Leading the initiative is the Caviro Group which, in its Enomondoplant in Faenza (RA) produces CBMix, a blend that combines a soil improver and biochar. Four countries involved in the trial: Italy, Spain, Belgium and Cyprus.
«Black to the future – Biochar and compost as soil amendmenta project involving four European countries (Italy, Spain, Belgium and Cyprus) which aims to test the potential of “CBMix”, a blend made from a soil improver and biochar, a carbon-rich material obtained from the thermal decomposition of prunings, is up and running. This product is thought to reduce soil depletion and increase the capacity of soil to absorb carbon, improving plant yield.
CBMix is made by at its plants in Faenza (RA) and then distributed on land in Italy and in the partner countries with the aim of testing its yield in different climatic and environmental conditions, as well as on different crops. Overseeing the trial in Emilia-Romagna is the CRPV – Centro Ricerche Produzioni Vegetali in collaboration with the University of Bologna while the partner institutions in other countries are CSIC – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (Spain), Cyprus University of Technology (Cyprus) and Urban Crop Solutions (Belgium).
The underlying goal of the one-year project presented in July 2021 (with a second year requested) is to spread a circular economy model that involves all supply chain actors in the reuse of agricultural waste and in sustainable soil management. «CBMix makes it possible to accumulate water and nutrients, stimulating the growth of good microflora in soil, making the earth more resistant to drought and improving the nutrient balance of plants”, explains Rosa Prati, Project Manager and R&D Manager at Caviro. Biochar is a porous material that retains water and nutrients, gradually releasing them to make the soil more fertile and combat desertification».
«Black to the future» is funded by EIT Food – European Institute of Innovation and Technology (project ID:21217).
More information is available at blacktothefuture.eu.
