R-Leaf - Navigating nutrition

R-Leaf® is a ground breaking technology developed by Crop Intellect Ltd that captures atmospheric nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollutants and converts them to plant feed.

The technology is prepared into a suspension concentrate solution and is sprayed onto living plant surfaces.

Nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution is broken down into nitrate which is absorbed by the plants as feed. This results in reduced air pollution and increased crop yield.

What does it do?

R-Leaf® has been processed to harvest energy from sunlight, an abundant source of free and clean energy. Sunlight charges the photocatalytic surface and when NOx comes in contact the molecules break down to inert material and nitrate. The nitrate is solubilised with dew and rain and taken up by the plant surface, resulting in increased biomass and yield.

The photocatalyst itself undergoes no changes and therefore continues to work for a prolonged period, suitable for scaling up, low-cost, chemical stability and safety.

How does it do it?

NOx is a term used to refer to nitrogen oxides. The most common NOx related to air pollution are nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). NOx formation occurs when nitrogen and oxygen react with each other during combustion of fuels, oil, gas and organic matter.

NOx can cause serious damage to human and animal health, particularly through respiratory diseases. NOx is responsible for smog and poor air quality in cities, forming ozone when reacting with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the presence of light. This damages ecosystems, animals and plant life.

Once applied, R-Leaf® gets to work on a daily basis to break down the NOx into nitrate, which is the most available form of nitrogen in plants.

r leaf illustration of nox converted to h2o co2 and no3

Features

Reduced air pollution
Chemical stability
Safe for crops
Can be tank mixed with most agrochemical inputs

Benefits

Environmental benefits
Reduced pollution
Cost effective
Increased crop yield

Application

R-Leaf® is sprayed onto any crop. It is a stable suspension concentrate and can be tank mixed with most agrochemical inputs. It contains 500g of the specially processed photocatalytic material. It is classed as EC fertiliser containing zinc, molybdenum and manganese which are very often deficient, particularly in cereals, and are essential elements for yield security.

The recommended dosage of R-Leaf^® is 1 l/ha. The best application timing for cereals is at T1 and T2 when the soil-applied nitrogen is starting to produce NOx and when the foliage is adequate to hold R-Leaf^®. The T2 application is essential as the sprayed leaves are shaded by the new ones and therefore become less efficient.

Results

The photocatalytic activity of R-Leaf^® under UV and normal light was tested by independent experts in photocatalysis at Manchester Metropolitan University. The approved method measuring photocatalysis was by monitoring the CO₂ in a specific reaction and results are shown below. The material was 10 times more effective in photocatalysis, both under UV light and normal light, compared to the unprocessed material.

Data generated in collaboration with the University of Lincoln confirmed the conversion of N₂O, NO and NO₂ to nitrate for plant use. The amount of nitrate produced is directly related to the ppm NOx concentration.