Agritech startup turns unused agricultural waste into sustainable fertiliser

Agritech startup TOWING Co., Ltd. opened its largest demonstration plant in Numata City, Gunma Prefecture, on 28 July. The facility will convert livestock manure into biochar and produce Soratan, a high performance soil amendment.

The project addresses the pressing issues of surplus livestock waste in the northern Kanto region and Japan’s heavy reliance on imported chemical fertilisers. Built with support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the vertically integrated plant occupies a repurposed municipal gymnasium. It incorporates biochar production and microbial culturing in a single location. The facility has an annual biomass input capacity of 10,000 tonnes. This makes it one of the largest biochar carbonisation plants in Japan.

TOWING partnered with Noritake Co., Limited to implement large scale continuous carbonisation equipment. Processing livestock manure into biochar presents significant technical challenges due to its moisture content and composition. Noritake applied its extensive industrial furnace heating expertise to establish a stable conversion process. The resulting biochar resolves the weight and odour problems associated with raw manure compost. This allows for easier mechanical distribution and wider geographic transport.

The production of Soratan involves fusing TOWING’s proprietary microbial culturing methods with technologies developed by the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization. Selected soil microorganisms are added to the biochar. This material helps farmers transition to organic farming practices, improves crop yields and sequesters carbon in the soil to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Numata City signed a partnership agreement with TOWING in November 2025 to promote environmentally friendly agriculture. Converting an idle public facility into a manufacturing hub for unutilised biomass demonstrates a practical approach to regional revitalisation and the circular economy.

TOWING Chief Executive Officer Kohei Nishida stated that utilising domestic unused resources is an urgent issue as international conditions increase procurement risks for agricultural materials. The company will advance the project from Numata City to achieve domestic circular agriculture and contribute to the future of food in Japan.