Innovation and research
Kekkilä-BVB Innovation
Innovation is at the heart of Kekkilä-BVB, supporting our customers’ success with high-performing offering and products. Our priority is renewing the growing media portfolio with more circular raw materials and high-value additives designed to improve resource efficiency.
The innovation work is concentrated in two in-house laboratories in the Netherlands, one in De Lier and one in Venlo, enabling laboratory analysis as well as growth trials on experimental growing media. Once we have achieved promising results in laboratory tests, we move on to trials with our grower customers. In parallel, we collaborate extensively with various research organisations.
In our quest for more circular raw materials for growing media, we’ve explored dozens of different materials such as cultivated fibers, seaweeds and paper fiber sludges, assessing their potential to be used and mixed with others. With the global population on the rise, increasing drought pressure and the need for more food increasing, while arable land decreases, the demand for substrates to grow green food in controlled environments such as greenhouses is immense.
Our Innovation team deep dives into the circular materials and additives
While many materials can be used for growing, not all are optimal for performance. The optimal substrate requires less water, fewer fertilizers, and fewer pesticides. Additionally, the demand for many biomass materials, that could serve as substrate raw materials, is high, as they have potential higher-value applications across various industries. We strive to find the right balance of raw materials in collaboration with our partners, customers, and other researchers. Every year, we complete evaluation of approximately ten new raw materials, or high-value additives and most will not meet the performance criteria for further testing and development. More research is needed to identify the most suitable substrate mixtures for future greener living environments and food production.
Innovation research laboratory, De Lier, the Netherlands
We analyse physical and chemical properties as well as the biological stability of any raw material or growing media. We also have trial greenhouses (phytotrons) that enable well controlled growing tests for performance assessments of different substrates.
Quality Control (QC) laboratory
Daily quality control analyses are performed to ensure constant quality in Kekkila-BVB’s substrates leaving our factories.
Innovation research laboratory, Venlo, the Netherlands
We analyse physical and chemical properties as well as the biological stability of any raw material or growing media. There are also possibilities to measure several microbiological properties in raw materials, water and growing media. A water-spraying table enables controlled water regimes to test effects on water holding capacities. Two reactors enable controlled experimentation on biological processing of raw materials, such as composting. A climate-cabinet enables controlled growing tests for performance assessments of for example casing soil.
Wageningen Plant Research at Wageningen University & Research
In our ongoing Public Private Partnership project with Wageningen Plant Research at Wageningen University & Research, the aim is to develop and research the effect of new substrates. By using organic materials – in our case, renewable cultivated fibres – in growing media, we aim to develop ‘Fit for Purpose’ substrates designed towith improved environmental performance.
Some of our cooperation projects
Central Europe
- PPS Soil Pro: Soil biodiversity analysis for sustainable production systems (Project lead: Netherlands institute of Ecology, NL)
- PPS: Measurement standard microbial quality of growing media (Project lead: Wageningen University, NL)
- Flemish VLAIO ALTER PEAT (Project lead: Inagro, ILVO, BE)
- PPS: Stabilised Growing Media in Horticulture (Project lead: Wageningen University, NL)
- PPS: Compost to increase plant resilience (Project lead: Wageningen University, NL)
- PPS: Biochar as Growing Medium and Growing Medium Additive (Project lead: Wageningen University, NL)
- Flemish VLAIO IPM Champ (Project lead: Inagro, ILVO, BE)
- Club van 100 Wageningen University, membership (Project lead: Wageningen University, NL)
Nordics
- KIERTOKAS: Pesticide Residues: Managing pesticide residues in organic fertilizers and substrates
- KOIVU: Sustainable forestry of silver birch (Project lead: Institute of Natural Resources, FIN)
- Spruce clump seedlings trials (Project lead: Institute of Natural Resources, FIN)
- Baltic / lake reed (Project lead: John Nurminen Foundation, FIN / Race for the Baltic, SWE)
- Legionella in growing media (Project lead: Swedish Agricultural University, SWE)
- Business Finland: Husk Refine, Oat husk research (Project lead: HAMK, FIN)
EU subsidy consortiums
- EU LIFE Roadside grass digestate (Project lead: D4, NL)
- EU Interreg Silphie digestate (Project lead: 3N Kompetenzzentrum, DE)
- EU Interreg Realise Bio (Project lead: Fragaria Innova Group, NL)
- EU Horizon: Circulandia, Finland landscaping research project (Project lead: CLIC INNOVATION OY, FIN)
EU LIFE research project
Kekkilä-BVB is involved in a research project that this year received a five-year grant from the EU’s LIFE programme to study the usefulness of anaerobically digested roadside grasses as a growing medium. D4 is in charge of project development. The biogas company HoSt will design and build the digester. Kekkilä-BVB will develop and purchase the digestate as a growing medium raw material.
Wageningen Plant Research at Wageningen University & Research
In our ongoing Public Private Partnership with Wageningen Plant Research at Wageningen University & Research, the aim is to develop and research the effect of new substrates. By using organic materials – in our case, renewable cultivated fibres – in growing media, we develop ‘Fit for Purpose’ substrates designed to improve environmental performance.
Microbiological Quality of Peat-Free Potting Soils
What is the role of micro-organisms in the health of plants and humans?
We are constantly looking for new solutions to help us grow more with less and we promote research projects with academic institutions and other industry players.
Latest outcome we want to highlight is about Microbiological Quality of Peat-Free Potting Soils in this project we work together with e.g. Wageningen University and other research institutes and peers in this industry.