Tag Archives: Carbon dioxide

Vegetating Polluted Landscapes

Frongoch Plot 2 sprayed with TerrAffix-Hydrasoil (before and 22 days after)

At an old lead and zinc mine in the heart of Ceredigion a fantastic transformation is happening. After years of polluting mine works the site resembled something from another planet or a blasted moonscape. That was until we started trialling our TerrAffix-HydraSoil.

The soil was massively degraded with high levels of pollutants. Nothing much has been able to grow on this site. A few sparse grasses clung to life but that was all.

Our specialist system has been trialled at the site against a number of competitors’ systems. We are pleased to report a significant environmental transformation where the TerrAffix-HydraSoil was applied.

TerrAffix-HydraSoil is specially suited for this terrain.

Not only does it enable plants to grow but it also prevents the pollutants from bioaccumulating in the plants.

The unique combination of natural and reclaimed ingredients act to lock in heavy metal pollutants so they aren’t taken up by the plants.

The product also has the significant benefit of sequestering CO2, enabling companies to achieve even more environmental targets.

The system offers enormous environmental benefits and has been shown to be easy and safe to apply, even on difficult and hard to reach terrains.

Each site is unique with its own individual challenges. Frongoch’s specific soil structure and composition were analysed by staff. They then made the appropriate tweaks to the system to effectively deal with the levels of heavy metals at that site.

Plot 1 showing the stark contrast between unsprayed and sprayed ground

NRW stated: “This is very exciting, we can see this system offers real potential benefits on heavily polluted land which needs remediating.”

TerrAffix-HydraSoil offers hope for all owners of significantly polluted sites.

United Nations Environment endorses Biochar

TerrAffix HydraSoil close up

TerrAffix HydraSoil close up

A three-year research project into the use of biochar for sustainable soils backed by UN Environment has culminated in excellent results and a thorough endorsement of biochar.

The project trained 500 farmers across six countries to make and use biochar. Johan Robinson, Portfolio Manager for UN Environment Biodiversity and Land Degradation, says:

“The project has demonstrated that nature-friendly solutions have multiple benefits for communities. From improving the productivity of soil to achieve higher yields, to helping manage waste and increasing carbon sequestration capacity – the advantages are clear. It’s now time to think about how to upscale the findings of the project to reach even more farmers globally”.

The multiple benefits of biochar

The exciting results of this project, which included enhanced plant growth (15-20% in one farm’s case) and a significant reduction in the need for fertiliser, highlight the economical and environmental benefits of using biochar made from locally available biomass residues.

TerrAffix Soil Solutions Ltd® is leading the way in the production and use of biochar as a soil remediation solution.

It is already recognised for its value to improve poor or polluted soils and as an element of green roofs. However, its carbon sequestration abilities have been less well understood or recognised up until now.

This UN project adds weight to our belief that biochar can have a fundamental positive impact upon our world.

Greenroof enhanced with Biochar

Greenroof enhanced with Biochar

Biochar in a booming bioeconomy

Polluted landscapes can be recovered, re-establishing soils and vegetation. This means that pollutants are immobilised or soaked up before they reach water courses. Biochar sequesters atmospheric carbon dioxide as it fixed carbon into soil and is used to re-establish the soil ecosystem.

If our technologies, which use biochar as part of the solution, are taken up for use on highly polluted sites and roadside swales around Europe, we could see the start of a really green revolution – a bioeconomic revolution using renewable biological resources.

Biochar’s carbon sequestration abilities will help us to achieve a sustainable global future and reduce the impact of climate change.