HUSKEY is a startup transforming discarded rice husks into high-performance biochar. With its proprietary, continuously operating carbonization system and expertise in microorganisms, the company is implementing biochar on a societal scale to realize sustainable circular agriculture. Founded by Issei Oura and Takayuki Nishigaki—graduates of “School of Evolution,” where the founder of NOSIGNER, Eisuke Tachikawa, teaches “Evolutional Creativity”—Tachikawa also joined as director and CDO to lead design and innovation support.

Biochar, which can store carbon in soil over the long term, offers a sustainable use for the huge volumes of husks generated by rice cultivation. Rice-husk biochar not only suppresses CO₂ emissions but also has high water retention, aeration, and porosity, creating habitats for microorganisms and reducing the need for chemical fertilizers. 

While traditional carbonization (smoldering) of rice husks dates back thousands of years, it is considered economically inefficient in modern rice farming. Large-scale, stable, and efficient equipment is essential for processing the enormous volume of husks. Conventional systems are fragile and difficult to scale, but HUSKEY has invented a breakthrough mechanism, advancing both its intellectual property and real-world deployment. Through ongoing research into high-function microorganisms, the company is improving biochar quality, running field trials, and working not only toward carbon credits but truly sustainable agriculture in harmony with the planet.