BIG Secures $1.5M to Convert African Farm Waste into Biochar

Biochar Industrial Group (BIG), a climate-tech startup founded by former Releaf executives, has raised $1.5 million in pre-seed funding aimed at converting agricultural waste from African food factories into carbon-removal credits. The funding will enable BIG to deploy pyrolysis equipment at food-processing facilities to transform waste materials such as nut shells, husks, and cobs into biochar, a charcoal-like substance that sequesters carbon.

BIG will finance and operate this equipment, while the factories will supply the waste and share in the value generated. The funding round was led by BREEGA, with participation from the Catalyst Fund and non-dilutive funding from the Mulago Foundation.

The capital will also be used to hire staff in engineering, operations, logistics, and carbon verification, as well as to establish systems for monitoring and verifying carbon removal. Africa produces over 3 billion tonnes of agricultural waste annually, and BIG aims to address both waste management and soil degradation by converting this waste into biochar, which can improve soil health and generate carbon credits.