The person behind the innovation is farmer and innovator Kurt Hansson, who in collaboration with Agtech Sweden at Linköping University, Lund University, Hasta Gård and the company Water Harvesting in California, develops a technology based on a material awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry: Metal Organic Framework (MOF).
An innovation is born – and a long journey takes shape
The idea came to Kurt Hansson in 2016 when reading about an American technology for dehumidification: maybe dry air could be used instead of hot air to dry grain.
Some time later, he by chance heard a radio feature about a new material that could be used to extract water from desert air. This made him think that if you can remove the small amount of water found in desert air, then the air that remains must be extremely dry.
“I realised that it could work for grain drying,” says Kurt Hansson. The technology could also be powered by solar power, which means that it is highly energy efficient – it requires very little energy per litre of water.
This was the spark that ignited a comprehensive innovation project. Through a collaboration with the Department of Chemistry at Lund University and Agtech Sweden at Linköping University, a project was formed that received support from EIP Agri. Ola Wendt, professor of inorganic chemistry at Lund, played a key role. The project could now turn an idea into tangible experiments.
In late 2022, the first trials were carried out at Hasta Gård, where grain was dried using dehumidified air instead of hot air. The real breakthrough occurred two years later, in 2024. That was when the first Swedish prototype based on MOF technology was run – developed in collaboration with the Silicon Valley-based company Water Harvesting. The prototype created a dry air stream that dried grain without heat. The results showed that the method could halve energy consumption compared to conventional dryers.
Agtech Sweden – the catalyst for innovation
For Agtech Sweden, Leandry is an example of what happens when you dare to bet on the improbable.
When Kurt Hansson first presented his idea, it was far from obvious. However, Agtech Sweden saw its potential and became a strategic innovation partner – not only in technology, but also in business development, project management and communication.
Agtech Sweden has participated in everything from the formulation of project applications and the design of experiments, to communication in international arenas such as Agritechnica in Hannover and Elmia Innovation Arena.
This collaboration has also given rise to new networks between farmers, researchers, companies and authorities – an ecosystem that allows ideas to go from vision to real benefit.
“We believe in people who dare to think outside the box. Agtech Sweden exists to give such ideas a chance – not despite them being unlikely, but because the unlikely can sometimes become a reality,” says Per Frankelius, innovation leader at Agtech Sweden at Linköping University.
The Leandry project is more than a technological innovation – it shows how Agtech Sweden works: identifying, developing and driving ideas that are at the intersection of the possible and the unimaginable. It is not just about technology, but about courage, collaboration and perseverance.
When the Nobel Prize was awarded to the inventor of the MOF material in 2025, the world became aware of a molecular structure that could change industry. A farm in Sweden is using the same molecular structure to change agriculture.
Translation by Anneli Mosell
