Biochar Industrial Group announced a $1.5 million pre‑seed round intended to expand its waste‑to‑biochar operations across Africa.

The round was led by impact‑investment firm BREEGA, with participation from Catalyst Fund, while the Mulago Foundation provided non‑dilutive funding.

Technology and process

The company plans to install continuous‑pyrolysis equipment inside or alongside food‑processing factories, heating agricultural residues such as nut shells, corn cobs, husks and stalks at temperatures above 600 °C in an oxygen‑free environment.

The process converts the biomass into a stable form of carbon that can remain in soils for centuries; the resulting carbon‑removal credits are sold while the biochar is returned to farms as a soil amendment.

Potential benefits for processors and farmers

BIG estimates that Africa generates roughly 1 billion tons of non‑edible agricultural biomass each year, a stream the company aims to capture as the continent’s population and agricultural output increase.

Field trials have shown that applying the produced biochar can increase crop yields by up to 50 %, providing food processors with a new revenue source from waste that previously held little economic value.

Locating equipment at processing sites reduces biomass transport costs, creates local technical jobs and integrates biochar into existing agricultural supply chains.

Expansion plans

The newly raised capital will be used to broaden factory partnerships and scale the Biochar‑as‑a‑Service model throughout Sub‑Saharan Africa.

Founders Ikenna Nzewi (CEO), Uzoma Ayogu (CTO) and Isaiah Udotong (COO) bring experience from a previous Y Combinator‑backed venture that built industrial machinery and supply chains for thousands of smallholder farmers.