made a difference in 2022

We need to say a little about the market and the situation in the world as well. The turmoil in the world has affected many sectors by causing delays in the deliveries of products and parts. It has also affected us but to a small extent. Here, our skilled employees should be praised for good planning and follow-up. We are also thankful for everyone who has helped us during this period of turbulence in the financial markets. Many start-ups have a very difficult time raising capital in today’s market. We are very pleased to have a strong board of directors and predictable, long-term investors cheering us on. We are proud to have just finished raising capital of NOK 40 million without the help of financial brokerage. This both shows great trust from our owners and demonstrates that we are a strong organization worthy of that trust.

HOWEVER, there’s one group we really are dependent on: our employees. Without them, SoilSteam would be nothing. Our employees are the heart and lungs of our company. In a startup, you must be able to put on several hats and go the extra mile every time it’s needed. All the employees take on everything they are asked to and are willing to go above and beyond. You, the heart of the Soil Steam family, are the reason why SoilSteam will have a role in taking care of the world’s topsoil. Thank you so much! You guys are making a difference. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. Let us hope for peace in the world next year and for soil to be high on the agenda.

The post Annual summary 2022: From start-up to growth company – our first commercial sales and preparations for series production appeared first on SoilSteam International.

During 2021 we have grown as a company, both in experience and in number of employees. On August 5th new engineers joined our team. Welcome Kristian, Tor Aksel, Mats, Gustav and Jo! We are happy that you decided to join us! We are now 16 engaged people, and competence within both the technical,agricultural, strategic and commercial fields.

We have been long-term testing our mobile machine Soil Steam M20 through this year, and the results have been great. The picture below is a drone shot of a treated field. The left side of the field is steamed only, the middle part is sprayed with pesticides and steamed, while the right field is only sprayed with pesticides. As seen, the growth on the left part of the field is significantly larger than the two others. This is a valuable experience to us, again showing the positive effect our technology has on all sorts of vegetables, berries and fruit.

The plan is to finalize the season in Norway until the 15^th of October before the machine is moved to Spain. While there, the technology will be further documented in the fields of some of the largest European players in agriculture, with tests to be done on different vegetables and berries. All demonstrations will be followed by scientists that will document the effects of our deep soil steam treatment. While our current machine is documenting the great benefits of our technology, the guys in the office are preparing new versions of our machines to spring –22. This will be a very interesting fall and winter for us.

The post 2021 – So far appeared first on SoilSteam International.

Even though Soil Steam International AS was established in February 2016, this story starts a long time before that. Kjell Westrum, Arvid Laksesvela and Olav Wirgenes were all farmers and were running their own farms. They were also active in the organizations representing the growers of Norwegian vegetables. There were many trips around in Norway controlling harvests etc. It was under these trips they started to discuss alternatives solutions to fight fungi, weeds, and other harmful pathogens in the soil. After a while, they hooked up with other people both in Norway and in Holland and they found out that steam has been used as a method of controlling specially weeds problems for many years before the chemicals came. They started to do some research around this and wanted to go further. Sometimes in the 1990ies, they built the first simple soil steam equipment. You can see it in the pictures. It was a very simple unit based on simple principles…. But it worked… It was slow and ineffective, but it worked. They did tests together with Planteforsk (today Nibio) which documented that their simple prototype was effectively reducing the weeds and fungi in the soil. The equipment was not effective, and it was difficult to handle, but that did not matter now. The most important was that it worked!

The post The history behind Soil Steam International AS appeared first on SoilSteam International.