Enable Earth and KMUTT Join Forces to Tackle PM2.5 and Create Value from Agricultural Residues in Wiang Pa Pao
A three-year partnership brings academic knowledge, environmental innovation and community participation together around the Wiang Pa Pao Biochar Project.
Enable Earth Co., Ltd. and King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on academic and innovation support in environmental management and biochar.
The partnership is a milestone in advancing environmental innovation and addressing one of Northern Thailand's most pressing challenges: PM2.5 air pollution, while promoting circular and low-carbon development in rural communities.
The MOU was signed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suvit Saetia, President of KMUTT, and Ms. Pasinee Tangsuriyapaisan, CEO of Enable Earth. Ms. Darin Rangsikamol and Mr. Suren Thapanangkoon served as witnesses at the ceremony at KMUTT.
Driving innovation for cleaner air and sustainable agriculture
The collaboration focuses on the long-standing PM2.5 crisis in Northern Thailand, particularly Wiang Pa Pao District in Chiang Rai Province, by transferring environmental knowledge and practical innovations directly to local communities.
Farmers will be supported to manage agricultural residues more efficiently and transform them into biochar, a durable carbon material that can improve soil, reduce open burning and create new commercial value.
- Corn stalks can be collected and converted instead of being burned after harvest.
- Rice straw can become a useful biochar feedstock rather than a seasonal smoke source.
- Other biomass residues can enter a circular system that treats agricultural waste as a resource.
- Biochar connects residue management with soil improvement, durable carbon storage and local value creation.
A Public-Private-People partnership model for impact
KMUTT and Enable Earth are developing the work as a Public-Private-People Participation model that brings institutions, business and communities into the same implementation pathway.
The model is intended to move beyond isolated technology trials and support environmental solutions that communities can use, maintain and expand.
This partnership represents a significant step in realizing the university's mission to drive academic engagement for societal benefit. KMUTT is proud to co-develop this PPP model that brings together government, the private sector and local communities toward sustainable development. — Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suvit Saetia
Innovation and the circular economy at the core
Enable Earth sees biochar technology as a practical way to address agricultural waste and open burning while creating opportunities for community-based businesses.
Ms. Pasinee Tangsuriyapaisan emphasized that environmental innovation should deliver both cleaner air and long-term economic value for the people who manage biomass on the ground.
Toward a low-carbon future
Representatives from KMUTT's Pilot Plant Development and Training Institute, School of Energy, Environment and Materials, JGSEE, Business Development Working Group, and Center for Research and Community Services also joined the signing ceremony.
The MOU spans three years, with a shared goal of developing the Wiang Pa Pao Biochar Project as a model that can be replicated across Thailand while supporting a low-carbon economy and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Interested in building a practical biomass or biochar project with us? Talk to Enable Earth.
