NanoClay: Turning sandy soil into fertile soil

A technology to transform poor-quality sandy soils into high-yield agricultural land

The Problem

Through a combination of climate change, drought, overgrazing and other human activities, desertification is on the rize. Desertification is defined by the UN as “land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions”. Given that around 40 per cent of the Earth’s land surface is already occupied by drylands increasing desertification is worrying. A recent report from the Economics of Land Degradation Initiative claimed that desertification is costing the world as much as US $10.6 trillion every year.

The Solution

Desert Control, a Norwegian startup, is developing new technologies to combat desertification. Their most successful product, NanoClay, is a patented water and clay mixture that effectively converts arid land into fertile soil. The conversion process from arid to fertile soil normally takes seven to fifteen years; with nanoclay, it only takes only seven hours.

Stage of Development

  • Early Stage
  • Established Prototype
  • Scaling
  • Other

Organization to Receive Funds

Shared Nation would support Desert Control, which is responsible for developing Nano Clay.

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