Filterless and water-based technology for ammonia reduction in agriculture

根据文献（Guthrie等人，2020年）和最佳排放预测（NAEI， 2022年），农业氨排放的相关成本估计为** 7亿英镑**，如果不采取行动，预计价值将高达每年** 165亿英镑**（皇家学会，2018年）。现有的技术解决方案**，包括传统洗涤器**效率低且价格昂贵**，需要大量劳动力（经常清除粪便/泥浆）或大型地下储罐和通风基础设施。其他基于过滤器的替代品需要昂贵且频繁的过滤器更换和处理，产生特殊废物，并且经常性成本和维护费用高，因此在经济上不可行。在这个项目中，我们提出了我们的创新和替代解决方案和方法，称为APA（空气污染减排），这是一项专利技术，它是无过滤器和水基技术，简化了安装过程，降低了从空气中去除污染物的成本，可以作为一个独立的元件或作为一个集群运行，大大降低了运行和维护成本。我们之所以申请这笔资金，是因为尽管我们的系统已经在其他部门（工业和城市环境）以及不同的污染物（颗粒和气体/化学）中进行了成功的测试和应用，并取得了良好的效果，但**我们从未测试过我们的系统直接去除空气中的氨** **，也没有在农业环境中进行过测试**。然而，我们相信我们能够成功的原因是，如果第一阶段得到资助，因为氨极易溶于水，与我们的技术能够去除的另一种污染物（甲醛）相当。此外，我们的技术已经提供了强有力的知识产权保护（20项专利），并且可以灵活地开发不同形状和形式的解决方案，占用有限的空间，因此能够更接近动物，从而更有效地减少污染，并为动物提供直接利益。我们意识到严格评估技术和该领域首次APA应用的重要性，为此，我们与总部位于英国的世界领先咨询公司** **在环境领域**进行了**合作，该公司具有出色的监测能力和对排放和农业领域的深入了解，并与农场建立了联系。在第一阶段，我们还将**关注利益相关者的参与和最终用户需求的收集活动，这是开发和调整我们的解决方案到一个新水平的基本步骤，调整形状/形式，并计划下一步（第二阶段）使APA适合广泛有效地应用于这个新领域。

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.