
Up to ten businesses from in and around Birmingham and Solihull will be given the chance to trial a ground-breaking project launched during COP26 to help combat climate change through the use of biochar. The call-out, which is for companies wanting to make the move towards becoming carbon neutral, has come from the Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI) based at Aston University. It follows the launch of its new urban biochar greenhouse gas reduction and sustainable materials generator earlier this year. The chosen ten will be guided by the experts at EBRI into how they can use biochar, a sustainable form of charcoal made from organic waste, and how it can be used for practical purposes. The fuel for the trial will be sourced from the new state-of-the-art equipment which was built at a horticultural nursery on the outskirts of Birmingham, which is now producing biochar from urban tree waste from around the city. The project, called the ‘Urban Biochar and Sustainable Materials Demonstrator’, is being led by the Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI) based at Aston University and is being funded by Local Growth Fund (LGF) from the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP), as well as the EU European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The equipment, which was delivered and installed at Birmingham City Council’s Cofton Nursery near the Lickey Hills in August, and is now used to process tree waste produced around the city and Solihull area, using a thermal conversion process to create the biochar. Biochar has a variety of uses, including carbon capture, water treatment, soil improvement, odour control and industry applications. Read more about this exciting opportunity by clicking here.