ReGenEarth and Onnu Launch Integrated AD-Pyrolysis Project at Dairy Farm
ReGenEarth has entered into a strategic partnership with Onnu to implement an integrated anaerobic digestion (AD) and pyrolysis project at their Sedgefield site, located at Hope Farm, a 3,500-acre dairy operation that supplies milk to Arla. This initiative seeks to transform the farm's existing AD facility into a combined hub for renewable energy and carbon removal.
The project will incorporate Onnu's CarboFlow pyrolysis system to convert agricultural residues into biochar, a stable carbon product. The system creates a closed-loop process where agricultural residues feed the digester, and the resulting digestate is dried using heat from the pyrolysis process. The dried material is then processed into biochar, which can then be returned to the AD plant to continue the cycle.
Funding for this development is sourced from ReGenEarth's £100 million Green Bond programme in collaboration with RER Capital. This programme aims to support the broader rollout of integrated AD-pyrolysis sites, as well as tracking related feedstock and carbon credits.
To maximize material and energy recovery, two CarboFlow units will be added to the Sedgefield AD facility. The set-up is designed to fully utilize digestate, incorporate arboreal residues as an additional feedstock, and operate with heat recovered from the process to minimize external energy demand.
Once operational, the site is projected to produce 2,266 tonnes of biochar annually, generate 2.8 MW of recoverable thermal energy, and achieve a CO₂e removal of 4,300 tonnes, qualifying under the Puro Earth carbon credit framework.
ReGenEarth plans to use the Sedgefield project as a model for further AD-pyrolysis developments both within the UK and internationally. According to Giles Welch, CEO of Onnu, the partnership demonstrates the potential of integrating agriculture, carbon removal, and renewable energy generation in a commercially viable manner.
