FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
20 July, 2026
EL-I TECH™ ACCELERATES WORLDWIDE AGRI ADOPTION AFTER BREAKTHROUGH RESULTS ACROSS CONTINENTS AND CLIMATES
IN A NUTSHELL:
EL-I Tech™ is the biggest global agricultural breakthrough in 70 years – a biological nitrogen engine that delivers nitrogen to crops, pastures and more with zero energy drain on the plant. With application rates of just 0.1 kg per hectare (0.1 lb per acre), EL-I Tech provides the equivalent nitrogen contribution of 175 kg urea per hectare (155 lb per acre), dramatically reducing the quantity of product required in the field while significantly improving biomass, yield and nitrogen-use efficiency.
Validated across 250,000 hectares (600,000 acres) globally, EL-I Tech has already transformed nitrogen programs in South Africa, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and is now expanding rapidly into Ireland and the UK, with new countries and regions added weekly.
Manufacturers and growers can purchase EL-I Tech through the global partner network, join structured trials or become registered EL-I Tech distribution partners.
SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS IN THE RELEASE BELOW:
Plant-Independent Nitrogen Fixation: First technology globally to achieve continuous, scalable nitrogen fixation without relying on plant-produced sugars.
Massive Cost Savings & Efficiency: 0.1 kg/ha replaces 175 kg urea/ha (0.1 lb/ac replaces 155 lb/ac) at approximately 10% of the price.
Proven Global Performance: Validated across 250,000 ha, delivering 75% profit increase in maize, 54% in sunflowers, 35–38% yield increase in citrus, plus replicated dairy trials in New Zealand showing up to 26% in dry matter gains over urea and 10% average yield increases across 22 Australian broadacre trials.
Triple-Action Benefits: Converts greenhouse gases into plant-available nitrogen, improves soil structure, enhances crop resilience.
Global Expansion: Now active in South Africa, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and the UK, with more regions added weekly.
Flexible Access: Manufacturers and growers can buy EL-I Tech through the global partner network, join trials, or become partners for distribution.
Seamless Integration: 100% natural, non-GMO, compatible with liquid, granular, water-soluble and seed-coat systems.
Broader Potential: Shows strong promise in environmental remediation, wastewater treatment, turf and landscaping systems, and forestry applications.
Digital Ecosystem: GPS-verified trials, automated yield calculations, NDVI/NDRE satellite validation and Mission Control dashboards.
FULL PRESS RELEASE
EL-I Tech™, the first technology globally to achieve true plant-independent nitrogen fixation at scale, is accelerating its global rollout following landmark success across multiple continents. The technology was first deployed in South Africa, where it delivered measurable increases in biomass, yield, chlorophyll and profit across maize, wheat, citrus, potatoes and hydroponic systems. These early results established EL-I Tech as a reliable, scalable biological nitrogen engine capable of replacing large volumes of synthetic nitrogen while improving soil structure and reducing environmental impact.
Building on this foundation, EL-I Tech expanded into the United States and Canada, where manufacturers and growers are adopting the technology to strengthen fertilizer portfolios, reduce nitrogen volatility and improve nitrogen-use efficiency. The technology’s ability to integrate seamlessly into existing fertilizer systems – liquid, granular, water-soluble, coatings and seed-coat mixes – made it an immediate fit for North American agribusiness.
The momentum continued in Australia and New Zealand, where replicated trials and commercial programs delivered standout results. Agraforum New Zealand’s replicated dairy trials showed that BioN containing EL-I Tech consistently matched or outperformed urea across four Mid-Canterbury farms, delivering an average 14% increase in dry matter (2,659 vs 2,326 kg DM/ha), with individual farms achieving gains of up to 26%. Fertikey Australia reported a 10% average yield increase across 22 validated broadacre trials, contributing nearly 20,000 kg of biological nitrogen across maize, wheat, soybeans and potatoes. At Craigmore Sustainable Dairy, farmer Dion Gordon was nominated for his innovation in nitrogen replacement after a single BioN application matched or exceeded the performance of several urea rounds at nearly half the cost.
With strong demand from manufacturers and growers, EL-I Tech is now expanding into Ireland, the UK and further afield, with additional regions added weekly. This rapid expansion reflects a global shift toward biological nitrogen solutions that reduce reliance on volatile urea markets, strengthen portfolio resilience and meet tightening environmental regulations.
The core breakthrough behind EL-I Tech is a patented symbiosis between autotrophs, which photosynthesize and produce sugars which serve as energy for diazotrophs, which fix atmospheric nitrogen – a system that generates its own fuel through natural metabolic processes. This partnership enables continuous nitrogen fixation without draining plant energy, solving the parasitic-load problem that limited previous biological nitrogen products. With application rates of just 0.1 kg/ha (0.1 lb/ac) replacing 175 kg urea/ha (155 lb/ac), EL-I Tech dramatically reduces the quantity of product required in the field, simplifies logistics and provides up to 1,750× less product to transport, store and handle compared with traditional urea-based approaches.
Across 250,000 hectares (600,000 acres), EL-I Tech has in featured cases delivered:
- 75% profit increase in maize
- 54% profit increase in sunflowers
- 35–38% yield increase in citrus
- 13% yield increase in potatoes
- 30% biomass increase and 10% chlorophyll increase in wheat
- 100% nitrogen satisfaction in hydroponic blueberries
- Dryland wheat yields of 4.5 t/ha vs 2 t/ha regional averages
- Pasture nitrogen replacement of 190 kg N/ha/year with just 60 g, vs 413 kg urea/ha/year
EL-I Tech forms part of a triple-action biological platform that includes:
- EL-I Tech™ – plant-independent nitrogen fixation
- sParK Tech – phosphorus and potassium liberation
- Carbon Crushers – hydrocarbon remediation
Beyond crops and pastures, the EL-I Tech platform also shows significant promise in environmental remediation, wastewater treatment, turf and landscaping systems, and forestry, with early data indicating strong performance across these sectors.
Manufacturers, distributors and growers worldwide can now purchase EL-I Tech via the global partner network, join structured field trials, or become distribution partners. Those in regions not yet activated can sign up for alerts at EL-I.tech to be notified the moment trials and commercial availability open in their country.
|ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
WHY EL-I TECH™ IS PERFECTLY TIMED FOR GLOBAL AGRICULTURE
Agriculture worldwide faces rising fertilizer costs, nitrogen volatility, tightening environmental regulations, labour shortages, soil degradation and pressure to produce more with fewer inputs. EL-I Tech directly addresses these challenges by delivering reliable, scalable biological nitrogen fixation that strengthens fertilizer portfolios, reduces emissions and improves nitrogen-use efficiency.
WHAT MAKES THE EL-I TECH™ WEBSITE AN AGRI GAME CHANGER
The EL-I Tech website gives agriculture input manufacturers and other agriculture professionals a clear, intuitive entry point into a fully digital, scientifically solid and user-friendly field-trial ecosystem.
They can onboard in minutes through secure invitations, access a mobile-first dashboard that joins them in the field, and follow step-by-step, protocol-driven trial workflows that remove all guesswork - from planning, to preparation, to planting to harvest and documentation.
Every action - from mapping control and treatment strips to uploading soil analyses, Sap results and field photos - is effortlessly captured, GPS-verified and stored in one place, creating a clean, credible evidence trail.
At harvest, the platform automatically calculates yield and protein differences, presents results in a visual dashboard and ensures every data point is scientifically validated.
For Agri Input Manufacturers (AIMs), the Mission Control dashboard provides real-time visibility across all trials, farmer management tools, data-verification workflows and portfolio-level performance metrics that strengthen sales, regulatory submissions and commercial confidence.
Together, this system secures EL-I Tech as a category-defining partner: a seamless blend of patented nitrogen-fixing biologicals, rigorous scientific protocols and a sleek digital system that proves efficacy at scale.
With integrated ordering, inventory management, dual-region data sovereignty and clear explanation of the science, results and partnership model, the platform makes it effortless for manufacturers to onboard farmers, run credible trials and build an expanding evidence base that drives adoption.
EL-I Tech’s system also includes satellite-based NDVI/NDRE verification, voice-note field capture, historical trial data warehousing and market localization. These capabilities reinforce the long-term vision: a global, independently verified, data-rich ecosystem that proves biological performance from the ground and from space - making every season more profitable, more transparent and more scientifically robust for partners across the agricultural value chain.
With this system’s continued evolution, a growing list of patent granted countries and steady global expansion, EL-I Tech is the future of agriculture, TODAY.
ABOUT CUSTOM CHEMISTRY AND EL-I TECH™
Custom Chemistry, a South African biotechnology company specializing in the practical application of microorganisms, has developed what many analysts consider the most significant agricultural breakthrough in 70 years. Its technologies are already in extensive use across Southern Africa and are now expanding globally. The company is the only licensed EL-I Tech manufacturer in the world and ensures a reliable supply of high-quality active ingredients on behalf of EL-I Tech.
Nitrogen fertilizer remains the primary driver of high-yield agriculture worldwide. EL-I Tech’s patented technology leverages a unique patented symbiosis between diazotrophs and autotrophic organisms to fix significant, crop-available nitrogen at levels previously unattainable through biological means.
This technology is supported by rigorous scientific validation, independent analyst reviews, and large-scale commercial performance. The future of agriculture is here, and it’s available through Custom Chemistry.
ABOUT GERHARD VERMAAK
Gerhard Vermaak has spent most of the past decade advancing the practical application of microorganisms across waste management, hygiene, bioremediation, and agriculture. His developments include full ranges of bioremediation products, cleaning solutions, and biological soil remedies.
His technologies are widely used across Southern Africa and are now entering global markets.