Il progetto in dettaglio
NB: questo modulo deve essere compilato completamente dalle persone che propongono l'innovazione.
Qual è il problema risolto?
Soil and water demand for a sustainable expansion of agro-forestry activities allowing for CO2 reduction and food security
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Climate change mitigation depends on forests restoration, which increases demand for land conversion and affects food security, endangering resources already under stress due to population growth, water scarcity and soil degradation. This affects communities relying on land, amplifying economic and health issues and causing migration. In turn, 3.3 MIO hectares of forest are lost every year, exacerbating environmental and social issues. Deforestation accelerates climate change as the carbon stored in trees is released. The dual issues of soil and water demand, and the environmental degradation impacting resources availability make clear that we need a systemic approach able to combine trees planting, soil restoration and sustainable water use. Mangrove will address these issues by enabling restoration activities on dryland, broadening soil availability for trees planting and sustainable agriculture expansion, leveraging on unconventional resources: saline water, sun and degraded soil.
Come si risolve?
Proposing a systemic approach enabling agro-forestry activities in degraded land, combining passive desalination unit (for the production of freshwater from saline water), Organic/restorative Incubators (fostering the plant growth even in harsh environment) and IoT devices for its control
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Mangrove aims at forest/agricultural restoration on dryland, relying on renewable energy and saline water: a systemic approach able to combine trees planting, soil restoration and sustainable water uses, guaranteeing restoration at the proper scale to achieve an impacting expansion of food availability while contributing to achieve carbon neutrality via capturing and storing CO2. Mangrove significantly increases the availability of water and land resources to meet the irrigation demand of agroforestry activities in regions exposed to drought and desertification while contributing to mitigate climate change. Mangrove proposes to integrate different technologies and processes to make them synergizing to achieve land restoration and connected benefits. The Mangrove Technology Platform is indeed a nature-inspired, modular technology platform based on desalination techniques, organic restorative methods and information technology. The approach enables planting trees on drylands without competing for fertile soil and freshwater. The approach currently at its TRL 7, has been validated in the EU-funded Project HYDROUSA.
The applications of Mangrove technology are unique in addressing the developmental needs of the society. In 2014, research found that restoring 12% of degraded agricultural land could boost smallholders’ incomes by US$35-40 billion per year and feed 200 million people per year within 15 years. It can also increase resilience to weather shocks and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 2 Gt CO2e per year. Benefits related to climate change and SGDs are concrete and measurable: our ambition is to plant 27 MIO trees by 2027, which will allow capturing 8.5 MIO tCO2, saving 540 MIO m2 fertile soil and 685.000 m3 fresh water. Moreover, the 540 MIO m2 of saved fertile soil coincide with as many m2 of degraded soil, generating new natural asset. The 20% of planted trees will be part of agroforestry projects creating socio-economic value for local communities and food security, and will create a variety of new income streams.
Chi sono i potenziali clienti?
We target both B2B and end-customers. The main B2B clients are trees planting providers. The key end-customers are corporations and financial institutions willing to compensate their ecological footprint via blockchain-verified carbon offsetting
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Our target market falls in the Environmental Goods and Services Sector, with the Total Addressable Market of 12 Billion €. We target both B2B and end-customers, delivering a unique value proposition. The main B2B clients are trees planting providers and public bodies, anytime they have to implement dryland reforestation projects on degraded soil, using saltwater. The B2B customers will be reached via project-based consortia; we have already closed two sales agreements. The key end-customers are corporations and financial institutions willing to compensate their ecological footprint via blockchain-verified carbon offsetting. Moreover, we target citizens and donors, with focus on Millennials and Generation Z, engaged online and by social media in support of ecosystem restoration. By 2026, we aim to reach a cumulative revenue of 35 MIO EUR, with an EBT of 13 MIO EUR. We will operate in 10 facilities worldwide, investing 3.9 MIO EUR and planting 1.5 MIO trees – neutralizing 0.65 MIO TCO2.
In che modo questa soluzione è diversa?
1) Its modular design, allowing decentralized and scalable installations and gradual investments 2) Technological features allowing a high-productive water production: 3D textile, glass surface functionalization and the organic incubator (using 90% less water than a normal plant needs) 3) Leveraging unconventional resources: sun, saline water and degraded land 4) Producing salt as a resource of income
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MTP brings major environmental and socio-economic benefits to standard reforestation projects. As key breakthrough feature, it enables trees planting on arid and saline soil without competing for fertile soil and fresh water already under heavy stress. Mangrove answers to the limitations of existing solutions – creating a significant increase of both water and soil resources for cropland and reforestation. MTP’s main differentiators are: 1) Its modular design, allowing decentralized and scalable installations and gradual investments into specific areas, 2) Unique technological features allowing a high-productive water cycle management: 3D textile, glass surface functionalization and the organic incubator (using 90% less water than a normal plant needs) 3) Leveraging unconventional resources: sun, saline water and degraded land 4) Producing salt as a resource of income. Finally, the total brine elimination technology integrated in the MTP allows a waste-free production process on field.
