- Innovate UK support: Minimal Financial Assistance
Case study: Transforming food and farm waste into sustainable fertiliser solutions
Cleobury Project Management Ltd (trading as CleoburyPM), based in Powys, is developing innovative technologies that turn agricultural and food waste into practical, low-impact solutions for farming. With support from Innovate UK, the company is delivering the SENORA project, which aims to create a sustainable, nutrient-rich fertiliser using waste streams such as food-waste digestate and eggshells.
CleoburyPM is an innovation-led research and development business specialising in spray drying, nutrient encapsulation and waste valorisation. Co-founded by academic and farmer Mandy Lloyd, and led in this project by CEO and Nuffield Farming Scholar Dr Ali Warren-Walker, the company brings together scientific expertise and real-world farming experience. Through SENORA, the team is applying advanced processing techniques to address key challenges facing agriculture, including rising input costs, nutrient losses and environmental pressures associated with synthetic fertilisers.
The fertiliser being developed through SENORA uses digestate and other by-products, which are transformed into a dry, stable product using spray-drying and encapsulation technology. By-products such as eggshells act as a natural stabiliser, improving nitrogen retention while also adding calcium to help balance soil pH. This approach reduces common problems associated with synthetic fertilisers, such as nitrogen leaching and volatilisation, which can contribute to water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Innovate UK support has enabled CleoburyPM to refine the formulation and ensure the product meets regulatory requirements, including the Control of Agricultural Pollution (Wales) Regulations and Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations. By converting liquid digestate into a lightweight, powdered form, the project also addresses practical challenges around storage, transport and application, making the fertiliser easier and more cost-effective for farmers to use.
Indoor and field trials with early adopters in Mid Wales are a central part of the project, assessing impacts on soil health, nutrient efficiency and crop performance. The work supports longer-term improvements in soil productivity by enhancing organic matter, supporting microbial activity and reducing reliance on fossil-fuel-derived inputs.
Through SENORA, CleoburyPM is demonstrating how circular economy principles can be applied at farm scale, turning waste into value while supporting sustainable agriculture. The project positions Mid and North Wales as a centre for innovation in eco-friendly fertiliser development, delivering benefits for farmers, the environment and rural economies. CleoburyPM are now applying knowledge gained in SENORA in an ADOPT project with Shed Field Growers exploring encapsulation and spray drying on farm-derived digestate for regenerative application.
Cleobury spokesperson: "Through SENORA, we at Cleobury are showing how food and on-farm waste can be transformed into a practical, higher-value input for agriculture. Innovate UK's support has really enabled us to develop a solution that not only improves nutrient efficiency and reduces emissions, but also helps farmers and industry move towards more circular and resilient systems."
Project facts
- Business: Cleobury Project Management Ltd (CleoburyPM)
- Location: Powys (with premises in Ceredigion and Carmarthen too)
- Innovate UK support: Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA)
- Project: Sustainable Encapsulation and Nutrient Optimisation foR Agriculture (SENORA)
- Focus: Fertiliser produced from food and farm waste, including digestate and eggshells
- Wider impact: Improved nutrient efficiency, lower emissions and support for circular agriculture
