Innovation

POWERgrass is an innovative hybrid grass system born from a deep know-how of two opposing worlds, extensive research, and great courage to think outside the box. Today it can be confidently stated that it is the first truly hybrid system that promotes a balanced coexistence between natural and synthetic grass to support intensive play and reduce maintenance, with numerous mutual benefits. During the system's development, we devised original solutions that resulted in 5 invention patents that certify the innovation and our research commitment. Over 30 installations stand as proof of its effectiveness.

A patent is worth more than a PhD because it is not only a scientific deep dive; the patent certifies an innovative solution to a technical problem.

Good ideas account for 50% of success

In 2011, Dr. Niko Sarris identified the solution that would soon change the way sports fields were and are constructed. Despite his twenty years of experience in natural and artificial grass fields, he had to face countless issues and overcome numerous challenges to achieve the POWERgrass hybrid system.

Dr. Sarris, aware of the value of his creation, will present the first European patent application at the beginning of 2012 at the EPO (European Patent Office).

A year later he will submit a patent application to WIPO (World International Patent Office) for extension in the rest of the World introducing new features and an alternative solution with the Woven grass production method, also filed again with the EPO.

At the beginning of 2014 he will present a third patent, a descendant of the first, to protect an additional feature discovered during his research.

Towards the end of 2017, he presents the fourth patent for welding the fibers to the net using the innovative LC-HM (Linear Coating Hot Melt) method, which will subsequently be used for the production of recyclable synthetic grass. In November 2020, Sarris will present the fifth patent of improvement, which also includes machinery developed for this purpose.

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Patents certify that an idea is new and solves a technical problem, but successful installations are proofs of effectiveness. Spreading this solution is our mission, but often interests are conflicting, and in the absence of equivalent solutions, competition tends to denigrate the novelty or copy it without the know-how. However, when there are proofs of the effectiveness of the systems compared, it is hard to deny the evidence.

Sarris has always embraced those who want to understand how his innovation works, and recently, in a public debate on LinkedIn, in response to a challenge from a renowned competitor, he made himself available for any comparison or test as long as it is conducted objectively with the double-blind method, but he did not want to take the risk.

Sarris is not motivated by the speculative exploitation of his inventions but would like to see them become a beacon for doing business more equitably among different social classes, in harmony with the environment, emulating nature. Much of his know-how is published on this site and is freely available to everyone.

The state of the art of hybrid systems and how they relate to synthetic grass

Hybrid lawns are not a novelty. The first system was patented in 1990 in Holland, and shortly after in 1993, another was patented in the United States. In Italy, they have been used multiple times at the San Siro stadium, in Novara, in Genoa, and at the Bergamo stadium, as well as on some training fields for major teams like Milan at the beginning of the century.

Developing the POWERgrass hybrid lawn system, we had to confront the state of the art of other systems already present, understand their limitations, propose a new solution, and evaluate the technical advantage it produces. Consequently, in our research, we had to study the characteristics of all existing systems, which, from a theoretical perspective, would be suitable to reinforce natural grass.

Welding fibers to the net with LC-HT

The main goal of hybrid systems is to increase the resistance to wear and tear of natural grass sods. In our research, we identified 3 hybrid systems that had moderate success, but only for clubs with high budgets due to the high installation and subsequent maintenance costs.

One of the most evident, yet undervalued aspects is that grass does not grow willingly in traditional synthetic turf. It seems an impossible symbiosis, and just because of this, there is a belief that hybrid systems do not deliver as promised and in some cases are outright "rackets." Some hybrid systems work initially, but the advantages quickly fade. In other cases, the lawn suffers once it reaches the desired density and weather conditions are no longer favorable for growth. Very often, the surface becomes too hard or suffocating for the grass, which struggles to grow due to high mechanical resistance or because the root doesn't breathe. The turf density thins rapidly, and the cushioning effect is lost: players complain about the field hardness, causing ligament problems.

Maintaining the balance to favor the growth of grass inside synthetic turf often becomes a tricky and complex task that drastically increases the budget. Technicians are forced to use the Verti-Drain extensively to loosen the sandy vegetative layer, reseed, and fertilize repeatedly.

Experience taught us that in the systems of the past, under equal maintenance conditions, the growing conditions were less favorable resulting in grass quickly yielding because of rapid ground hardening. However, the stability of the surface is greater, and the levelness is often flawless because no dangerous holes form. These are the reasons that spark interest for further research and development of more effective solutions.

The reinforcement of natural grass has been studied by only a few entities worldwide because it requires deep expertise in two opposing worlds, natural grass, and synthetic grass. The scientific community is uninterested because excessive specialization in a specific subject often leads to losing the overall vision of the whole.

Lastly, the exponential growth of synthetic turf fields from 2004 to the present day has not sparked an economic interest in considering something different. In the general imagination, synthetic grass would have provided a definitive answer on intensive use, player safety, and reduced maintenance.

POWERgrass solves!

The POWERgrass hybrid system has overcome all the limitations of old hybrid systems, improving growing conditions within a specially designed synthetic grass compared to an application with the same substrate without reinforcement. The natural grass thus increases its resistance to wear and tear while simultaneously protecting synthetic grass from the sun's UV rays.

The POWERgrass hybrid system uses specially formulated synthetic grass with a non-biodegradable, draining, and breathable backing across the entire surface. The three-dimensional structure of the backing, where artificial filaments are well secured, forms numerous interconnected pores that allow grass roots to breathe, penetrate, and grow even below the artificial backing, into the sandy vegetative substrate.

Features, more unique than rare, distinguish this hybrid grass from all existing mixed or reinforced turf systems!

The POWERgrass project is not just an alternative to other hybrid systems aimed at reinforcing grass to play a few more hours during the playing season without tearing up grass sods in professional stadiums.

The POWERgrass project, while maintaining the play features professionals love, aims to offer a playing field for over 1000 hours a year, which meets the market demand of almost all amateur clubs and professional training fields. This is made possible by an innovation that combines more unique than rare features, the subject of four invention patents, allowing:

1. to increase the lawn's wear resistance and maintain the surface level without holes, through the fixing (“tuft lock”) of strong and resilient synthetic fibers to the backing, allowing raking and protruding of 20-30 mm fibers on the surface during filling with the growth substrate; protruding fibers on the surface aggregate the sandy substrate and protect the crowns of natural grass plants from players' cleats;
2. to triple the tear resistance of sods because the roots penetrate the backing and anchor from the first growth period; this is possible because air circulation is ensured by an open, uniform backing with 3D structure, so macro-pores are interconnected at different angles while, at the same time, the size and shape of interspaces prevent sand from penetrating the backing, avoiding clogging and hardening of the backing;
3. double the multi-year durability because the backing is non-biodegradable and made from a special net that does not unravel if punched by Verti-Drain tines, to withstand multiple maintenance operations such as deep aeration, brushing, thatch removal, reseeding, new renewal of the natural turf, etc.; if the lawn is regularly maintained, the POWERgrass system is estimated to last over 20 years;
4. to improve playing comfort by providing a softer surface for players and enhancing growth conditions of the sandy substrate that compacts less, allowing the combination of greater wear and tear resistance of grass sods to reduce maintenance interventions; because the backing is elastic and very soft reducing surface hardness; at the same time, integration of gentle cork within the sand layer will reduce the specific weight of the substrate, promote gas exchange, water retention, infiltration of rainwater, sports surface softness, and further reduce substrate compaction.

Optimizing natural resources: sand, cork, zeolites, and compost

The natural grass growth substrate is primarily composed of silica sand, compliant with USGA standards. In Italy, sand is found near rivers and other sites where it can be naturally extracted.

In central Italy, there is a mineral containing zeolite, an excellent mineral amendment, and compost production is widespread throughout the peninsula. By mixing the amendments with silica sand, it is possible to create a substrate suitable for cultivating grass and resistant to wear.

In the system, gentle cork granules are placed above the hybrid turf backing to soften the playing surface, reduce compaction, and provide an insulating effect.