Onnu Green Hubs

The opportunity

The green and arboricultural waste streams (like grass clippings, tree branches, and leaves) emit significant methane and CO2 emissions from current disposal methods like landfills, composting and anaerobic digestion. Furthermore, seasonal surges in green waste can overwhelm composting facilities, leading to inefficiencies, slower processing, and contamination of the compost, further reducing its quality. Some of these waste biomass streams are stored and directly applied on land, leading to polluted run-offs entering the river Wye, causing algal blooms and threatening the eco-system.

The solution

Onnu has developed a unique pyrolysis machine in partnership with engineering firm Woodtek that will pyrolyse these different waste biomass streams. With a vertical design, the scalable C1000 can effectively pyrolyse huge quantities waste biomass and convert it into biochar, a stable, carbon-rich material which locks away the carbon rather than releasing it back into the atmosphere. The syngas released from the process is combusted to generate green energy. A robust emissions scrubber with a Continuous Emissions Monitoring System (CEMS) ensures that no harmful gases are released into the atmosphere. The entire pyrolysis unit is fully automated with user-friendly HMI that aids in effective monitoring, tracking and controlling of the system to achieve maximum positive outcomes.

The result

The biochar produced on the site will be primarily used as a soil additive that will promote regenerative agriculture, resulting in improved crop yields. It will also be used as an additive in concrete, reducing emissions from the energy-intensive concrete manufacturing process.  

The advent of AI has been accompanied by a huge surge in energy demand for running the data centres. Our green electricity powers these gen-AI tasks and contributes towards driving a greener future by reducing their dependency on fossil-fuel powered grids.

Our project diverts waste regularly from landfills and river runoffs, effectively upcycling it into a climate positive solution. This not only promotes good waste management practices but also prevent the water pollution and damage in the Wye valley.

The project will provide employment opportunities to the local population in the climate action sector. It will also act as a centre of education, as we will share all information with the farming industry in terms of poultry litter processing, net zero impact, biochar applications and local energy usage to help improve farming practices.

Additionality

While delivering the outcomes seen with many biomass pyrolysis projects, the elimination of the catastrophic pollution caused by the feedstock’s current endpoint hugely increases the overall environmental impact of the project. A large percentage of project revenue comes from the sales of CORCs. Without carbon finance, the project would not be undertaken as the feedstock does not produce large amounts of excess energy to be sold, and the upfront cost of the pyrolysis equipment and biosecurity requirements means the plant would not be economically viable without carbon credits being produced and sold.