The Dutch agriculture sector accounts for 14% (32 Mton CO₂-eq in 2016) of the national emissions of greenhouse gasses (GHG). This translates into a great opportunity to significantly contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂).
The challenge is to produce qualitative food with fewer emissions, whilst improving the quality of the soil.
Our biochar is a soil improver that enhances nutrient retention, improves soil aeration and drainage, increases the water holding capacity and increases microbial activity. It can be used with different types of plants and crops, and for a wide range of applications such as flower beds, home gardening, landscaping, organic agriculture and commercial horticulture.
In addition to this, biochar could be the answer to the methane and nitrous oxide emission problem. When biochar is added to manure, it reduces methane and nitrous oxide as well as stench. When the biochar-enriched manure is driven out on farmlands, biochar ensures minerals and nutrients are longer available for crops. Together with the WUR, University of Leeds and Nottingham University we are studying the effectiveness of biochar for the different purposes, as it has both the potential to enhance soil properties as well as to become the vehicle for carbon removal.
Besides offering our biochar solutions we als work closely with the the agricultural sector as a feedstock supplier. The agricultural residues are used as feedstock for our biofuels. In our plant in Ellesmere Port we use agricultural residues in our organic waste digester that produces 4 million m3 biogas per year from these residues. The biogas is upgraded to green gas, a sustainable alternative to fossil natural gas, which is injected directly into Ellesmere Port's natural gas grid. Read more about what we do in Ellesmere Port.
