Biochar Industrial Group is Commercializing Agricultural Waste in Nigeria through their Biochar-as-a-Service model.
By Tolulope O. Osinibi, Founder & CEO
September 30, 2026 | 5 min read
Founded by industrial agriculture veterans Ikenna Nzewi, Uzoma Ayogu, and Isaiah Udotong, Biochar Industrial Group (BIG) is revolutionizing Nigeria’s Agri-processing sector by transforming agricultural waste into high-value economic and environmental assets.
Traditionally the organic waste generated from agriculture processing plants in Nigeria (palm kernels shells, casher husks, and sawdust) have been used as animal feed, openly burned, or otherwise discarded.
BIG however is converting that waste into another revenue stream for Agri-processors across Nigeria by converting that waste into Biochar.
Biochar is a stable, carbon-rich charcoal produced by heating organic biomass like agricultural waste in a zero-oxygen environment through a process called pyrolysis. This biochar has high commercial value in global carbon markets because it permanently sequesters carbon dioxide for centuries, allowing companies to generate and trade verified high-integrity carbon removal credits.
Drawing on their extensive background, scaling supply chains at ReLeaf Earth, the founders of BIG have pioneered a "Biochar-as-a-Service" model that finances, installs, and operates modular on-site pyrolysis systems in partnership with Agri-processing businesses.
This ingenuity converts waste into stable biochar while unlocking lucrative, verified carbon removal credits. By sharing the newly generated revenue from Biochar’s verified carbon removal credits with local processors BIG and its founders are simultaneously driving rural industrialization, cleaning up industrial supply chains, and establishing a scalable blueprint for sustainable climate tech in Africa.
Interview with Isaiah Udotong (Co-founder of BIG)
What is biochar, in simple terms?
Biochar is a charcoal-like material made from farm waste, but it isn't meant to be burned. We make it to go into the soil. Think of it as turning waste that would rot or be burned into something that feeds the land and holds carbon in the soil hundreds of years.
How is agricultural waste turned into biochar?
We heat the agricultural waste, things like shells and resideues, to around 400 to 700°C in a closed chamber with almost no oxygen. The process is called pyrolysis. Without oxygen the waste can't catch fire, so instead of turning to ash and smoke, its carbon rearranges into a stable, porous solid. The gases released during heating are burned inside the system to help power the process, so nothing goes up as open smoke.
How is that different from burning waste or making charcoal?
When you burn waste in the open, almost all of its carbon goes straight into the air as CO2 and smoke. Traditional charcoal is made to be burned too, so the carbon ends up in the air anyway. With biochar, roughly half the carbon in the waste is locked into a form that doesn't break down, and because it goes into soil instead of a fire, it stays there. That's why biochar counts as carbon removal, not just cleaner fuel.
What does biochar do for the soil?
Under a microscope, biochar looks like a sponge, full of tiny pores. That structure does three useful things:
Holds water, so crops handle dry spells better.
Holds nutrients, so less fertilizer washes away with the rain and farmers get more value from what they apply.
Houses soil life, giving helpful microbes a place to live and work.
Many tropical soils, including large parts of Nigeria, are acidic and lose nutrients quickly in heavy rain. Biochar can reduce acidity and help the soil hold on to what farmers put in.
How long does the carbon stay in the ground?
Hundreds to thousands of years. The best proof is in the Amazon, where people added charred material to their soils centuries ago. Those dark soils, called terra preta, are still more fertile than the land around them today.
How do you know the biochar is safe and actually removing carbon?
Every batch is lab-tested for quality and for harmful substances before it's used. Our production is certified and we check everything from the feedstock to how the biochar is applied. That independent verification is what gives companies confidence to that carbon is not going into the atmosphere and is being removed.
Finally, why does this matter for Africa?
We produce enormous amounts of agricultural waste, and much of it is burned or left to rot, which pollutes the air and wastes value. Biochar turns that problem into three benefits at once: healthier soils for farmers, cleaner air for communities, and a new income stream from global markets. It's one of the climate solutions where Africa can lead, not follow.