Each year, approximately 65-70 million m³ of peat and other substrates are used in horticultural production. Most of this is not recycled. Peat and coconut fiber are widely used due to their clean and homogeneous properties, but after one season, contamination risks prevent reuse. A Belgium trial is now started to make the substrates available for another season, by steaming the substrates.
"The reason substrates like peat and coconut fiber have become so popular is that they are clean, homogeneous growing media, completely free of fungi and other pests", says Oddbjørn Bergem with SoilSteam. "The problem is that after just one season, it can no longer be guaranteed to be clean. Therefore, producers cannot risk reusing the substrate, as this could lead to poor yields risk growers cannot afford to take. This is, of course, not sustainable." This is why the company, that has been steaming soil for many years, has expanded its machinery to develop tools to steam substrate. During the tests, 10 m³ of used substrate was steam-treated with their newly developed SoilSaver 5 machine.
In collaboration with the research department of one of Europe's most renowned strawberry regions, Proefcentrum Hoogstraten, SoilSteam has now conducted tests to enable the reuse of substrates. Proefcentrum Hoogstraten and SoilSteam have collaborated to steam-treat 10 m³ of substrate that has already been used in strawberry production. After steaming, researchers at Hoogstraten will attempt to grow new strawberries in the heat-treated substrate and compare the results with strawberries grown in treated, fresh, and reused substrate
Peter Melis, Strawberry researcher at Proefcentrum Hoogstraten, is very optimistic: "We have a strong focus on sustainability in our production. Nevertheless, much of strawberry production takes place in substrates that are not reused due to disease presence", says Peter Melis, strawberry researcher at Proefcentrum Hoogstraten. "However, there are environmental issues related to the extraction of peat-based substrates, and therefore heat treatment and reuse may be key to more sustainable production."
Promising tests with SoilSaver 5
"External research shows that steaming of peat with laboratory equipment might give good results - something we now aim to verify using a full-scale machine", Oddbjørn adds, adding it is exciting to gain more experience with this type of substrate. "If the results are positive, this could open up entirely new opportunities for sustainable substrate reuse."
The operation itself went according to plan. "We are fortunate to work with such a dedicated team at Proefcentrum Hoogstraten. Here, we will obtain solid documentation on whether steam-treated substrate performs as well as new substrate."
The steaming in Hoogstraten, Belgium, was carried out using the brand-new SoilSaver 5 machine from SoilSteam. This is a 100% electric machine, which means the process is entirely CO₂-free. "This makes the technology a sustainable alternative that not only reduces the environmental impact associated with substrate production but also the reuse process itself", Oddbjørn shows. SoilSteam is ready to start serial production of the machine if the results are good.
For more information, please contact:
Hans Kristian Westrum
Sales Manager at SoilSteam
Email: hkw@soilsteam.com
Phone: +47 4040 2090
Strawberry Research at Proefcentrum Hoogstraten
Peter Melis
Email: Peter.Melis@proefcentrum.be
Phone: +32 3315 7052