It seems a somewhat explosive affair, starting a business in 'Knallgas' (as oxyhydrogen is also referred to). And that's what it is, in the sense that it can, for example, increase the germination vigor of the bulbs and other cultivation products explosively. Because irrigation water 'loaded' with the gas also promotes a stronger crop and a reduction in the use of products, and because it is now possible to apply this at reasonable costs in the nursery, Akumbha van Kooten started the business Yield by Nature. His first goal: to convince growers of the wonderful benefits of OxyHydrogen.
Left: plants with and right without OxyHydrogen. Right: an Oxyhydrogen machine from the FEY series
That is, there are many applications for the use of this gas, some of which have been known for a long time. For example, (precious) metals and engines can be cleaned with it and it is safe and durable to use for welding. The gas is extracted from water, a process that is constantly being perfected and that has brought the cost of the gas down further and further. Moreover, there is no health hazard when inhaled. In fact, exactly the reverse is claimed; the gas reportedly has all kinds of beneficial effects for both people and plants.
Now that's the point where the down-to-earth grower becomes suspicious, and of course justifiably so. Seeing is believing. And Akumbha is aware of that too. "We see a great germination vigor, better root growth, 30% larger harvest and plants so strong that chemical agents are practically not needed. But because it is a new application - that is, only now a device is available to produce it in the nursery, safe and cheap, in precise quantity, stable and with flow control, an innovation with which the manufacturer reached the final of Rabobank 'Herman Wijfels Fonds' 2013 - a scientific foundation needs to be built up. We have already run several trials, including one of one year duration at a bulb grower in Voorhout, but we are looking for more growers who want to test with us."
Left measuring 'load' after adding OxyHydrogen; right rye tested with OxyHydrogen
In their own words, there are 'overwhelming results' to be achieved with the treatment of irrigation water with OxyHydrogen. Plants that are treated with OxyHydrogen absorb oxygen better and deal with the light more efficiently. Thanks to the gas, the cell structure improves and molecules are ‘raveled’ out. But the essential point was in availability. Until recently, this gas was difficult to obtain, and moreover, not without danger (hence ‘Knallgas’). But with the introduction of a new type, and a relatively small and mobile device, both are remedied: gas is made from water, and when you switch off the device, there is no (explosive) gas left over. These devices from the FEY series are produced, among others, by a factory in Lieshout, and have been co-developed by Ernst Brokx, an engineer & inventor and owner of the company Free E Yourself. In the agricultural sector and horticulture, Akumbha now wants to put this machine on the market.
Air cleaner
Besides the OxyHydrogen machine, Akumbha would like to draw attention to another product, an air cleaner. This counteracts loss in cooling, storage and transport. "This ozone lamp has been tested in a cold storage cell of 100m2 at 100% humidity. What we noticed was that Penicillium fungus completely disappeared within 48 hours. Moreover, the air cleaner is safe to use, it is even used for operating rooms in hospitals. Especially in connection with OxyHydrogen the lamp is interesting for growers, because it forms an excellent duo with it. Both boost the cultivation product; the air purifier by counteracting fungus at the outside, the gas by making the cultivation products over the years stronger on the inside (although more research needs to be done here)."
"We absolutely do not know everything yet", Akumbha concludes. "If a tomato grower asks what it will do to the taste, I answer that I do not know. But I see fantastic things happening where this gas is added to the irrigation water. Testing is possible, if it does not deliver the desired results, then the machine can be returned free of charge within a pre-arranged number of months. This should remove the threshold to buy, and induce innovative and daring growers to start testing and thus result in a win-win situation."
For more information:
Yield by Nature
Castorplein 1
1033GE Amsterdam
Netherlands
M: +31 (0)6 27560636
E: akumbha@yieldbynature.com
www.yieldbynature.com