UW project that recycles forest slash piles selected for NSF commercialization grant

Traditional burn of slash pile.

Traditional burn of slash pile. Courtesy Jenny Knoth

Students at the University of Washington have teamed up on a startup that promises to turn slash piles of forest refuse into biochar, a crumbly charcoal-like product for farmers that helps their soil hold water and nutrients. The National Science Foundation chose the project for an Innovation Corps grant in October. I-Corps is a new NSF program launched this fall to support commercialization of technologies developed at universities. With the help of former C4C Entrepreneur-in-Residence Jeffry Canin, the student-led team developed a business plan that brought together people from across the UW campus – from forestry, chemical engineering and the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Read more about the project on UW Today