When it comes to representative technologies in the Netherlands, we often think of EUV lithography machines. But in fact, the lithography machine is a collection of scientific and technological equipment from all over the world, the United States provides light source equipment, Germany provides optical systems, the United Kingdom has the most vacuum technology, and Japan has the most indispensable photoresist materials.
In the end, the only technology that really belongs to the Netherlands is the cavity, which accounts for 20% of the entire lithography system. To put it bluntly, the lithography machine is the embodiment of the will of the global cutting-edge technology industry chain, and ASML in the Netherlands is just a spokesperson.
Although the lithography machine is not a unique technology of the Netherlands, in the following scientific and technological fields, the Dutch research is more in-depth, and its level is much higher than that of the United States.
1. Ventilator
More than 2 billion people worldwide suffer from sleep problems, which is a huge market. Dutch Philips doesn't just make razors, the diversified technology company is one of the world's leading providers of medical devices and healthcare services. Its products cover all segments of invasive ventilators and non-invasive ventilators, and occupy an important position in the global ventilator market.
For example, for sleep problems, many years ago Philips invented a peanut-shaped breathing robot, built-in several sensors to collect the user's sleep data, artificial intelligence algorithms will be based on this information for the user to tailor the breathing rhythm, and then the pillow will simulate this stable rhythm, when the user holds it, will involuntarily simulate the stable breathing rhythm of the pillow, from helping the user to fall asleep quickly, solving insomnia and poor breathing during sleep.
For another example, the electronic nose invented by Philips can diagnose lung diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pneumonia and even lung cancer from the breath exhaled by the person, which greatly improves the efficiency of detection and buys valuable time for the first person.
2. Soilless cultivation technology
Soilless cultivation in the modern sense originated in the United States in the 30s of the last century, but the Netherlands was the one who carried it forward. In facility cultivation in the Netherlands, the proportion of soilless cultivation is as high as 80%.
Almost all of the tomatoes in the Netherlands are grown without soil, and their yield has long been the highest in the world. The annual yield of large-fruited tomatoes per square meter is as high as 150 kg without artificial light, and the yield can be as high as 180 kg through artificial light. In total, 11 square meters of space produces more than 1 ton of tomatoes a year.
In addition to the fact that vegetables can be grown without soil, the Netherlands has also implemented soilless cultivation of wheat. Wheat is planted as an alternative to polyurethane sponges, biodegradable peat moss, or inorganic materials such as clay pellets; By delivering nutrients, the formula is absorbed directly by the roots to promote growth. The annual yield of wheat per mu is close to 8 tons, as a comparison, the average yield of wheat per mu in the United States is more than 500 catties, which is too far from the soilless wheat yield in the Netherlands.
3. Intelligent greenhouse technology
The reason why the soilless cultivation technology in the Netherlands is so developed and productive is inseparable from the support of its glass greenhouse technology. All greenhouses in the Netherlands adopt intelligent automatic control, and a computer realizes automatic monitoring, recording and regulation of environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, and light in the greenhouse, so as to provide suitable environmental conditions for plant growth.
In addition, the greenhouse is generally equipped with labor-saving equipment systems such as picking operation vehicles, liftable rail cars, and transportation operation vehicles, which saves labor, reduces costs, and improves work efficiency.
According to the data of 2022, the total export of agricultural products in the Netherlands exceeded 120 billion US dollars, second only to the United States and Brazil, and is a veritable agricultural power in the world. Its export volume of flowers, vegetables and fruits ranks first in the world; Dairy exports are the third largest in the world after Germany and New Zealand.
You know, the Netherlands has a land area of only 410,000 square kilometers, this ability to achieve high productivity on a limited land area is also of reference for China, which has a large population.
4. Sewage treatment technology
The Netherlands is a global leader in wastewater treatment technology, and the annual Amsterdam International Water Treatment Exhibition, the "world's largest water exhibition", represents the vane of the development of global water treatment technology.
We know that the Netherlands is a low-altitude country, and it has accumulated a wealth of water treatment technologies in the process of treating seawater intrusion. Since the 70s, innovative water treatment technologies have been used in the Netherlands, and the treated industrial wastewater is of high quality and can be used in the food and beverage industry.
In addition, since 2006, the Netherlands has banned the use of chlorine as a basic disinfectant for water, so that tap water has no special smell of chlorine. The use of ultraviolet light instead of chlorine, coupled with the assistance of advanced technologies such as "ultrafiltration" and "reverse osmosis", has led to stricter testing standards for direct drinking water than mineral water on the market in some respects.