UAE Biochar Project – Converting Waste into Desert Soil Solutions

1.Project Background & Challenges

The UAE is struggling with severe land degradation, where desertification continues to limit soil fertility and agricultural productivity. At the same time, large amounts of agricultural residues such as date palm leaves and trunks remain underutilized, often disposed of as waste. Against this backdrop, the customer sought a cost-efficient way to transform these residues into biochar and verify its potential to improve soil conditions before committing to a larger-scale project.

2.Goal for Change

The customer aimed to launch a pilot project that would demonstrate the practical value of biochar. Specifically, the customer hoped to achieve the following goals:

• Soil enrichment: Combine biochar with algae cultivated by the customer to improve degraded desert soils.
• Material testing: Use a small-scale unit to process multiple types of feedstock and evaluate biochar’s effectiveness for soil improvement.
• Low-cost entry: Launch the first project at minimum cost to reduce risks and attract investment for larger-scale biochar facilities.

3.Action and Solution

After understanding the customer’s specific needs, Beston Group responded quickly and proposed the following solutions:

• Provide suitable model: Provide a biochar production equipment suitable for small-scale trials to verify performance.
• Lower equipment costs: Construction of the main furnace with carbon steel instead of stainless steel to reduce investment while maintaining durability.
• Enable multi-feedstock processing: Capability to process diverse agricultural residues, enabling reliable evaluation of biochar’s soil-improvement potential.

4.Results Achieved

The equipment has now been fully installed and commissioned, marking the successful launch of the pilot project. Beyond technical verification, the project has also generated strategic value for the customer. The key outcomes include:

• Successful biochar production: Biochar pyrolysis equipment successfully pyrolysis palm residues and other feedstocks into high-quality biochar.
• Soil improvement research: Biochar-algae mixtures are now being tested to assess their effectiveness in desert soil remediation.
• Stronger investment appeal: Verified results provide a solid foundation to attract government subsidies and private investors for scale-up.

5.Future Targets

The customer plans to scale up operations once the pilot results confirm soil improvement benefits. Future objectives include forming partnerships with government entities to expand biochar use across desert regions, securing larger international investment, and positioning biochar as a long-term solution for both land restoration and carbon mitigation.