Systems

The treatment of seeds using accelerated electrons is a sustainable alternative to chemical dressing. The ISABEL mobile plant platform was successfully developed further in 2023.

For over 25 years, the gentle treatment of seeds using accelerated electrons as a sustainable alternative to chemical dressing has been an important field of work at Fraunhofer FEP. The process developed at our institute uses low-energy

electrons to kill pathogens in the seed coat permanently and without the development of resistant germs, while the embryo remains unaffected. The process works purely physically, so there is no toxic dust, contamination of soil and groundwater or chemical residues, meaning that seeds that have not been spread can be fed to livestock without hesitation, for example. 

Fraunhofer FEP has developed the container-based ISABEL system platform to easily integrate the technology into existing processing steps. Such a system can be used stationary on site at wholesalers or mobile to serve various locations of smaller seed companies. Since the delivery of two ISABEL plants to seed producers, most recently in 2018 to BayWa AG's seed center in Hainichen, Fraunhofer FEP has gained valuable experience on process and system performance in close cooperation with the end users. Based on this, we successfully further developed our ISABEL mobile plant platform in 2022/2023 and were able to transfer the technology to another customer with a new pilot plant.

The electron treatment of seeds is an outstanding example of the process-oriented development of hardware at the Fraunhofer FEP. The optimization of electron sources, for example, requires a deep understanding of mechanical, electrical and physical properties and effects. At the same time, system engineering expertise and process experience from specific applications are necessary in order to transfer the technology into a system suitable for production. The close cooperation between the "Special EB Systems and Technologies" department and the "Systems" division enabled targeted advancements not only of the electron sources, but also of the overall system and technology.

In 2024, the Fraunhofer FEP will continue to work actively with various partners on the development of the physical and biological treatment of seeds. Both in industrial contracts and in publicly funded projects, we are making our contribution to sustainability in agriculture.