A Healthier Earth, the climate-tech subsidiary of Pure DC, and Cefetra, together with the UK AgriTech Centre and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), have been awarded £1.34 million from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA)'s Farming Innovation Programme, delivered in partnership with Innovate UK. The consortium will research and develop a biochar-based, lower cost, low carbon fertiliser tailored for UK cereal farming to help reduce nitrogen and carbon emissions and improve soil health – while supporting the UK agriculture sector's progress towards net zero. 

 

Cereal production in the UK generates around 2.3 million tonnes of CO₂e each year. Nitrogen fertilisers are responsible for about 1.47m of that footprint through manufacturing and field emissions, which is the equivalent annual emissions of the Bristol city region. The project aims to lower the climate impact of cereal production by developing a fertiliser that will, at a minimum, maintain yields, lower input costs and reduce applied nitrogen and associated emissions. 

 

Originally developed by Biochar Innovations, the product has completed initial trials supported by Innovate UK, delivering positive results. These trials indicated 23% less applied nitrogen with no loss of yield, creating potential income opportunities through nitrogen avoidance and carbon credits. The product is also expected to generate operational savings by reducing the need for liming and lowering tillage related fuel use. This grant will now support the commercial scaling of the product in collaboration with Biochar Innovations, the IP owner. 

 

Minister of State for Food Security and Rural Affairs, Dame Angela Eagle, said: 

  

 "Farmers are already leading the next wave of innovation, and we're backing them through the Farming Innovation Programme, delivered with Innovate UK, to turn cutting-edge research into practical solutions on farm. 

 

"This project will develop a lower-cost, low-carbon fertiliser for cereal growers is a strong example: cutting emissions linked to nitrogen use and improving soil health and resilience. 

 

"It's exactly what our Plan for Change is designed to deliver – supporting rural growth and long-term food security by helping farms cut emissions and increase productivity." 

 

The fertiliser will be produced by turning farm waste into biochar and combining it with poultry fly ash. Biochar – made by heating organic residues above 400°C with little or no oxygen (pyrolysis) – locks away carbon for centuries and, when returned to soils, can enhance fertility and water retention. Despite these benefits, adoption has been limited by farmer confidence and evidence gaps. This initiative will directly address those barriers by optimising formulation with farmers practices in mind, testing at farm scale, and validating agronomic and emissions outcomes under UK conditions. 

 

Alastair Collier, Chief R&D Officer, A Healthier Earth: "This is an exciting moment for us, as we bring together a consortium of leading experts and organisations to build a robust, science backed use case for biochar in UK agriculture. Biochar is one of the most promising forms of carbon removal available today and has the added benefit of improving soil, but right now farmer adoption is low. The funding will go towards our research and development to create a product that helps address this issue, engineering a fertiliser that works agronomically, reduces emissions, and creates clear economic value for farmers."  

 

Jason Hayward-Jones, Farming Lead, Cefetra, said: "As one of the UK's leading agricommodity businesses, we see firsthand the cost pressures farmers face alongside the demands of lower carbon supply chains. Partnering with A Healthier Earth and this expert consortium allows us to fast-track a practical solution: a fertiliser that helps farmers hold yields, cut nitrogen use and emissions, and unlock new revenue from verified reductions." 

 

The project is being led A Healthier Earth and Cefetra and brings together a consortium of expertise in UK agriculture, research and development, and biochar production. A Healthier Earth, the climate tech R&D subsidiary of Pure DC, recently opened the UK's largest biochar carbon-removal production facility near Royal Wootton Basset– an initiative that aligns environmental innovation with hyperscale data‑infrastructure growth and commercial opportunity. Biochar from this facility will supply the project, generating carbon removal credits while supporting agricultural decarbonisation.