Zest Cleantech
Land remediation and biogas production
This startup turns contaminated sites into renewable energy fields, cleaning up land while producing clean power
Summary
This approach represents a paradigm shift in the fields of remediation and renewable energy generation.
This company was founded to develop a technology to produce renewable energy using plants grown on contaminated land, whilst simultaneously remediating the land over time.
It uses the power of plants to remediate mercury-contaminated sites using a process called phytoremediation. Then it uses innovative technology to decontaminate the plants and transform them into biogas through anaerobic digestion.
Carbon reduction potential
It transforms remediation from an expensive, energy-intensive, environmentally disruptive process into a low cost, low energy, environmentally restorative intervention.
And it avoids the food vs fuel debate by utilising non-arable land to produce bioenergy.
Opportunity to participate
The company is looking for grant funding to bring the technology through Technology Readiness Levels 4 and 5.
It requires access to mercury-contaminated sites and the engagement of farming communities to grow phytoremeidation crops