Today, the market often treats wool as production waste. To address this, Wool2Resource promotes the use of wool biochar in agriculture by converting wool waste into biochar, or bio-coal, while enhancing agricultural multifunctionality. From a circular economy perspective, the project aims to improve farming practices, even in arid or less fertile areas, while actively reducing CO₂ levels in the atmosphere. Wool2Resource leverages blockchain technology to ensure transparency and traceability, helping to combat climate change and create a positive impact on both the environment and the agri-food sector.
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Wool2Resource: a sustainability project for agriculture
The Wool2Resource project aims to transform wool waste, often considered waste, into biochar, a material that enhances soil quality and promotes a more sustainable agriculture. This approach not only adds value to a natural by-product, but also contributes to reducing environmental impact, combining tradition with innovation. Through collaboration between research institutions and companies, the project seeks to create a local supply chain able to face environmental safeguard and circular economy challenges.
Wool biochar in agriculture for a more sustainable future
Biochar, literally bio-coal, is a material produced by the pyrolysis of biomass, such as wood or plant waste, in a low-oxygen environment. Thanks to its porous structure, it can:
- increase water retention in soils, reducing the need for irrigation;
- improve soil fertility by retaining essential nutrients for plants;
- sequester carbon, contributing to the fight against climate change.
The Wool2Resource project, officially presented on the 24th of July 2024, explores the potential of wool biochar in agriculture by testing the material in real contexts, where its use can make a significant difference. Now the experimentation phase can officially begin.
Blockchain technology for circular economy in the Wool2Resource project
An important aspect of the Wool2Resource project is the use of blockchain technology integrated by EZ Lab. Thanks to the blockchain, transparency and traceability can be granted throughout the entire supply chain, from the transformation of wool into biochar to the finished and marketed agricultural product. This approach valorises the entire production cycle, promoting a more sustainable and circular management of resources.
Blockchain plays a crucial role in the Wool2Resource project by ensuring transparency and traceability throughout the entire supply chain, from the transformation of wool into biochar to its use in agriculture and the finished and sold product. This allows the monitoring of every phase of the process, turning the waste of one supply chain into a valuable resource for another. Thanks to blockchain, the project promotes an efficient and reliable circular economy that not only supports agriculture in arid and less fertile areas,but also contributes to reducing atmospheric CO₂, with a positive long-term impact.
Massimo Morbiato, CEO & Founder @EZ Lab
Benefits of wool biochar in agriculture
Nowadays, wool biochar in agriculture is not just an idea but a vision for a more sustainable agriculture, able to fight climate change through innovative and natural-material-based solutions.
For this reason, the expected goals of the Wool2Resource project are:
- reducing waste by converting wool into biochar and reusing it in agriculture;
- improving soil quality, contributing to crop growth;
- sequestering CO₂ and reducing greenhouse gas emissions;
- encouraging circular economy and an optimal use of natural resources.
Stay up to date by reading our blog or visiting the project’s official website.
Blockchain-powered circularity is the future: creating a new life cycle for wool in agriculture.