Nedmag is developing an innovative solution to reduce nitrogen emissions from dairy barns, using the pure salts sourced from its production site in Veendam. This project aligns perfectly with one of the key sustainability themes in agriculture: reducing nitrogen emissions.
Spraying barn floors: simple and effective
In practice, special sprayers are mounted in beams along the edges of the barn and near the cubicles. These beams are sturdy enough for cows to stand on, protecting pipes and nozzles from damage.
Using a fully automated dosing system, the right amount of our magnesium and calcium solution is applied to the barn floor at regular intervals. The system is cloud-connected, ensuring all spraying data is securely stored and supports reliable verification.
The effect?
The magnesium solution reacts with components in the manure, binding nitrogen and phosphate in the form of struvite crystals.
"Magnesium makes the difference: GD Animal Health also reports promising results for improved hoof health."
Struvite
Struvite is the common name for magnesium ammonium phosphate. Ammonium and phosphate occur naturally in manure. By spraying our solution onto the barn floor, these elements are bound together in crystalline form. This creates struvite, which can reduce ammonia emissions — the main source of nitrogen loss from barns — by up to 50%.
With this method, Nedmag offers a natural and environmentally friendly answer to the nitrogen challenge in the Netherlands.
"By using magnesium, we bind nitrogen to phosphate to form struvite, which can reduce ammonia emissions by as much as 50%."
Dairy Campus trials
Both lab-scale and in-barn trials have shown that a substantial reduction in emissions can be achieved. Currently, a long-term field trial is underway at the Dairy Campus in Leeuwarden, in collaboration with Wageningen University (WUR). The goal is to confirm the approximately 50% emission reduction observed in earlier tests under practical conditions and over a longer time span.
Across three periods of eight weeks—spread over different seasons—nitrogen emissions are being measured in two identical barns using WUR’s measurement protocol. This approach accounts for variables such as temperature and time, ensuring accurate and reliable results.
Partners
Nedmag collaborates on this project with several partners, including the provinces of Groningen, Drenthe, and Friesland, Wageningen University, mechanisation company Wijha, and software partner Maraxis.
Through this partnership, we are building a sustainable solution—one that not only helps reduce nitrogen emissions, but also improves animal health and strengthens the quality of our agriculture.