EcoNomad Solutions has raised £230,000 from the British Design Fund as part of a £400,000 funding round to scale the BioNomad, a small-scale anaerobic digestion system designed specifically for livestock farms below the economic threshold for conventional biogas deployment.
Small and mid-sized livestock farms face mounting pressure from rising energy and fertiliser costs, tightening slurry and waste regulations, and pressure to reduce methane emissions. Yet existing anaerobic digestion systems are engineered for large industrial-scale operations, making them uneconomical or operationally impractical for smaller producers.
The BioNomad system addresses this gap by capturing methane from organic waste, converting it to biogas for heat, cooking or electricity, and producing nutrient-rich biofertiliser that reduces chemical fertiliser dependence.
A typical 50-cow dairy farm could reduce annual energy and fertiliser expenditure by several thousand pounds, depending on operational scale and feedstock availability.
Founder Dr Ilan Adler developed the concept after recognising that waste management challenges facing rural communities in Latin America — his initial focus — paralleled those in UK and European livestock farming.
With over two decades of environmental engineering experience spanning wastewater treatment, anaerobic digestion and renewable energy, Adler designed the BioNomad specifically for cooler climates, smaller operations and European regulatory frameworks.
The patented system is currently deployed on 10+ UK farms, with additional installations in Africa. Trials demonstrate applicability to insect farming, food waste streams, and integrated renewable systems combining biogas, solar and wind power for electric vehicle charging. The company's primary focus remains dairy, beef, pig and poultry operations.
The funding round combines British Design Fund support with an Innovate UK Investor Partnership grant and further investment from existing backer Beeches Group. EcoNomad's near-term roadmap focuses on product optimisation toward fully automated, plug-and-play operation before scaling deployment across the UK and Europe.
Damon Bonser, CEO of the British Design Fund, noted that EcoNomad addresses both environmental and economic challenges whilst demonstrating significant scalability potential across smaller farm operators globally.
The company's long-term objective is making on-farm waste-to-energy systems accessible and economically viable for small livestock producers across the UK, Europe and emerging markets.
EcoNomad Solutions secures £230k for on-farm waste-to-energy system
