Wilberfoss-based Inturf develops carbon capturing turf

Wilberfoss-based Inturf now hopes that its Carbon Capture Turf could help it win Olympic contracts and appeal to local authorities and other green-minded bodies.

The Carbon Capture turf extracts 13 tonnes per year of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere two years after being sown, research has shown By contrast, a 25-year-old coniferous forest would extract 11 tonnes, a normal meadow less than 11 tonnes and a 25-year-old deciduous woodland only two tonnes per year.

The turf can store 47 tonnes of carbon dioxide per hectare per year in its roots too, which means the carbon is not released back into the atmosphere when it is mown, but stored in the earth.

Alex Edwards, joint managing director, said the turf is also a slow-growing variety, meaning it needs mowing less often, thus saving more carbon emissions.

The company, which has a turnover of about £3.5 million, has already had a number of enquiries after launching the new turf yesterday. The product itself will be available from spring.

Mr Edwards said: “Grass is very good at locking up carbon, we have known that for a while. This particular variety locks it up better and faster and requires less mowing than ordinary turf.”

He said he hoped its low carbon credentials would make it an attract product to be used on the Olympic Park and in local authorities, raising the profile of the company, which employs 20 people.

He said: “Anyone who wants to be green and carbon neutral should be very interested in this. Low carbon is a massive selling point for the London Olympics. We wanted to be one of the first with this product. We’ve always been innovative over the 25-year history of the company and we’re always looking for opportunities.”

One such innovation is its Rhizomatous Tall Fescue, a turf with a deep root which helps it hold onto moisture, requiring less watering and useful for windy, salty coastal environments.