Imagine turning cheap, dirty brown coal into something that makes poor soil behave like rich farmland — and lasts over 10 years. That's exactly what Novihum does: an industrial process enriches lignite into a humus replacement you can spread on degraded or dry land. Crops grow better, you use less water, and fertilizer runoff drops. The company built a pilot factory in Germany and produced 500 tonnes to prove it works at scale.
Degraded and arid soils are causing declining crop yields, excessive water consumption, and fertilizer runoff pollution across Europe and beyond. Existing soil conditioners like compost are hard to transport, inconsistent in quality, and difficult to scale. Farmers and land managers need an industrial-grade, long-lasting soil solution that works reliably across different climates and crop types.
A pilot production facility in Germany that manufactured 500 tonnes of Novihum soil conditioner from lignite (brown coal). The project also delivered quantitative results from cooperative field trials with target customers, proving the product's performance at pre-commercial scale.
If you are a farming operation dealing with declining yields on degraded or drought-prone land — this project developed an industrial soil conditioner that lasts over 10 years, significantly increases crop yields while reducing water use. A pilot facility produced 500 tonnes and field trials with target customers generated quantitative performance data.
If you are a horticulture supplier struggling with inconsistent soil amendment quality and high transport costs — Novihum is produced industrially from abundant lignite, making it easier to scale, transport, and standardize than compost-based alternatives. The project targeted agriculture, horticulture, recultivation, urban farming, and landscape sectors across the EU, US, and Middle East.
If you are a mining company facing costly land recultivation requirements on post-mining sites — this technology turns brown coal (a mining byproduct) into a high-value soil restorer. The project estimated 3.5 million sq km of land globally in need of soil improvement, and the product's industrial scalability makes it viable for large rehabilitation projects.
Specific pricing per tonne is not disclosed in the project data. However, the objective states Novihum is 'affordable' compared to other soil conditioners and lasts over 10 years, which spreads the cost over a much longer period than typical organic amendments that need annual reapplication.
Yes — the entire project was about scaling up. A pilot production facility was built in Germany and produced 500 tonnes of Novihum product after 12 months of commissioning, testing, and optimization. The project generated the know-how needed to scale further to profitable commercial production.
The technology is patented and owned by Novihum Technologies GmbH, founded in 2012 specifically to commercialize it. The company has attracted venture capital from both EU and US investors. Based on available project data, licensing terms would need to be discussed directly with the company.
According to the project objective, Novihum lasts over 10 years in the soil. This is a major differentiator — most organic soil amendments degrade within one or two seasons and need constant reapplication.
The project ran cooperative field trials with target customers and produced quantitative results ready for dissemination. The 500-tonne pilot production run confirmed the manufacturing process works at pre-commercial scale. The project received EUR 2,427,600 in EU SME Instrument Phase 2 funding, which requires strong commercial potential.
The project identified agriculture, horticulture, recultivation, urban farming, and landscape as target sectors. Geographic focus is the EU, US, and Middle East. The objective estimates 3.5 million sq km of land globally that could benefit from the product.
Based on available project data, specific regulatory requirements are not detailed. Soil conditioners in the EU fall under the new Fertilising Products Regulation. The company's focus on building a 'sophisticated global customer and partner network' suggests they are navigating market entry requirements across regions.
This is a single-company project — Novihum Technologies GmbH from Germany, an SME that is 100% industry with no university or research partners. This is typical of SME Instrument Phase 2 projects, which fund companies ready to scale proven technology rather than conduct basic research. The EUR 2,427,600 budget went entirely to one company focused on building a pilot factory and running customer trials, signaling strong commercial intent. The company was founded in 2012 with EU and US venture capital, so this is not a lab experiment — it is a business scaling up.
Novihum Technologies GmbH (Germany) — contact via company website
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