Overcoming Financial Barriers for Paludiculture with Biochar Integration
© Nottingham University
Combining biochar integration to enhance revenues from carbon financing could offer a key opportunity to overcome the financial barriers associated with paludiculture adoption. This project aims to identify cost-effective biochar application methods and biochar types to reduce input costs for biochar integration, whilst also maximising carbon finance revenues by identifying biochar management practices, specific to paludiculture, that offers optimum carbon removal and storage.
Project aims
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Identify biochar application methods that can be integrated with minimal investment
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Identify the most cost-effective biochar that can enhance revenues from C financing
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Maximise C finance and product market revenues by establishing the maximum levels for biochar amendments, either in a single or in successive application, assessing the potential for biochar to supress methane emissions, and any agronomic benefits biochar integration can deliver
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Identifying policy barriers for biochar integration with paludiculture
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Exploring the economics of biochar C markets versus the generation of C credits, and (if it is possible in future and meets additionality tests) the impact of stacking peatland and biochar C on the financial viability and attractiveness of paludiculture
Location
National
Project partners
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) -
Project PI Dr Jennifer Rhymes – A UKCEH research scientist specialising in sustainable agriculture, with a particular focus on lowland peat. Jenny is the demonstrator site lead for the GGR-Peat paludiculture trials and has successfully led the WWF-Tesco Regenerative Vegetable Production on Lowland Peat project.
Project Lead - Jenny Rhymes
Email: jenrhy@ceh.ac.uk
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ADAS -
Project partner ADAS (lead Dr Liz Lewis-Reddy)- have extensive expertise in evidence synthesis, policy evaluation and data analysis. Their policy and economics work incorporates direct engagement with farmers and landowners via surveys, workshops and interviews to aid designing and implementing agricultural support mechanisms and policy analysis on behalf of Defra, the EU and the Welsh Gov.
University of Nottingham -
Project partner University of Nottingham (Prof Colin Snape and Dr Helen West)- The University of Nottingham is the leading university for biochar research, leading the UKRI funded GGR-D Programme Biochar Demonstrator and successfully leading a BEIS GGR Phase-1 project on converting fibre from food AD into biochar.
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Bangor University -
Bangor University (lead Ashley Hardaker) has specific expertise in combining agricultural economic modelling and LCA to deliver practice relevant research for decision making on land use change and decarbonisation.
SRUC -
Project partner SRUC (lead Mark Reed)– Mark Reed, Professor of Rural Entrepreneurship and Co-Director of the Thriving Natural Capital Challenge Centre at SRUC, sits on the Executive Board of the Peatland Code as Research Manager for the IUCN UK Peatland Programme. He is co-Chair of the UN Environment Programme's Global Peatlands Initiative Research Working Group.
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Lapwing Energy -
Project partner Lapwing Energy (lead Jonathan White) – Lapwing have extensive industrial links that will help resolve logistical barriers that could negatively impact the cost-effectiveness for biochar integration adoption (e.g, sourcing feedstock at scale). They have specific practical experience of biomass paludiculture.
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Project contact : Jonathan White - jonathan.white@lapwingenergy.co.uk
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