Gevo will trial Rhizolizer, a line of probiotic treatments developed by Locus to increase crop yield
Image: Gevo partners with Locus Agricultural Solutions. Photo: Courtesy of Peter Toporowski/Pixabay.
American biofuels company Gevo has partnered with Locus Agricultural Solutions (Locus) to trial a new technology which can improve the capture of soil carbon, reduce the need for applied nitrogen fertilizer, and improve yield.
Gevo will begin the trial of Rhizolizer, developed by Locus, on its 30-acre farm co-located at its facility in Luverne, Minnesota.
Rhizolizer, a line of non-GMO soil ‘probiotic’ treatments, is produced from proven microorganisms and tailored to meet the needs of local farmers.
Gevo CEO Patrick Gruber said: “In the on-going battle against petroleum-based pollution and greenhouse gasses, we see tremendous potential in technologies like those developed by Locus AG. Think about the possibilities: the potential exists to produce whole gallons of liquid transportation fuels that could have a large negative carbon footprint, and generate enormous quantities of protein for the food chain.
“Our farmers are already excelling at reducing their carbon footprint, and technologies like this could maximize their efforts. It could lead to a win-win-win: farmers have potential to make more money by being more efficient and improving yield, while generating field corn that has a lower carbon footprint.
“Gevo can win because we have access to field corn with a better sustainability profile and potentially much lower or even negative carbon footprint. Our fuel customers have potential to win because the low-carbon, sustainable attributes carry through to the sustainability footprint of the finished fuels.
“People are waking up to the fact that agriculture is our friend when it comes to sequestering carbon. Agricultural soils really are a remarkable part of the solution to actually reducing atmospheric carbon levels in a potentially meaningful way, not just by supplying raw material to companies like us, but by capturing and sequestering greenhouse gasses, like carbon dioxide, directly.”
Rhizolizer was used for treating 40,000 commercial agriculture acres
The product has been used for treating 40,000 commercial agriculture acres and the results have shown an improvement in crop productivity, crop quality, vigour and sustainability.
Locus CEO Paul Zorner said: “Initial field trial data across several crops shows that ongoing Rhizolizer soil ‘probiotic’ treatments have the potential to amplify crop soil carbon sequestration by up to an additional 3 to 6 metric tons of CO2 equivalents per acre annually over current grower practice, while also substantially increasing crop yields and grower profits.
“Benefits have been demonstrated in over 175 completed or ongoing field trials and over 40,000 acres of commercial applications.
“We see great potential to make a substantial impact on further reducing the carbon footprint of field corn and the sustainable fuels produced by America’s corn growers, and we are pleased to be working with Gevo to demonstrate the benefits of this green technology.”
Gevo is a Colorado-based biofuels and petroleum alternatives developer. The company focuses on developing and producing mainstream fuels such as gasoline and jet fuel using renewable feedstocks that have the potential to lower greenhouse gas emissions and enhance agricultural production, including food and other related products.