When John Winter discovered the concept of biochar almost 20 years ago, he knew it could play an
important role in on-farm decarbonisation. By converting biomass into stable soil carbon – which
improves soil health and reduces emissions – biochar has the potential to help the agriculture sector
respond to climate challenges. John co-founded the Seata Group and built a pilot plant on his farm to
demonstrate new technology that produces biochar and clean syngas at scale, while also creating
regional opportunities to process biomass, reduce waste and improve economic outcomes.
The farm: 500-acre beef cattle farm with 60-80 breeders; clean energy and carbon sequestration research and development pilot plant.
Location: Glen Innes, NSW
This case study is part of a series supported by the NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Hub’s Land and Primary Industries Network, in partnership with Southern Cross University.
Listen to the full podcast (below).
The challenges
- Initial scepticism from farmers and industry about the benefits of biochar
- High cost of making and using biochar
- Challenges in scaling, monetising and finding a market for syngas, which is created during biochar production
- “Proving” and “justifying” Seata Group’s technology and its benefits
- Inability to access carbon credits with the current scheme: John says his property is too small to make it viable. “I do my own calculations (instead)… it’s doable to sequester your own footprint.”
- Attracting the next generation to agriculture: For John, farm life did not appeal when he was young. “It was an easy decision to do something else,” he says.
- Encouraging young people to see agriculture as a viable career path is essential to keeping the sector sustainable, resilient and open to new ideas.
The turning point
“We’ve only got one planet,” says John.
“Every drought, you watch a dam dry and the fish dying in the bottom of the dam. You think, ‘if we mess this
planet up, we’re like those fish dying in the mud’.”
When John Winter discovered the concept of biochar almost 20 years ago, he knew it could play an important role in on-farm decarbonisation. By converting biomass into stable soil carbon – which improves soil health and reduces emissions – biochar has the potential to help the agriculture sector respond to climate challenges.
John co-founded the Seata Group and built a pilot plant on his farm to demonstrate new technology that produces biochar and clean syngas at scale, while also creating regional opportunities to process biomass, reduce waste and improve economic outcomes.
“So, what’s the answer to life on earth? Food and energy. We need short-term energy. Coal and fossil fuels are just biomass that’s been fossilised 400 million years ago. So how do we change that?
“Well, you can grow a tree in three or four years. And if you can use that tree in a similar way, that shortens that cycle from 400 million years to potentially 10 years at most.”
That idea – the production of biochar from wood through a process called pyrolysis – started to make sense to John. He decided to put his chemical engineering to good use and find a way to make and use biochar at scale.
On-farm changes
- Built a research and development facility: John, as a co-founder of Seata Group, developed and
patented technology that produces low emissions energy and carbon rich biochar. A pilot plant was built on his farm, showcasing how thermal and chemical looping principles can produce optimal pyrolysis and gasification outcomes. This process creates high quality, carbon-rich biochar and clean syngas. - Used biochar to improve agricultural practices: Trialled use of biochar as a cattle feed, which can improve digestion, productivity and reduce methane emissions. In the next phase, John is also looking at wet application biochars.
- Planted fast-growing Australian native trees: Grown in marginal country and strategically harvested for biochar production, John says this practice could provide farmers with alternative income sources during drought.
Impacts
Increased carbon sequestration, reduced emissions
- Biochar locks carbon into stable forms in soil
- Over the last 10 years, John has doubled the soil carbon on his farm.
Enhanced landscape resilience
- Biochar helps soils retain moisture and nutrients, improving resilience to climate variability, including drought.
Improved confidence in biochar’s benefits
- Proof-of-concept for other farmers, researchers and policymakers
- Showcases the role of farmers as innovators and adopters of low-emissions agricultural practices.
Potential benefits for the regional economy
- R&D facility supports knowledge exchange and demonstrates a pathway to adoption at scale
- Supporting local farmers to grow trees for biochar production could create alternative income sources
- Opportunity to create a hub that uses regional waste.
People just see net zero as solar panels and wind turbines. But there's a lot of benefit for the agriculture sector to embrace biochar. It means you're going to improve your soil and improve your business… and you won’t go broke doing it.
