A PARTNERSHIP to manufacture a "super compost" that can offset carbon emissions has gone into full scale production.

Crapper & Sons has teamed up with SoilFixer to create a dedicated composting team at the waste processing facility near Brinkworth to trial a production run of a super green biochar compost.

The compost is made from green waste which arrives at the site and is mixed with biochar granules - a sustainable type of manufactured charcoal which locks carbon into the soil and reduces nitrogen dioxide and methane emissions, as well as acts to improve plant growth.

Environmentally-minded gardeners and farmers that choose the super compost can then attest that one kilo of biochar equals 3.6 kilos of CO2 taken out of the atmosphere.

Founder and CEO of SoilFixer Tony Callaghan explained to the Adver the importance of the deal.

"We have been producing it on a small scale for a while now and have been looking for a partner to do it on a more industrial scale," he said.

"Key to the relationship has been their willingness to experiment and be flexible in making the new Biochar Super Compost and the excellent growing results the compost has produced.

"One of the unique aspects of the compost is that it is actually carbon offsetting technology.

"Every kilo of carbon in the ground is helping to fight climate change."

Richard Crapper said the move was mostly motivated by environmental concerns and predicated more interest in it in the future.

He said: "It's the benefits to the environment, it's using a by-product from our processes which reduces the amount of fertilizer, which is all normally petroleum-based, that farmers are going to put on their land.

“We are always looking for new ways to improve recycling rates or increase the range of products we supply.

"I think it will be a massive market so it will be a benefit to us as a business as well.

"It will take some time to build up the market, you have to do some trials, and quite a lot of researching work over the next few years but after that we should be able to get flying."