Terraligo

Terraligo is an environmental research and consultancy venture based in Northumberland, founded by Dr Richard Johnston – an innovator, environmentalist and passionate advocate for real-world climate action. Richard has devoted his career to finding practical, science-based solutions to environmental challenges. Terraligo’s  innovation focus centres on harnessing biochar: a form of biomass converted into stable carbon, potentially remaining in the soil for hundreds of years and bolstering both soil fertility and plant growth.

With roots in environmental chemistry and long experience in water and soil analysis, Richard set out to empower everyday people and large-scale operators alike to make meaningful contributions to carbon capture. Terraligo’s ultimate goal is twofold: developing leading-edge research that advances biochar’s efficacy and establishing real-world methods that anyone can adopt to help mitigate climate breakdown.

Building a Solid Scientific Foundation

A key obstacle facing Terraligo was the limited availability of robust, reliable methods to analyse different forms of biochar. Although biochar’s climate benefits are well recognised, not all carbon is created equal. To measure its stability, purity and potential for soil enrichment precisely, advanced analytical chemistry techniques are required. These tests can be costly and often beyond the scope of smaller organisations. Without robust academic data, Terraligo risked being unable to prove the effectiveness of its particular approach and ultimately advance biochar’s commercial and environmental viability.