Year Awarded 2023
FFAR award amount $669,739
Total award amount $1,347,730
Location Brattelboro, VT
Program Seeding Solutions
Matching Funders Cornell University, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, Rich Earth Institute, University of Michigan
Grantee Institution Rich Earth Institute
Synthetic fertilizers accelerate crop growth and are commonly used in agriculture; however, these products contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, wastewater is also a source of pollution, and only a fraction of the vast quantity of nutrients flowing through modern wastewater treatment systems is captured for beneficial reuse. A significant portion of regional fertilizer needs could be met by reclaiming the nutrients present in wastewater. Rich Earth Institute is producing biochar from wastewater material to potentially be used to develop safe, renewable fertilizers that enhance agricultural productivity, support soil health, reduce nutrient pollution and mitigate climate change through soil carbon sequestration. This grant furthers the work of a previous FFAR Seeding Solutions grant to Rich Earth Institute