Introduction to biofertilizer

Brown algae oligosaccharide organic fertilizer is an innovative organic fertilizer primarily composed of brown algae gel and sugar. It is available in both liquid and solid forms. The liquid form can be directly applied to the soil, while the solid form needs to be mixed with water before use. It has a wide range of applications and can be used for various crops, including vegetables, fruits, flowers, lawns, and indoor potted plants.

The advantages of brown algae oligosaccharide organic fertilizer, also known as brown algae calcium sugar fertilizer, include:

1. Abundant Nutrient Content: It is rich in essential elements for plant growth, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and others, providing balanced nutrition for plants.

2. Soil Improvement: This fertilizer helps improve the physical structure of the soil, enhancing soil fertility and creating a better growth environment for plants.

3. Enhanced Plant Stress Resistance: It increases plant resilience to adversity, aiding plants in better resisting diseases and pests.

4. Promotes Plant Growth: This fertilizer stimulates vigorous plant growth, thereby effectively increasing crop yields.

The brown algae oligosaccharide organic fertilizer we have introduced is an advanced organic fertilizer that not only embodies the concept of ecological sustainability but also contributes to the continuous development of modern agriculture.

Market pain points

Challenges and Strategies in the Market:

1. Cost Issue: Although traditional chemical fertilizers are inexpensive, we have lowered the production cost of brown algae oligosaccharide organic fertilizer through technological innovation and improved production efficiency, ensuring its competitive pricing in the market.

2. Lack of Awareness: Despite limited consumer awareness of brown algae oligosaccharide organic fertilizer, we plan to increase promotion efforts through various channels such as social media to popularize its benefits and value.

3. Organic Certification Requirements: To meet the organic certification requirements of agricultural producers, we have established strict quality control and traceability mechanisms to ensure that the production process fully complies with organic certification standards.

4. Usage Barriers: We understand that the proper use of organic fertilizers requires specialized knowledge. Therefore, we provide professional training, detailed usage guides, and online educational resources to ensure that consumers can use our products correctly and efficiently.

5. Effectiveness Concerns: Although organic fertilizers may have a slower action compared to chemical fertilizers, this is no longer a major obstacle as consumer interest in healthy food continues to grow. We will showcase the long-term benefits of organic fertilizers through detailed product explanations and real-life application examples.

6. Storage and Transportation: We have established partnerships with multiple logistics companies and agricultural suppliers to ensure that the quality of organic fertilizers is not compromised during transportation and storage. We also provide professional storage guidance to users.

External Guidance:

Mr. Ferrier, an economic advisor to the Workers' Party in the Brazilian Senate, stated:

The problems in Brazil's agricultural industry and environmental concerns have been thoroughly analyzed. The use of chemical fertilizers has far-reaching impacts on the environment and soil, including soil acidification, damage to microbial ecosystems, and groundwater contamination. While Brazil's agricultural industry is prosperous, excessive use of expensive chemical fertilizers has led to soil burning issues. The hazards of traditional fertilizers include soil acidification, loss of underground biodiversity, and water pollution. One solution is to develop the organic fertilizer industry to mitigate the hazards of traditional fertilizers. Brown algae oligosaccharide fertilizer, as a sustainable alternative, can improve soil quality, reduce dependence on chemical fertilizers, promote agricultural sustainability, and meet market demands.



Technology

the current method of producing alginate oligosaccharides (AO) fertilizer has various problems, such as inefficiency and unsustainability. Therefore, have developed a new method to produce alginate oligosaccharides (AO) fertilizer by using genetically modified Escherichia coli (E. coli).

​​​​​The model is a machine model involving smashing down the seaweed, providing the fermentation environment with bacteria to digest the seaweed, and ultimately breaking down bacteria to release alginate oligosaccharides. Due to its ecological conservation, sustainability, and efficiency, it is suitable for large-scale industries aiming for high yields.

Our hardware includes two stages:

(1) crushing stage

The seaweed is added to the plate, then passes through the stirring blade, which preliminarily and roughly crushing down the seaweed and pushing it towards the thermos flask.

In the bucket, the seaweed is smashed more thoroughly using the sharp spinning blade fixing at the bottom of the thermos flask.

(2) fermentation stage

The bucket with crushed seaweed is then transferred to the fermentation part. This part involves an Auduino program for temperature control, the temperature is set to be controlled above 35 degree Celsius, thereby when the temperature doesn’t satisfy the condition, the alarm system will be triggered to remind the users. Additionally, there is a titration vessel for adding arabinose, which has a weight sensor within to measure the weight of arabinose and display the measurements on the screen.

Therefore, under the optimum temperature, and with help of the genetically modified E.coli, crushed seaweed with larger contact points for reaction is digested efficiently. Furthermore, the arabinose helps to induce the suicide action of the bacteria through SRRz gene, the modified E.coli is disposed appropriately without potential environment problems.


https://2023.igem.wiki/thinker-shenzhen/hardware



SWOT analysis
Target customer research

The target customers for brown algae oligosaccharide organic fertilizer are expected to be organic food suppliers. "Six Acres Farm" in Shenzhen is a leading organic vegetable supplier in the local area. We visited the farm and had in-depth discussions with the farm owner to gain a deeper understanding of the current development status and challenges of organic agriculture.


Firstly, organic agriculture faces significant pain points in terms of production costs, yields, and market size. Compared to traditional agriculture, organic farms have higher costs and lower yields due to the inability to use chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Additionally, although there is an increasing demand for organic food among consumers, the high prices and limited supply chain still result in a relatively small market share. Moreover, the strict organic certification system is a common challenge expressed by farm owners.


However, despite the difficulties faced by organic farms, the overall market outlook is optimistic. With people's increasing focus on healthy eating, the organic food market is growing rapidly. Forecasts indicate that the global organic food market will reach $200 billion by 2025, with the Chinese market also reaching hundreds of billions of yuan.


In conclusion, for organic farms, reducing production costs, increasing yields, and simplifying the certification process are urgent issues to address. However, at the same time, with consumers placing more importance on food quality and health, the market potential for organic agriculture is enormous. Farms need to seize this opportunity and respond to current challenges through innovation and development.


For detailed customer research, please refer to the business plan.




The impact of biofertilizers on market economy

Brown algae fertilizer has the advantage of reducing carbon emissions compared to traditional fertilizers, and here are the characteristics and measures. Firstly, the raw materials for brown algae fertilizer primarily rely on marine resources, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and related carbon emissions. Secondly, the production process of brown algae fertilizer is relatively simple and does not require energy-intensive processes, thereby reducing energy consumption and related carbon emissions. Additionally, the brown algae in brown algae fertilizer helps promote the accumulation of soil organic matter and carbon sequestration, reducing carbon emissions into the atmosphere.


The brown algae fertilizer industry can generate profits by participating in the carbon trading market. Firstly, companies can implement carbon reduction projects by improving production processes, adopting renewable energy, and other measures to reduce carbon emissions. They can obtain carbon reduction certification and carbon reduction quotas to sell in the carbon trading market. Secondly, companies can participate in carbon quota trading, buying or selling carbon emission quotas under the carbon emission quota system to make profits. Furthermore, companies can engage in carbon offset projects, implementing emission reduction measures in other industries or regions to offset their own carbon emissions. They can obtain carbon offset certification and sell in the carbon trading market.


Through these approaches, the brown algae fertilizer industry can reduce carbon emissions while generating profits, contributing to sustainable development and a low-carbon economy.


For specific details, please refer to the business plan.


https://2023.igem.wiki/thinker-shenzhen/human-practices

Biofertilizer cooperation

In the process of exploring agricultural partnerships, we have reached a collaboration agreement with the Thinker-SC team, a professional team specializing in the research and development of IAA plant hormones. After multiple online and offline communications, we have established a cooperative model for the sales of "Seed- Fertilizer Pairing." In September, we collaborated again to plan a soil and water restoration project in the Loess Plateau region. Thinker-Shenzhen will provide high-quality fertilizers in conjunction with our IAA products for soil restoration. The project aims to promote the local economy while reducing the harm caused by soil erosion. We have introduced four collaboration options, including package sales, individual purchases, additional discounts, and extensive marketing promotion, to emphasize the advantages of organic and natural products and the improvement of agricultural productivity and quality. This collaboration is expected to bring more innovation and benefits to the agricultural market.

https://2023.igem.wiki/thinker-shenzhen/collaborations



Laws

According to the relevant laws and regulations of the People's Republic of China, the specific legal provisions that need to be complied with for the production and sale of brown algae fertilizer are as follows:


1. Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China:

- Article 14: Prohibition of producing and selling products that do not meet food safety standards.

- Article 15: Food producers and operators should establish a food safety management system to ensure that products meet food safety standards.

- Article 36: Prohibition of using toxic, harmful substances, or other materials that do not meet food safety standards in food production.

- Article 54: Production and sale of counterfeit or substandard food, or the use of substandard or counterfeit food as high-quality food, shall be subject to criminal liability.


2. Product Quality Law of the People's Republic of China:

- Article 16: Producers should produce products in accordance with national standards, industry standards, or quality standards stipulated in contracts.

- Article 17: Sellers should sell products in accordance with national standards, industry standards, or quality standards stipulated in contracts.

- Article 35: Selling counterfeit products or using deceptive or false labeling methods to sell products shall be ordered to stop sales, confiscate illegal gains, and impose fines by the market supervision and administration department.


3. Advertising Law of the People's Republic of China:

- Article 29: Prohibition of publishing false or misleading advertisements, and advertisements that harm social ethics, violate public interests, or infringe upon the legitimate rights and interests of others.

- Article 50: If false advertisements are published in violation of this law and constitute a crime, criminal liability shall be pursued in accordance with the law.


The above provisions are a brief introduction, and actual production and sale of brown algae fertilizer also need to comply with other relevant laws and regulations, such as the "Regulations on the Management of Fertilizers" and the "Regulations on the Management of Pesticides." To ensure legal and compliant operations, it is recommended to consult legal professionals or relevant local authorities in specific operations to ensure compliance with legal requirements.


To ensure that brown algae fertilizer complies with the relevant laws and regulations of the People's Republic of China, the following measures can be taken:


1. Establishment of food safety management system:

- Establish a food safety management team and clarify the responsibilities and authorities of team members.

- Develop and implement a food safety management system, including provisions for raw material procurement, production and processing, quality control, product traceability, etc.

- Establish and implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to ensure that the production process meets food safety standards.


2. Strict quality control:

- Produce brown algae fertilizer in accordance with national standards, industry standards, or quality standards stipulated in contracts.

- Establish a sound quality control system, including raw material inspection, production process monitoring, finished product inspection, etc., to ensure product compliance.

- Conduct sampling and testing of the products, and keep records and results of relevant tests.


3. Product labeling and advertising:

- Clearly label the product packaging with necessary information such as product name, ingredients, production date, shelf life, etc.

- Prohibit the publication of false or misleading advertisements, ensuring that advertising content is true, accurate, and compliant with the provisions of the Advertising Law of the People's Republic of China.


4. Compliance with market supervision:

- Conduct regular self-inspections and internal audits to ensure that the production and sales processes comply with relevant laws and regulations.

- Comply with the provisions of the Product Quality Law of the People's Republic of China and the Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China, prohibiting the production and sale of products that do not meet standards.

- If product quality issues or violations are discovered, take timely corrective measures and report and handle them in accordance with legal requirements.




Challenge

Brown algae oligosaccharide fertilizer faces multiple challenges in its marketing and adoption process.

1. low awareness, which limits the understanding of its characteristics and benefits among consumers and agricultural practitioners, thus restricting the market's growth potential.

2. brown algae oligosaccharide fertilizer is relatively expensive, partly due to the higher production process and raw material costs. This may lead to sales difficulties as consumers may prefer traditional, lower-priced chemical fertilizer products.

3. the higher price may also create potential profit pressure. To gain market share in a competitive market, companies may need to lower prices, which could impact their profitability or even result in losses.

4. immature technology can lead to lower efficiency, thereby weakening the appeal of brown algae oligosaccharide fertilizer. People are generally more receptive to traditional fertilizers because of their faster effects, which requires education and marketing efforts to change this perception. Another challenge is marketing. Identifying the appropriate target user group can be challenging, and government subsidy policies may not be sufficient to support the growth of the organic fertilizer industry, which can affect the company's profitability.

5. government regulatory requirements, including quality standards and environmental regulations, can impact the fertilizer industry. Limited government subsidies for the organic fertilizer industry can constrain the company's profitability. Moreover, market access barriers and international trade policies can also affect the supply chain and market share.