Biochar firm, rice research hub team up in Philippines projects
Quantum Commodity Intelligence – Singapore-based project developer Alcom and one of the rice sector's main research organisations have joined forces to support the use of biochar, a material that is often derived from used husks.
Alcom's tie-up with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) will study biochar use in paddy fields as part of a low-carbon rice plantation model in the Philippines, with the Singapore firm supplying the biochar from its plant in the country.
The intention is to expand the initiative to other regions, said Alcom founder Prateek Tiwari.
Biochar, when it is applied to soil, has a proven ability to both sequester carbon and hold water, which is particularly useful for rice paddy fields.
"This partnership with the IRRI, a world-class research institute and an authority in agricultural science, paves the way for global collaboration on best practices which will benefit the rice industry worldwide," Tiwari said.
The announcement comes as Alcom eyes expansion in Asia, after last month completing a pre-series 'A' funding round to finance plans for five new facilities that aim to generate 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide removals by 2030.
Alcom currently has a biochar production plant in the north of the Philippines, in Nueva Ecija province, where it uses rice husk as a feedstock, as well as in India.
The Nueva Ecija production plant has been certified as a carbon dioxide removals project by Finnish registry Puro.Earth, which lists carbon credits are priced at €200 ($216) per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e)
"Along with biochar application, we are also working on rice methane mitigation in paddy fields where we apply biochar, promoting regenerative agricultural practices across paddy farmers in Nueva Ecija," Alcom added.
The new partnership with Alcom is the second recent addition to the list of recent agreements signed by IRRI.
Last month, the Manila-headquartered IRRI set up a joint study with German chemicals company BASF on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from rice production by using alternative techniques that reduce the amount of methane emitted into the atmosphere.
Biochar is produced by processing biomass in a heat-intensive pyrolysis plant, with the resulting carbon-rich material added to soil where it locks up carbon and also acts as an organic, low-carbon fertiliser.
