Revitalise the Planet with Terrasnovas


At Terrasnovas, we are dedicated to revitalising rest lands and contaminated sites for the sustainable production of organic materials. Our approach combines soil improvement with the cultivation of Elephant Grass (Miscanthus), from which we derive high-quality biobased materials.

Our unique refining process allows us to transform various feedstocks into multiple high-quality raw materials simultaneously. This innovative method ensures optimal use of natural resources, minimizes our environmental footprint, enhances biodiversity, and captures substantial amounts of CO₂.

 

Land Improvement: Buy, Lease, or Collaborate

We proudly support landowners—primarily in Spain—who have rest lands or polluted sites. Our services include expert advice on land improvement and ecosystem redesign. We offer flexible options: we can purchase your land, lease it, or establish a hybrid collaboration.

We are always seeking new grounds and valuable partnerships. Get in touch with us today to explore how we can work together for a greener, more sustainable future.

Elephant grass

Elephant grass, also known as: Miscanthus (giganteus) or Napier, originates from Asia. It is an impressive and very resistent (non-invasive) crop that reaches a height of 3.5 to 4 meters after a few years. It contains a lot of fiber, stores a hughe amount of CO₂ and has a long lifespan.The fibers consist of cellulose and lignin. These are valuable for the production of many different BIO-based products.

The advantages of Elephant grass:

  • Absorbs about 30 tons of CO2 per hectare per year (four times more than an avar. European forest)
  • Revitalises (poluted) grounds
  • Creates and improves biodiversity
  • Improves water and rainfall
  • Creates biomass, cellulose and lignine
  • Non-food crop
  • Non-invasive
  • Grows on restgrounds (does not effect the grounds for foods)
  • Low moisture,
  • Suitable for use in many sustainable materials
  • No fertilizers needed
  • Lowest ecologic footprint
  • Is fast-growing and strong
  • Needs hardly any water: no irrigation

 

Our entire ecosystem will benefit

Reversing desertification & slowing deforestation

Elephant grass grows on marginal land not suitable for food production. Elephant grass stores so much carbon in the soil surrounding the roots that the land gradually becomes fertile. After a while it might be possible to use the land for food production. So in the long run, the planting of elephant grass has the potential to reverse desertification and increase food security. By replacing wood Elephant grass thereby helps to reduce deforestation. it aso has a very large global cooling effect since the fields stay green for an unusually long time during the year (the “albedo” effect; lighter colors reflect more heat than darker colors.) and store water.

-Lets enhance the biodiversity-

 

Water and rainfall

By our plant programmes in SPAIN  the ecosystems gets a enormous natural boost. The Elephant grass hardly needs water other than the regular rainfall per year (500mm).  The grass stores water in the ground and improves the natural process of rainfall-evaporation-rainfall..  According to FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), soil carbon «[…] provides nutrients to plants and improves water availability, both of which enhance soil fertility and ultimately improve food productivity.»  it helps to reduce desertification of marginal lands. Also, according to a report from the EU-funded miscanthus research project OPTIMISC, «[…] miscanthus stands are usually reported to support farm biodiversity.» Researchers also argue that miscanthus farming leads to significantly improved water and soil quality.

Biobased Economy

Over the past 100 years, we have become increasingly dependent on limited fossil raw materials such as oil and gas and minerals. If we change, this will mean a transition from a linear economy to a circular and bio-based economy (BBE), from an economy that runs on fossil raw materials to an economy that runs on biomass as a raw material. Biomass is already used for non-food applications, such as cosmetics, fine chemicals and (building) materials. Within European policy, the objective is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% and increase energy efficiency by 20%. By 2050, carbon dioxide emissions must be 85-90% lower. To achieve these objectives, it is necessary to create new opportunities for economic development now through the expansion of business and research activities in low-carbon technologies.

The challenge before us is enormous. Inventories are decreasing, but the demand for raw materials is still increasing. The BBE is mainly associated with the valorisation of residual flows and the cradle-to-cradle concept. However, the available residual flows will not be sufficient as raw material for the BBE.

Agriculture is a potential product of raw materials for the BBE, usually through new crops, other possibilities from existing crops or from unused by-products. In the past, vegetable production was mainly oriented to producing food for humans and feed for animals. In recent years, interest in other applications of biomass as a raw material has increased, for example for fibers, fuel and high-quality products such as aromatics and biocides. In the near-future, biomass can serve as a supplement to, and ultimately a replacement for, traditional petrochemical refining.