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EcoNomad: UCL entrepreneur scales down eco-tech for small farms

Converting farm waste into renewable fuel and fertiliser is usually done on a mammoth scale for costly agricultural operations. A UCL entrepreneur has scaled down the technology to make it accessible to all.

EcoNomad: UCL entrepreneur scales down eco-tech for small farms

Converting farm waste into renewable fuel and fertiliser using anaerobic digestion requires expensive technology which has been one of its biggest drawbacks. The technology system designed by Dr Ilan Adler’s startup company EcoNomad offers affordable solutions for smallholding farms and rural communities both in the UK and worldwide. This allows for more sustainable farming irrespective of the size of the farm. 

Through EcoNomad’s system, waste is put to productive use, sustainable energy and fuel are generated and fertiliser produced as a by-product. Two prototypes at Surrey Docks Farm have been successfully tested with all gas reused on-site for cooking and heating water. Similar solutions have also been tested in rural Mexico.

The company hopes to launch its commercial, trademarked BioNomad product in late 2019, which is being supported by Rothamsted Research, UCL and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). 

This technology benefits rural farms, urban farms and communities which together make up around 90% of UK livestock farms. It will also benefit those involved in the food chain as consumers or producers, while helping the planet.

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