Reverse Coal – Reversing the impact of coal

Reversing the impact of coal

An engineered natural solution to extract carbon from the atmosphere and return it back into the geological reserve for long term storage

We rewet lowland peat and establish short rotation coppice willow. The biomass is then harvested and fed through pyrolysis to produce biochar and generate renewable energy. We then bury the biochar, locking carbon back in the ground. The high grade heat and power will be used to power controlled environment agriculture for more sustainable food production.

"Our food production strategy is in crisis and we believe there is a better way"

James Brown, CEO

Understanding our environment

Working with the land to establish sustainable biomass crops, we can generate renewable energy whilst simultaneously locking away carbon from the atmosphere.

We put the land first, transforming a degraded agricultural landscape back to a fenland environment which would be comparable to a pre-drained landscape here in the midlands.

Renewable Energy

The green energy we produce is directed into controlled environment agriculture, which allows for year round food production with far greater food security.

This pilot is hosted on The Lapwing Estate in the heart of the historic Midlands coal fields and is part of a larger systemic transformation to move towards a sustainable primary agricultural model that produces high quality, healthy food, while simultaneously improving food security and delivering on multiple policy objectives.

Reverse Coal delivers a wave of UK government policy objectives

Net Zero Strategy
Rewetting Peat
Biodiversity Net Gain
Flood Risk Mitigation
Food Strategy
Food Security
Jobs & Investment
Water Purification

Biochar

An engineered solution to sequester carbon

Biochar is a solid form of carbon, akin to coal. It is produced during the thermal decomposition of biomass in a low oxygen environment.

Lapwing Energy

Lapwing Energy is the renewable energy division of The Lapwing Estate, exploring how the Estate can make a positive environmental impact without reducing food production from the land. The project team is competing in Phase 2 of the BEIS Direct Air Capture and other Greenhouse Gas Removal technologies competition. The team is composed of a novel combination of academics, engineers and accountants.