They develop a new material 100% compostable to manufacture systems of irrigation by dripping

The Spanish company Extruline Systems, the Israeli Metzerplas, the Technological Institute of the plastic Aimplas and the Belgian OWS N.V., like coordinator, are working together in a new European project called Drius. The main aim of this project is the industrialisation of new systems of irrigation by dripping 100% compostables for his introduction in the market. The system supposes an alternative to the management of pipes together with rests of earth and plants when finalising each harvest. The group will be able to be treated in a plant of composting without need of separation.

The main applications of the systems of irrigation developed in Drius will be crops of small plants like milling cutters and tomatoes that have short periods of crop, less than a year. At present, the problem after the harvests is the difficulty in the recycled of the system of irrigation because the pipe of plastic is complicated with plants and earth. It is thus that the elimination of the residue generated goes through the incineration. However, the new system of irrigation developed will allow his management in a plant of composting.

Drius Is the continuation of a previous project, Hydrus (FP7/2007-2013-Number hire 231975), in which they developed pipes of irrigation by biodegradable dripping and manufactured successfully to industrial level. However, the central subject of the present project is the obtaining of drippers injected biodegradable to be able to obtain the complete system of irrigation.

The material and the geometry of the drippers are a fundamental part of the group to achieve the flow of water required in each type of crop. The material of the drippers, in addition to being procesable by injection, will have to be compatible chemically and sellable with the material of the pipes, and keep his form and functionality during the use of the system in the fields of crop.

Technical in the laboratory of Aimplas working in the project Drius.

During the development of the project, Aimplas will commission to optimise the formulation of the material for the drippers that allow his industrialisation. Extruline Systems Will be responsible of the manufacture of the system of irrigation to dripping (pipes and drippers) to industrial level. Metzerplas Will design a new mould and will be the company that inject the drippers flat. Finally, OWS N.V. It will complete the study of biodegradation and compostabilidad to obtain the logo of compostabilidad.

Drius Receives financials of the European Commission inside the Program ‘CIP-Echo-Innovation' (number of agreement ECHO/12/332883), has a length of 24 months and will conclude on 31 October 2015.