Green Carbon
A sustainable, and highly efficient solution that directly cleans the air, by capturing carbon (CO2), and converting it into sellable fertilizer to boost agricultural productivity.
Every harvesting season, farmers with middle low income, who live in the rural part of Nigeria, lose money when the crops take a longer time for one production cycle to reach maturity. This makes them feel frustrated and angry, as they lose more than 30% of their income. The problem associated with meeting food demands, is a symptom of low agricultural yield. In the past decade, the level of demand for rice alone was about 5 million metric tones, which is more than twice the quantity produced (2.2 million metric tones). Climatic fluctuation is putting Nigeria's agriculture system under serious threat and stress as the weather continues to deteriorate on a daily basis. The 2017 Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI) published by the UK-based risk company, Verisk Maplesoft, classifies Nigeria as a region of high risk, and indicated that the country is one of the topmost vulnerable countries in the world. Nigeria’s high vulnerability to climate change thus, stems first from its geographical location in the tropic. It stems secondly from our being a developing country with little capacity to adapt to climate change due to low levels of awareness, human and financial resources, and institutional and technological capability. To create electricity, trash incineration emits 2.5 times the amount of carbon dioxide as a coal power station. National data produced by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and housed in their eGRID database backs up this claim. Cement manufacturing produces about 0.9 pounds of CO2 per pound of cement, according to the Portland Cement Association. Because cement makes up such a minor part of concrete's composition, a cubic yard of concrete (about 3900 lbs) produces roughly 400 lbs of CO2. In Nigeria, the sun's intensity is growing, and this could lead to 2-11% of the agricultural GDP potentially being lost by 2023. Carbon emissions from industrial-scale bakeries, cement, and brick manufacturing release a considerable amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, altering atmospheric conditions and affecting agricultural productivity. According to OUR WORLD IN DATA, Nigeria's annual CO2 emissions moved from 20million tons in 1965 to 120million tons in 2022. The issue of low agricultural yield gets more challenging while considering fertilizer unavailability, inaccessibility and unaffordability. According to the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) chairman, the quality, prices and accessibility of fertilizer have affected crop yield, and this could result in a potential loss in GDP of between 6% and 30% by 2050, worth an estimated US$ 100 to 460 billion dollars. Crop production runs the risk of facing multiple jeopardy in Nigeria. It is estimated that Nigeria has lost at least USD 10billion in annual export opportunity from rice alone due to continuous decline in it's production.
Currently, farmers have resolved to using manure to grow their crops, in order to escape the prices of inorganic fertilizer. However, the disadvantage associated with the use of manure are that they provide less nutrients to plants, it can increase the acidity of soil over time, and are difficult to transport.
Project Green Carbon is a sustainable, and highly efficient solution that directly cleans the air, by capturing carbon (CO2), and converting it into sellable agricultural fertilizer.
Our solution takes two thread of actions, with the first involving capturing and converting carbon (CO2) into agricultural produce, and the second being the use of carbon sequestrated containers for plants. The first process, which involves converting the carbon(CO2) into fertilizer, is through a steam methane reforming process. Our technology captures two critical greenhouse gases(Methane and carbon dioxide), and through a series of production pathways, ammonia is formed from the methane gas, which then combines with the captured carbon (CO2) to produce ammonium carbonate, in which case it can then be purchased by farmers to grow their crops. Each production cycle is estimated to directly capture 22 Tons of CO2 (equivalent to 1013 mature trees carbon capture/year). On the second hand, our carbon sequestrated containers
Farmers lose money when the crops take a longer time for one production cycle to reach maturity. This makes them feel frustrated and angry, as they lose more than 30% of their income. Our solution is to capture carbon dioxide and convert it into fertilizer.
We would make it affordable to poor smallholder farmers in order to ensure increased agricultural outputs, productivity and incomes as well as maintaining food supply to the teeming populations(food security). The expected secondary effects include increased crop outputs, productivity and incomes, and by implication, poverty alleviation. Currently, farmers have resolved to using manure to grow their crops, in order to escape the prices of inorganic fertilizer. However, the disadvantage associated with the use of manure are that they provide less nutrients to plants, it can increase the acidity of soil over time, and are difficult to transport.
The Green Carbon team, are group of individuals who are enthusiastic about climate change, global and international youth development, and program management. The team is obsessed with the idea of using social innovation to solve practical human-centric problems. Obadare Samuel Adenekan is the co-founder and executive director of Green Carbon. He is a results-driven entrepreneur with years of progressive experience in project and programs execution and management with demonstrated excellent acumen across various capacities, from academia to leadership and professional development. Obadare is committed to ethical leadership and he believes in the power of young people to drive change across the world. As a result of his passion to make a difference by creating change, he has received various international awards, even as his various global solutions to environmental challenges were recognized as impactful. He was selected as the 2021 Mundus Maris World Ocean day prize (Turtle Prize) winner out of 61 entries involving over 10 countries, 2020 Mundus Maris (Brussels, Belgium) Honorary Diploma Awardee for his contribution to the BOOK OF THE MARINE WORLD, 8th Millennium Ocean Prize winner, Going for Gold Network Grant winner, a top 100 finalist in the 2022 Moonshot grant out of entries from over +1500 applicants. Obadare is a 2022 Quest Fellow, Global Youth Ambassador with Theirworld, Global Change Maker with WYSE International, Climate Coach with Ashoka Initiative, and Change Maker at WE CREATE CHANGE.
Oluwatoyin Atoloye is the financial officer of Green Carbon. She is in charge of finances pertaining to the project whereby keeping adequate records of accounts. Oluwatoyin is currently the financial secretary of her community association where she handles and keep records of all finances pertaining to her community with good records of managing funds. She has serve in various capacity which includes voluntary work in educating students on climate change and bridging the gap to make world technology advance. Oluwatoyin is a member of SDG advocate program. She believes in team spirit, collective work and is passionate about positive results.
Olufunmi Abiodun Olanrewaju is the co-founder and technical director of Green Carbon. He oversee the development, maintenance and implementation of new technology device in green carbon. He possess skills like teamwork, decision making, problem solving and many more in which he use to help green carbon achieve it's objectives. He has experience and has worked on different projects which includes working as an online tutor voluntarily for Khan academy to spread knowledge across the world, he worked as a member of the team that made the final 10 in the sdg Innovation challenge, he is a member of the 3zero club. He is an hardworking individual who has positive impact on past project.
Ajayi Omotayo Orimisan is the co-founder and the public relation officer of Green Carbon. He handles the publicity, media relation, developing and executing promotional materials in green carbon. He exhibits an excellent interpersonal skills, presentation skills, the ability to priotise and plan effectively, digital media skills such as graphics design and video editing and more that he uses to help green carbon achieve its objectives. He a member of caring heart organisation a non-profitable charity organization in which its goal is to promote SDG 2(zero hunger), he worked as a member of blue stone solution, he worked as a memeber of the team that made the final 10 in the SDG innovation challenge, he is a member of the 3zero club. He is an optimistic, hardworking and believes in team spirit.
The team has found that nothing satisfies them more than developing innovative solutions to ravaging human-centric problems and contributing to the overall growth of the world at large.
The team carried out a survey across 3 States in Nigeria to collate data on the interest of farmers in using an innovative solution to enhance their crop productivity.
>65% of our target population amounting to farmers showed interest in trying out a new solunion, if made accessible.
>30% reiterated that they will be willing to try the product, if given at a subsidized price that the amount that other fertilizers are being sold
>5% decided not to ventfarmers. the using of our product until it has been tried by other farmers.
We discussed intently with the chairman of All Farmers Association of Nigeria, and he assured us that our solution will bring about significant economic growth in Nigeria, while solving the issue of climate change.
- Taking action to combat climate change and its impacts (Sustainability)
- Prototype: A venture or organization building and testing its product, service, or business model
Carbon dioxide (Co2) is by far one of the most dangerous greenhouse gas, contributing more than 60% of the greenhouse effect. Green Carbon fertilizer aim at making fertilizer prices affordable to poor smallholder farmers in order to ensure increased agricultural outputs, productivity and incomes as well as maintaining food supply to the teeming populations(food security). The expected secondary effects include increased crop outputs, and by implication, poverty alleviation.
Our solution takes two thread of actions, with the first involving capturing and converting carbon (CO2) into agricultural produce, and the second being the use of carbon sequestrated containers for plants. The first process, which involves converting the carbon(CO2) into fertilizer, is through a steam methane reforming process. Each production cycle is estimated to directly capture 22 Tons of CO2 (equivalent to 1013 mature trees carbon capture/year). On the second hand, the second process involves sequestration of captured carbon into containers that will be used by Eco-clubs to grow more trees across Nigeria.
1st-3rd month
Commencement of publicity outreach through our various social media platforms, train all the franchise team on marketing skills, and launch the new product.
4th-7th month
Sell over 1000 bags of fertilizer that will directly benefit 2,500 farmers.
8th-12th month
Sell 2,500 bags of fertilizer that will directly benefit 15,000 farmers by the end of Year 1
13th-24th month
Reach 60,000 farmers by the end of Year 2
Our solution relies on an advanced carbon capture method. Our carbon capture technology captures two critical greenhouse gases(Methane and carbon dioxide), and through a series of production pathways, ammonia is formed from the methane gas, which then combines with the captured carbon (CO2) to produce ammonium carbonate, in which case it can then be purchased by farmers to grow their crops. In order to supply other nutrient constituents to the fertilizer, additives will be used during the production to balance Phosphorous and Potassium content.
- Manufacturing Technology
- Nigeria
Our solution intend to serve over 60,000 farmers before the ending of Year 2.
Green Carbon fertilizer is being looked upon throughout Africa as a solution to carbon footprint and emissions, because it serves a critical role in providing effective and efficient solutions to climate change while simultaneously improving agricultural productivity. To meet up these expectations, Green Carbon needs to produce at a large scale and rapid pace. A Solve partnership would provide essential guidance as we establish these components of our work.
Green Carbon have the following partners for development and piloting: Quanta Tech, Eko Innovation Center, SDGACT LASU, and Department of Engineering, LASU, who have been using their capital and resources to support the development of our technology
Within the industry we serve, there is an increasing amount of change and a growing responsibility towards sustainability. As a result, the problems faced by our customers also continue to change and this has given us the opportunity to offer value by developing efficient solutions
It is one of the most unique and advanced capturing and converting of carbon emissions services available to our customers.
We are focused on applying and qualifying the power of technology to create better products for our customers and safer working environments for their people.
We are constantly pushing boundaries and challenging conventional thinking to find safer, cleaner and more efficient solutions.
We intend to sell our fertilizer directly to our target population. By marketing our world-class products and building a rural distribution network, Green Carbon will use a franchise model for distribution. Each franchisee will be an entrepreneur, residing in the local village and will be carefully selected and trained. Each will receive a starter kit with documented best practices for selling our product(fertilizer). They will also receive comprehensive training to enable them to quickly ramp up their productivity.