SKion acquires shareholding in Geohumus

SKion GmbH, the holding company of Mrs. Susanne Klatten of the Quandt family (BMW, Altana fine chemicals et. al.), has acquired a shareholding of approx. 30% in Geohumus International GmbH, from Frankfurt a.M., Germany.

The company Geohumus International develops innovative Water Saving Technologies, in particular a water retention granulate. It can contribute towards finding an answer to one of the major challenges of this century: the diminishing supply of fresh water. More than 70% of the world-wide available fresh water are being used for agricultural purposes, both for food production and biofuel feedstock. Making efficient use of the resource water will help to mitigate impending water-based conflicts.

The company won numerous innovation and technology awards and prizes, including the German Founders Award and a German Environmental Prize.

The core invention of Geohumus is a water retaining granulate, that combines the water retention power of organic super absorbents with mineral components, such as lava rock and other igneous materials. This granulate is incorporated into the root horizon of the soil. Once irrigated, it captures and absorbs the water, dramatically reducing seepage and the resulting wash out of nutrients. Water and nutrients are then released over a period of several days, avoiding water stress and thereby triggering significant increases in plant yield. This saves one in three irrigation cycles and the corresponding amount of precious water and fertilisers.

Dr. Bentlage, founder and CEO of Geohumus, stated: „Geohumus can become one of the key technologies to increasing water use efficiency, particularly in arid climates, where water will become ever more important for providing food for billions of people. We are delighted to have SKion on board now, who are supporting our long term strategy in making a real difference in how water is used to best effect, for both the farmers’ productivity, and the commercial success of this ground-breaking technology.”