Excessive salt accumulation in soil leads to elevated pH levels and low organic matter content, significantly reducing the ability of plant roots to absorb water.

At the same time, declining soil organic matter weakens soil structure, further limiting productivity and resilience.

To cope with these conditions, farmers increasingly rely on chemical fertilizers, which accelerate long-term soil degradation.

🌱 Biochar-based Circular Fertilizer System 

1. Material (Feedstock)

• Shrimp waste (chitin-rich biomass)

2. Production Technology

• Low-cost pyrolysis using TLUD (Top-Lit UpDraft) systems

• Decentralized, household-level production

3. Soil Function Mechanism

• High porosity → improves water retention

• Carbon structure → enhances soil stability

• Chitin content → stimulates plant immune response

• Adsorption capacity → reduces salt stress

🌱 Production & Field Performance

• 3 tons of shrimp waste utilized

• 11.33% waste recycling rate achieved

• 20% increase in crop yield

• Up to 25% improvement in structural stability (NDVI-based)

• Up to 42% improvement in drought resistance (CWSI-based)

🚜 Product Deployment

• 15 tons of biochar fertilizer distributed

👩‍🌾 Farmer Adoption & Capacity Building

• 100 local farmers trained in biochar application

💼 Supported by 

• Creative Technology Solution Seed 1, $250K (Korea International Cooperation Agency)

🧪 Research Publication

• Photosynthetic Benefits of Chitin-based Biochar in Saline Agricultural Fields (In Manuscript)

• Field Validation of Shrimp Waste-Derived Biochar for Enhancing Crop Productivity and Climate Resilience in Saline Soils (In Manuscript)