Diamond Quantum Nanotechnology Developing "health foods" for the plant world

(Article Source from Trade Insight)

Diamond Quantum, which has a history of 50 years, started as a chemical factory manufacturing calcium carbonate. It has undergone a second transformation in response to changes in Taiwan's economic policies and environmental impacts. Lin Yuehyi, deputy general manager of Diamond Quantum, said, "The first transformation occurred in 2000, when the September 21 earthquake caused soil liquefaction, which shut down the factory for three months. From then on, we decided to diversify our operations and establish a biotechnology department. The second transformation was in 2010, when the Ministry of Agriculture was established, mainly to apply calcium carbonate and silica to agriculture."

Chemical industry is still Diamond Quantum 's main revenue accounting for more than 90%, but transformation is necessary. The Ministry of Agriculture uses calcium carbonate and silica in Registration-free materials. Lin Yuehyi explained, "Our company focuses on liquid fertilizers, Registration-free materials and microbial-related materials. Registration-free materials are a registration-free pesticide, allowing some non-toxic materials to be used in Used in agriculture, calcium carbonate is one of them. It is made into materials using physiological control methods. "As a chemical factory, it was often questioned whether it could produce organic products, so Diamond Quantum found ways to increase equipment and improve the production process at the same time. Finally, it obtained three organic materials in 2022, changing the outside world's opinion.

Post-organic development involves long-term cooperation and technology transfer with National Chung Hsing University and the Agricultural Drug Testing Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture, and is divided into two stages for microbial research and development. The first stage is pure technology transfer products, and the second stage is hope. Combining microorganisms, such as Bacillus subtilis and Streptomyces, with home-produced calcium carbonate or silica is the main direction of current research and development. Dr. Hsu Chaochen, director of Diamond Quantum 's R&D department, explained, "The chemical products we originally made were Nano-grade. They were made into calcium carbonate slurry and then taken out to develop fertilizers. Nano-grade particles such as calcium and silicon help plants grow more efficiently." Effectively absorbs nutrients, and is suitable for both foliar spraying and root absorption." Aqueous solution fertilizers made using nanoparticles may be layered with water, but they only need to be shaken gently to mix, which is simple and convenient.

Take it from plants Use it with plants

Therefore, Diamond Quantum positions fertilizers for plants as "health food" for plants. Hsu Chaochen pointed out that the dosage of this fertilizer has reached the supply of trace or medium elements. "Compared with the traditional nitrogen, which is like food, , phosphorus, and potassium. Our fertilizer usage is not high, but it must still be used. When plants are supplemented with sufficient nutrients and grow healthily, there is relatively no need to use too many traditional pesticides or chemicals fertilizer. such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium " The concept of controlling and supplementing elements that are lacking in individual plants is like health food, and it is also the reason why Diamond Quantum turned to the research and development of microorganisms and organic products.

Hsu Chaochen hopes that the plants can stay healthy. "So switching from traditional chemical fertilizers to organic fertilizers can reduce the harm to the environment and at the same time have less impact on the environment. After we transfer the technology to microorganisms, we will gradually create a fermentation process." Using natural plants such as soybean flour Fermentation with rice noodles is actually the concept of "taken from plants, used in plants". "It needs to be accompanied by the upgrading of factory equipment so that we can achieve the control of bacterial counts and miscellaneous bacteria rates stipulated by regulations." Currently, Taiwan The microbial technological strains that Mao Quantum cooperates with the National Chung Hsing University and the Agricultural Drug Testing Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture are mainly Bacillus subtilis 151B1, which can promote plant growth, Bacillus siamensis CB36, which can promote the development of root systems of different vegetable crops, and Bacillus siamensis CB36, which can promote tomato Bacillus subtilis MCLB2, which is used for plant growth and prevention of bacterial wilt, and Streptomyces parvulus 2A11, which has inhibitory activity against a variety of plant bacteria, oomycetes, fungal pathogens, and pathogens that cause food poisoning or opportunistic pathogens in humans. These beneficial microbial strains and organic substances can be used as a fermentation substrate by Diamond Quantum to develop liquid organic fertilizers.

Diamond Quantum uses leaf spraying for fertilization. Lin Yuehyi said, "Calcium is not easily absorbed by plants, so we spray it through leaves and add nanoparticles to make it easier for plants to absorb. Nanoparticles can also be used as carriers , transport magnesium and zinc into the branches of plants, making the plants stronger." Calcium itself is a divalent ion, its absorption and conduction speed is not fast, and it is not easy to transport from the roots, and it is also easy to combine with other elements to form a precipitate status. Hsu Chaochen said that this is why Diamond Quantum developed leaf spray, "supplementing sufficient calcium directly from the leaves, and even adding magnesium, can help promote photosynthesis and improve the fertilization effect."

From saving electricity and water to circular economy

In the process of Diamond Quantum 's development towards organic and microbial products, it gradually discovered the rising trend of smart manufacturing and smart agriculture. Lin Yuehyi first launched a net-zero carbon emissions plan to save electricity. “First, ask others to see how to save electricity, how much carbon emissions can be reduced by saving electricity, and what proportion of these carbon emissions account for the company’s overall carbon emissions. Gradually, we asked others to see how to save electricity. Yes, we want to seriously find a more professional unit to calculate it, so we also plan to obtain ISO 14064 factory carbon inventory certification in 2023." Diamond Quantum has been following the Ministry of Agriculture's policy of "carbon reduction and increase sequestration." Reduce greenhouse gas N2O emissions through tests of rational fertilization, which is also an opportunity for them to move towards ESG.

After achieving the goal of reducing N2O emissions, Diamond Quantum applied ESG concepts to factory operations and was able to implement the second, sixth and twelfth goals of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (eliminating hunger, Water purification and sanitation, responsible consumption and production). They have created a circular economy by conserving water and controlling by-products of the calcium carbonate production process into soil conditioners. These efforts earned Diamond Quantum the Golden Root Award in 2023, as well as the 5th Taichung City Low-Carbon Sustainable City Outstanding Contribution Award. These awards demonstrate the results of Diamond Quantum 's smart manufacturing planning over the years, through applying for government cases and cooperating with AIDC on the smart set-top box (SMB) project.

Lin Yuehyi said, "Actually, the results were good after we completed the first year. We introduced the monitoring system in the second year, and now we have carried out the smart application upgrade (SMU)." From conducting greenhouse gas inventories to determine the source of carbon emissions, To organize greenhouse gas inventory according to ISO 14064-1, Diamond Quantum has obtained ISO 14000 and ISO 14064-1 certification. In the next stage, it plans to establish ISO 50001 energy management system and ISO 14067 product carbon footprint standard; these measures are not only in Achieve circular sustainability while also preparing for possible trend requirements of the future supply chain.

Diamond Quantum has further developed sustainable agriculture and smart agriculture through microbial technology transfer. Hsu Chaochen said, "When beneficial microorganisms increase in the soil, the use of pesticides or traditional fertilizers can be further reduced." In terms of smart agriculture, Diamond Quantum has long been developing fertilizers suitable for plant protection drones. The main focus is low concentration, but it can handle Spraying a large area can help farmers accurately locate and improve efficiency without having to come into close contact with pesticides. "At the 2023 Japan Agriculture Show, we also encountered many customers inquiring about this product, because Japan They are also facing the problem of an aging rural population, and their farming areas are relatively large, so they use drones more often." They did not expect that a product that has been applied in Taiwan will attract attention overseas this time.

Diamond Quantum is committed to the transformation of organic and microbial technologies, as well as investment in smart manufacturing and agricultural technology. What Lin Yuehyi advocates is actually "rational fertilization to promote the reduction of pesticides in half." Diamond Quantum adheres to this concept to develop its own products, sell them for export, and provide OEM services to overseas customers. Its main trading countries include Japan, China, the Philippines, and Malaysia. At present, the main cooperation and interaction is in Japan, from the OEM of fertilizers to the import and export of small quantities of agricultural products. Lin Yuehyi has been committed to expanding the diverse possibilities of the enterprise. At the same time, Diamond Quantum continues to improve product process technology and promote emission reduction and sustainable development, hoping to maintain the company's innovative vitality and international visibility in the environmental supply chain.