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Rushes from Irish farms have been converted to biochar worth €1,750/t on world markets.
The Biomass to Biochar project converted its first rushes into the carbon-rich material, which is the focus of a new market study.
Baled rushes for bedding sell for just €5-€15 for a 250kg bale (€20-€60/t).
It takes around 4t of dried rushes to produce 1t of biochar, project leader Bernard Carey told the Irish Farmers Journal.
The market study was conducted by another EU-funded project, Re-Direct, which examines the conversion of weeds such as bracken (ferns), gorse and Japanese knotweed into the high-spec charcoal and its processing into activated carbon used in industrial filters.
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