• LNC is Liquid NanoClay.
• LNC is created in a mixing process of clay and water patented by Desert Control.
• LNC is mixed, on site, where it will be used, using only water and clay.
• LNC is a purely natural product with no chemical additives.
• Watch this video made by the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) to get a better understanding:

The following illustration shows how LNC works, with an explanation of each step underneath.

1. Water and clay are mixed in a patented mixing process creating Liquid NanoClay (LNC).
2. The LNC mixture is irrigated into the soil using traditional irrigation methods used in farming.
3. The LNC percolates through the soil and attaches itself to sand particles.
4. Without LNC, water and nutrients would run through the soil without being used by plants/fungus, but where LNC has been applied water and nutrients will stick to the clay around sand particles, creating a layer in the soil perfect for growth.
5. LNC will allow plants to grow in areas it used to be unfeasible for them to survive.

• LNC enriches sandy soil, giving it the absorbing character of normal black soil with traits comparable to high quality farming soil, with lower irrigation requirements and higher crop yields.
• LNC adds a 1,5 nanometer thick layer of clay to the surface of sand particles. This allows moisture to adsorb and absorb to the sand particles, so instead of having water and nutrients percolating through the soil, they stay in an LNC enriched layer in the soil.
• LNC treated areas has a good ratio of clay that makes the soil hold on to water without suffocating it with too much clay.
• LNC treated sand is airy and creates a good environment for fungus to thrive and for plants to grow.

• The LNC mixture is applied to a given area through traditional irrigation (or injecting) methods used in farming.
• Depending on what will be grown in the treated area, the soil is saturated down to root level (normally 30-60 cm down).
• The actual depth of the LNC layer is regulated through the duration of the LNC irrigation.

• The LNC layer acts like a sponge, retaining water and nutrients, giving a high percentage of water savings and avoiding deep percolation of the water.
  • Field test in Al Ain in Abu Dhabi conducted by Desert Control documented water savings of 50-70% (was featured on BBC International).
  • Field tests in Egypt conducted by the Agricultural Research Centre (ARC) documented water savings of up to 65%.
• By retaining moisture in a specific range in the soil, the effects of fertilizers are maximized, because they don’t filter through the soil. The LNC layer accumulates nutrients and water, but doesn't reduce the air volume present in between the sand particles. As a result, a yield increase has been seen for crops grown in areas treated with LNC.
  • Field test in Al Ain in Abu Dhabi conducted by Desert Control documented 108% larger individual cauliflowers and carrots compared to the control area.
  • Field tests in Egypt conducted by ARC documented a 4x increase in the yield of wheat.
• A layer of LNC will stop fertilizers percolating through the soil and polluting under-laying soil and water table.
  • The LNC layer acts as an effective accumulator for fertilizers, keeping them where you want them and avoiding that they seep through the soil and into areas you don’t want them, like in the groundwater.
• Mycorrhizal fungi thrives and grows in LNC treated sand, especially with soil humidity between 6-10% Volumetric Water Content (VWC).
  • Mycorrhiza is a symbiosis between fungus and roots of plants. Plants capture energy from the sun through its chlorophyll and supplies sugar to the fungus, while the fungus supplies water and mineral nutrients taken from the soil to the plant.
  • Mycorrhizal fungi is a vast network of fungus, which looks like tiny threads that grows around the roots, supplying it with water and minerals and is essential for healthy soil.
  • LNC creates a layer optimal for Mycorrhizal growth, especially when the moisture level is kept in the range where Mycorrhizal thrives.
• By having plants covering the surface, soil erosion is avoided and it stops the spread of deserts.
  • LNC allows plants to grow in areas that previously had too little water to sustain life. LNC treated soil will allow plants to thrive, using 50-70% less water than they normally would. This means that deserts can be reclaimed with smart use of water resources.
• By reducing the need for water, the size of irrigation systems can be decreased by 50-60%, saving cost on installations.
• Cutting CO2 emissions
  • Treating soil with LNC allows plants to grow in areas where it was previously impossible. Reclaiming deserts by growing green plants reduces CO2 emissions by 15-25 tons/hectare.
• Lowering surface temperatures
  • Desert sand heats up easier and retains heat longer than plants do, as a result you can lower the surface temperature by up to 15°C by replacing sand with plants. LNC allows plants to grow in areas where it was previously impossible using 50-70% less water, which is optimal for the reclamation of sandy deserts.

• LNC can be used in any geographic region with sandy soil. The image below shows the spread of different kinds of deserts, where LNC can be useful.

  

• LNC has been tested and proven effective in sandy soil with a high percolation rate.
• A proper soil analysis needs to be conducted before any LNC treatment, to tailor the solution to the soil need.

• You can grow anything that would normally be grown in the geographic region. The LNC treatments optimizes the soil.

• Yes, we use locally sourced water. Clay can be imported or - if available - used from local sources.

• Each project must be planned based on the availability of water, clay source, irrigation method used and topography of area to be treated. When the LNC is implemented, it will work in a few hours after the LNC has settled in the sand.

• The main issue is to have plants/vegetation covering the surface in order to avoid wind erosion, which with time will break down the layers in the soil, including the LNC layer.
• Assuming something is growing on the soil, how long a LNC treatment lasts, depends on how actively the soil is tilled. In soils that are actively tilled, an LNC treatment will typically last 3-5 years, before the LNC layer needs to be “topped up” by applying LNC again.
• If the soil isn’t tilled, like in tree plantations, parks or gardens, we expect it to last 15 to 20 years or more. The question here is the availability of nutrients for the plants/trees/grass; if these are lacking the plants/trees/grass will start to take these from the clay, so it is advisable to do regular soil analysis to know the health of the soil.

• Yes, patent: "Inorganic, static electric binder composition, use thereof and method for the preparation of said binder composition"
• LNC is patented in around 50 countries with desertification problems.

• The LNC solution will be commercially launched during 2nd half of 2019.

• Treat LNC soil like you would normal soil. If yield is of importance, then you need to keep the soil humidity above 5.5% VWC.
• Keep an eye on the soil to ensure that it contains enough nutrients.
• Avoid tilling the earth more than necessary, because this breaks down the aggregates, kills the fungus and shortens the lifespan of the LNC treatment.

• You can see the field test in Al Ain as featured in the BBC series “Taking the Temperature”: link

• There are a few different methods to mix clay into the soil, but none as efficient as LNC. This makes a huge difference in cost, manpower and equipment needed, as well as usage of clay. The competitors are:
  • Clay and sand mixture – For thousands of years, farmers have been adding clay to soil to make it more fertile. Mixing clay and soil, and getting it down to the right depth, without the LNC technology, is time consuming, because you need to physically mix the clay into the soil, which either takes specialized heavy machinery to spread and plow the clay into the soil (normal plows don’t plow down to 60 cm), or requires a lot of manpower and time to physically shovel the clay in place and mix it down to 60 cm. Not only do the alternatives become expensive and time-consuming, they also use around 10x as much clay compared to LNC.
  • Polymers and sand mixture – Polymers can potentially have a water uptake of up to 100,000% its own weight for short periods of time, keeping moisture in root level of plants. The idea is the same as with mixing clay into the soil: to keep the moisture where it is needed in the soil. The challenge is getting the polymers into the right level in the soil at a sustainable price. The polymers are a lot more expensive than clay and in order for them to work optimally, you need to have them at the root zone, so you need to apply the layer carefully for maximum effect. This makes it manually/mechanically intensive and much more expensive than LNC.
  • Biobaskets – Biobaskets are various types of baskets that are put in the ground, that enclose the roots of what’s grown, providing it with an undisturbed ecosystem to grow in. The baskets contain soil, water and nutrients, creating a good atmosphere to grow in. The challenge is that biobaskets are expensive to make and labor-intensive to “plant”, because each basket needs to be put in the ground and needs to be sown individually. Compared to LNC, biobaskets are much more expensive, time consuming and labor intensive to get in place.
  • Biochar – Biochar is charcoal used as a soil amendment. Like charcoal, biochar is made through the pyrolysis of biomass. Due to its porous nature biochar will retain moisture, like clay and polymers. Adding biochar to the soil has been hailed by some as a new “super soil amendment”, but it’s not without its critics. No matter where the argument ultimately ends, it has the same challenges as mixing clay and polymers into the sand does: it takes manual labor or machinery to get it properly into the soil, down to root depth.
• This figure shows how the different competitors fare compared to LNC:

  

• No. LNC does not contain any chemicals and is only made from natural components.

• LNC is mineral based (because it is composed of water and clay), so while not organic, it is made of only natural components, and is both ecologically sound and poses no threat to any ecosystem.

• The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), otherwise known as the Global Goals, were created in 2012 at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro. The objective was to produce a set of universal goals that meet the urgent environmental, political and economic challenges facing our world. They are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
• Our business touches on many of the 17 UN Sustainable development goals, directly or indirectly. The advantages of treating desert soil with LNC treatment are directly linked to goals 2, 9, 13 and 15. This is where we believe we can have the most positive impact, both for society and for our business, both now and for the future. (There’s a black box around the SDGs LNC actively impacts):

  

  • Goal 2: Zero Hunger

    Direct Positive Effect!

    End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture (link)

    1. LNC will allow for areas previously thought unsustainable for farming to be used for growing food crops.
    2. LNC cuts the usage of water by a minimum of 50%, so larger areas can be farmed using the same amount of water.
  • Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

    LNC creates a layer in the soil, that effectively saves water and nutrients, so fertilizers will stay where they are meant to stay and won’t disappear through the soil and pollute ground water underneath.

  • Goal 8:Decent Work and Economic Growth

    By reclaiming deserts and farming areas previously thought impossible to farm, new jobs will be created, giving more people a chance to work.

  • Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

    Direct Positive Effect!

    Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation (link)

    • LNC represents an innovation that will expand industry into new areas. New areas will require new infrastructure.
  • Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
    • Water is a scarce resource and agriculture uses a lot of water. By applying LNC we can cut the water usage by a minimum of 50% freeing up water for other uses.
    • Treating areas with LNC will provide local people with jobs, both in the treatment phase, but also when land needs to be farmed or cultivated afterwards.
  • Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
    • Cultivating deserts and turning them into farmland will help countries feed their citizens while they at the same time provide jobs.
    • Using LNC to cultivate land will allow for greener farming, because LNC treated soil retains fertilizers where they are intended, so they won’t pollute groundwater or nearby rivers and bodies of water.
    • LNC cuts the need for irrigation by 50-70% freeing up scarce water resources for use as drinking water.
  • Goal 13: Climate Action

    Direct Positive Effect!

    Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. (link)

    • Stopping desertification and making the planet green again has many positive effects for the climate and Earth as a whole.
      • LNC allows plants to grow in areas that previously had too little water to sustain life. LNC treated soil will allow plants to thrive, using 50-70% less water than they normally would. This means that deserts can be reclaimed with smart use of water resources.
      • Reclaiming deserts by growing green plants reduces CO2 emissions by 15-25 tons/hectare.
    • LNC will help make water less of a scarce resource in the areas that need it the most.
      • LNC reduces the need for irrigation between 50-70%.
      • The agricultural sector is one of the biggest consumers of water, so reducing their usage of water will free up water for elsewhere.
    • A layer of LNC will stop fertilizers running through the soil and polluting under-laying soil and water table.
    • Desert sand heats up easier and retains heat longer than plants do, as a result you can lower the surface temperature by up to 15°C by replacing sand with plants. LNC allows plants to grow in areas where it was previously impossible using 50-70% less water, which is optimal for the reclamation of sandy deserts.
  • Goal 14: Life Below Water

    LNC stops the percolation of fertilizers that runoff into streams and rivers that lead into the ocean polluting not only groundwater, but the oceans surrounding us.

  • Goal 15: Life on Land

    Direct Positive Effect!

    Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss (link) (please note 15.3)

    • Stopping desertification and making the planet green again has many positive effects for life on land and Earth as a whole.
      • LNC allows plants to grow in areas that previously had too little water to sustain life. LNC treated soil will allow plants to thrive, using 50-70% less water than they normally would. This means that deserts can be reclaimed with smart use of water resources.
      • Reclaiming deserts by growing green plants reduces CO2 emissions by 15-25 tons/hectare.
    • LNC will help make water less of a scarce resource in the areas that need it the most.
      • LNC reduces the need for irrigation between 50-70%.
      • The agricultural sector is one of the biggest consumers of water, so reducing their usage of water will free up water for elsewhere.
    • A layer of LNC will stop fertilizers running through the soil and polluting under-laying soil and water table.
    • Desert sand heats up easier and retains heat longer than plants do, as a result you can lower the surface temperature by up to 15°C by replacing sand with plants. LNC allows plants to grow in areas where it was previously impossible using 50-70% less water, which is optimal for the reclamation of sandy deserts.
  • Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals

    To ensure that as many people as possible can benefit from the use of LNC we are dependent on establishing a number of partnerships with all levels of society.

• Desert Control is a Norwegian company with global outreach that was founded in 2017.
• Desert Control is registered in Norway with the Organization number: 919 415 630
• You can read more about the senior management here: link

• Kristian Olesen invented LNC and spent 8 years in R&D, before Desert Control AS was established in 2017.
• Kristian now serves as CTO for Desert Control.

• Yes. Desert Control was selected to showcase LNC at Expo 2020 Dubai. Read more here: link