Our goal is to transform alcohol industry waste—such as spent grains, distillery sludge, and tequila bagasse—from an expensive disposal burden into high-value organic soil amendments like biochar and compost using data-driven AI decision making techniques. We aim to bridge the gap between waste generation and sustainable agriculture by investigating the impact of these materials on soil health across diverse climates. Ultimately, we are developing scalable, practical solutions that foster a global circular economy.
This partnership offers a unique opportunity to promote high-impact academic research without the requirement of a financial contribution. By simply sharing your industry expertise, operational data, or surplus materials, your organisation can play a pivotal role in shaping sustainable solutions.
We seek active collaboration from the alcohol industry to ensure our research remains aligned with real-world industrial needs. Specifically, we invite you to:
For specific information, please check the following link.
Partnering with SABER offers several strategic advantages:
We are the SABER project team, a multinational research consortium comprising six leading universities across the United Kingdom, Mexico, New Zealand, and Spain. Led by Prof. Laura Carter (University of Leeds) and Dr. Carlos Moreno-García (RGU, Aberdeen), our multidisciplinary group gathers experts in soil science, waste valorisation, artificial intelligence (AI), sustainable business models and scientific dissemination to the wider public. We are already supported by major industry stakeholders, including Grupo Trabanco (cider), Hawkes Bay (wine), and the Mexican National Chamber of the Tequila Industry.
We have successfully secured UKRI NERC (UK) and SECIHTI (Mexico) funding to establish our international consortium. In November 2025, we conducted the AGAVE Symposium, an event that brought together students, academics and private sector stakeholders to solve environmental challenges in the state of Jalisco. Furthermore, we have validated our initial testing platforms, such as the soil microcosm framework, and secured formal commitments and "in-kind" resources from our founding industry partners.
[17/04/2026] New Global Research Initiative to Transform Alcohol Industry Waste into Regenerative Soil Solutions