BioAtlantis Ltd
BioAtlantis was established in 2004 and entered the crop biostimulant market in 2007 with stress mitigation as a central strategy. Stress is now recognised worldwide as affecting most life forms. It can be split into two main categories, abiotic and biological stress. Extensive research into both crops and animals has provided BioAtlantis with the knowledge base to develop compounds that can be used to mitigate or prevent abiotic and biotic stress issues occurring, across different life forms and species. The AgriPrime portfolio is rich in natural bioactives that can ‘prime’ from the cellular to crop level. BioAtlantis products will nourish crops from soil to harvest, helping them to cope with a variety of stresses and growth limiting factors, allowing them to maximize their genetic potential. The products are designed for sustainable production in both organic and non-organic agriculture.
Company details
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- Business Type:
- Manufacturer
- Industry Type:
- Crop Cultivation
- Market Focus:
- Globally (various continents)
- Year Founded:
- 2004
About Us
BioAtlantis provide natural compounds, extracted from renewable marine and terrestrial resources, to reduce stress in crops, animals and humans by strengthening natural defence systems.
The company has grown rapidly since inception and has developed an extremely strong scientific base with numerous peer reviewed papers published in conjunction with academic partners. As testament to this growth, BioAtlantis commissioned a new production facility in 2019 at its base in County Kerry, Ireland, facing the Atlantic Ocean, on the western extremity of Europe. This is the largest seaweed extraction facility in Britain or Ireland and can concurrently produce amino and humic acids. BioAtlantis offers a portfolio of proven solutions for the agricultural crop sector. The vision of BioAtlantis is to provide natural compounds, extracted from renewable marine and terrestrial resources, to reduce stress in plants, animals and humans by strengthening natural defence systems and by enhancing the innate immunity of animals and humans.
History
BioAtlantis is on the threshold of major expansion following 16 years of continued, specifically targeted investment in science and engineering while simultaneously collaborating with leading academic institutions, working on solving specific problems in crops, animal and human health.
In the 1990s, BioAtlantis CEO, John T. O’Sullivan, identified nutraceuticals as a future growth industry to prevent some health problems without the use of synthetic compounds. He pioneered the extraction of bioactives from seaweed, founding BioAtlantis in 2004. He used his experience and understanding of the dairy industry, transferring the best practices and innovative techniques from there, to seaweed extraction. From the beginning, BioAtlantis forged strong, lasting links with academia which is now backed up by 84 peer reviewed scientific papers in collaboration with distinguished third level institutions around the world. Applying a ‘?tness-for-purpose’ approach to its product development and validation processes, BioAtlantis produces naturally derived products, based on bioactive compounds of known function, mode-of-action, stability and safety. These compounds are proven to have an e?cacy equivalent to or greater than synthetics.
Why BioAtlantis?
BioAtlantis provide novel technologies, backed by science and engineering and validated by independent third parties. As a company driven by innovation, there are a number of reasons to choose BioAtlantis:
Mode of Action
BioAtlantis has pioneered a novel technology known as “Priming”. This involves the use of ‘bioactives’ to stimulate molecular responses in crops to prime them to tolerate future stress events.
Spanning the life sciences
As BioAtlantis works in different life science areas (crops, animals and humans), the company has built a unique understanding of the suitability of bioactives in different species.
Low Carbon Footprint
BioAtlantis' products are highly concentrated, resulting in lower packaging, transport and disposal costs. The company’s processes are highly automated and energy-efficient. The company is also taking actions to reduce the use of fossil fuels.
Sustainability
BioAtlantis’ products are manufactured using sustainably-sourced and renewable raw materials. The company’s products are compliant with organic standards, residue-free and safe to the environment and end user alike.
Scale and Global reach
BioAtlantis has one of the largest manufacturing facilities of its kind in the world. With a presence in over 35 countries, it has the capacity and scale to meet the requirements of customers worldwide.
Honesty, integrity and reliability
The aim of BioAtlantis is to build a lifetime relationship with customers based on honesty, integrity and reliability. To achieve this, BioAtlantis employ a factual science-based approach to product development and provision of advice to end users.
Quality
BioAtlantis manufactures its products in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP+). The company has the following accreditations and standards:
- Certified by GMP+ International B.V.
- EU approved for feed material manufacture.
- Organic Trust Member.
- Listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI).
- Attested by EcoCert for a range of products.
- REACH Compliant (European Chemicals Agency, ECHA).
Sustainability
BioAtlantis’ objective is to manufacture products with minimal environmental impact and carbon footprint which will deliver economic, social and environmental benefits.
The emissions per kg of product manufactured in 2021 amounts to 0.96kg CO2 eq/kg. The target is to reduce this by 43% by the end of 2023, which equates to 0.54 CO2 eq/kg. This will be achieved by focusing on efficiencies and investing in solar energy. The new technologies which will be launched in 2022 and 2023 will provide more sustainable solutions to food producers.
Plant Operating Efficiencies:
From the earliest design stages of the production facility, focus was placed on automation, energy efficiency and minimisation of environmental impact. Regeneration/recovery of heat from the many processes on site was used widely. However, there is more to be done and it is anticipated that these projects will yield a reduction in CO2 emissions of ~20% by the end of 2022 and a further 20% by year end 2023. Pollutant gases are mitigated using the Best Available Technologies (BATs), in accordance with Directive 2010/75/EU and in line with Guidance Notes issued by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Carbon Footprint:
The majority of our raw materials are sourced from the west coast of Ireland thus minimising our carbon footprint. BioAtlantis produces highly concentrated liquid and spray dried products, resulting in lower packing, transport and disposal costs. This together with the low application rates of the products (1 to 6 Kg/Hectare), delivers products to end users with a low carbon footprint.
Circular economy:
All waste cardboard is baled on site and sent for recycling. Packaging material and drums are UN approved, reusable and recyclable. In global terms, BioAtlantis contributes to efforts for sustainable economic growth and high quality job creation in rural and coastal regions. At a local level, BioAtlantis is also a member of the Circular Bioeconomy Cluster in the south-west of Ireland (https://cbcsw.ie/).
Fossil fuel usage reduction:
A decision was taken in 2015 to install high efficiency LPG fuelled steam boilers instead of coal or oil fired boilers despite a significantly higher capital investment and running costs. LPG is one of the cleanest fossil fuels available, second only to natural gas. LPG emits 38% less carbon dioxide compared to coal to produce the same amount of energy. Given the benefits of natural gas, plans are afoot to put the infrastructure in place to enable the plant to run on natural gas in the future, thereby replacing LPG. In addition, BioAtlantis has commenced work on a Solar PV project which will replace ~ 30% of the electricity purchased by end of 2023.
Sourcing raw and process materials:
BioAtlantis operates an Approved Supplier System to evaluate, assess and approve suppliers. BioAtlantis extracts natural compounds from renewable raw materials, including seaweeds and terrestrial plants which are 100% replenishable and sustainable. BioAtlantis fully supports Ireland’s National Marine Planning Framework (NMPF) for operating sustainably and in line with conservation requirements in Natura 2000 sites (SACs, SPAs) and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Additionally, we also work to ensure that there are no impacts or in-combination effects with existing activities or features such as inshore fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, recreation, heritage sites and existing seaweed harvesting rights.
Seaweed as a Sustainable, Regenerative Sesource:
Regeneration:
Seaweeds such as Ascophyllum nodosum and Laminaria spp. have been sustainably harvested by hand and mechanical means in Europe for over 70 years. Peer reviewed scientific studies demonstrate that Laminaria hyperborea regenerates in 3 to 6 years post-mechanical harvesting, while A. nodosum can regenerate within a shorter timeframe of 3 years. A. nodosum has been harvested by hand in Ireland for hundreds of years, while Laminaria has been mechanically harvested for over 70 years in Norway, France and Iceland. Studies in Ireland show that L. hyperborea in Ireland has a mean age of 3.4 years, reflecting its regular removal by storms every year and rapid regeneration thereafter. Datasets and scientific studies show that loss of Laminaria due to manual/mechanical removal or by storms has no impact on fisheries landings, invertebrate recruitment or crustaceans such as crabs.
Carbon sequestration:
As seaweeds have a low potential to fix or sequester carbon, the sustainable harvesting of this renewable resource is entirely compatible with climate change objectives. Although defined as a primary producer, seaweeds account for <1% of global photosynthesis annually. In contrast, non-seaweed sources such as phytoplankton account for 97.9% of photosynthesis in the marine zone. In turn, phytoplankton account for almost 50% of the Planet’s carbon fixation every year, with the remaining 50% undertaken by land plants.
New Technologies for Sustainable Agriculture:
Plant health products:
Biostimulants to mitigate the impact of climate change:
‘Plant Biostimulants’ are defined by the European commission (EU no2019/1009) as inputs to stimulate a crop’s natural nutrition processes, aimed solely at improving the crop’s nutrient use efficiency, tolerance to abiotic stress, quality traits or increasing the availability of confined nutrients in the soil or rhizosphere. BioAtlantis has developed a portfolio of high quality biostimulants, proven to prime crops when applied as foliar or soil applications. These products are exported to ~40 countries. These products are environmentally safe solutions to tackle the impact of climate change on crops, such as cold, drought and heat.
Biopesticides to eliminate the requirement for hazardous agrochemicals on crops:
Biopesticides are defined as products derived from natural materials such as animals, plants, microorganisms, algae and certain minerals, for use in controlling crop pests and pathogens. Chemical pesticides used by crop growers are often hazardous to humans, animals and organisms in the environment, including pollinators such as bees. To address this problem, BioAtlantis is developing technologies to replace the use of hazardous substances by crop growers. BioAtlantis’ new biopesticide products will be equally as effective as chemical synthetics in controlling important pests and diseases, whilst being completely safe to the environment and humans alike, with no toxicological or ecotoxicology impacts on flora or fauna.
Animal health products:
Antibiotic reduction in animals: The overuse of antibiotics in animal husbandry is culminating in the emergence of drug-resistant diseases that infect humans. BioAtlantis has developed a technology that modulates the immune system of pigs thereby reducing the requirement for antibiotics in agriculture. This technology which will be launched later this year acts as an effective replacement to zinc oxide which will be banned in June 2022.
By working with nature, BioAtlantis is establishing the foundations for a sustainable and green new future for all.