SPARC

Project "SPARC" data sheet

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 Partnership

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 Project objective

The global population recently surpassed 7 billion and is projected to reach 9.6 billion by 2050. As a result, food production will need to increase by 70% to ensure a sufficient supply of food. Hence, growing vegetables, fruits, and other products in greenhouses has become a well-established commercial practice since there are advantages in terms of sustainability, reliability, production rate, money and space for many companies in the agriculture sector. However, greenhouses are also home to many kinds of pests, insects and plant diseases that reduce the quality and yield of crops and result in lower production and reduced profits. Hence, in order to protect plants and attain maximum yield and profits, large amounts of hazardous pesticides must be sprayed on crops in the greenhouse to kill these pathogens and pests, and this not only damages the plants but also has a large carbon footprint. To solve this problem, TechMist developed the SPARC™, a ground-breaking chemical free and 100% environmental neutral disinfection system for removal of pests, insects and plant diseases from greenhouses facilities. SPARC™ is a patented non-toxic and highly reactive gas-based system, which combines 5 particles that are naturally present in the environment and supercharging their ability to neutralize pests. It is completed with wireless sensing devices that are used to continuously monitor the greenhouse environment and track the effectiveness of SPARC™ gas and ensure maximum reliability. By providing a system that completely neutralize the greenhouse environment for pathogens on a maximum of two treatment per year, they expect to reduce the operating costs to growers, offering up to 67% net savings when compared to conventional and chemical-based pesticides. The implementation of the innovation project will place TechMist in a strong position to exploit a market potential over three years exceeding €14 million and creating at least 30 new jobs.