SUSTAINABLE BIOCHAR FROM GERMANY.

Biochar: THE ALLROUNDER OF NATURE!

Biochar is one of the most important products of our time. It serves as a CO2 reservoir and has a positive effect on all environmental media. Carbonisates from the pyrolysis of coal have been used for centuries for various purposes – against the backdrop of the CO2 problem, the topic is now once again highly topical. Biochar has the potential to make a significant contribution to combating climate change. With our biochar, we create a carbon sink that stores CO2 permanently for centuries. We also obtain a high-quality and sought-after product.

The term biochar comes from the combination of using biomass and increasing the carbon content through a thermal treatment step, e.g. pyrolysis. The charcoal therefore differs significantly from fossil coal due to the production process. Biochar has been produced in a targeted manner for centuries and used for various purposes.

Biochar is an extremely environmentally friendly and promising product with a rapidly increasing demand. First and foremost, it can be used as a soil additive, as a climate-impacting product for CO2 sequestration (capture and storage) of atmospheric carbon dioxide, as an animal feed additive, in soil and water purification and as a nutrient reservoir. Nature’s all-rounder. An overview of the positive characteristics:

GROUND

Biochar combines soil improvement and increased soil fertility with the long-term binding of CO2 and thus the reduction of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Water

Biochar has a positive effect on groundwater and water bodies by reducing the leaching of nutrients and fertilizers into the groundwater.

Atmosphere

Biochar can reduce the CO2 content in the atmosphere by binding it in the long term.

Vegetation

Biochar has very clearly positive effects on plant growth, especially in soils with insufficient soil properties; the increase in yield is 10 % and higher.

Animal world

When biochar is used, significantly fewer antibiotics are used; it also binds moisture and pathogens away from the soil substrate, thereby reducing the impact on the animals.

How is biochar produced?

Where is biochar used?

What are the benefits of biochar?

Pyrolysis is the thermal decomposition of chemical compounds at high temperatures. In this process, substances are heated up to 1000 °C in the absence of air and oxygen. Compared to gasification or carbonization, less organic substance is destroyed. The C-C and C-H bonds of the initial compounds are predominantly retained, but in a modified structural composition, i.e. the long-chain and polymer-like molecules are broken down into shorter ones – in other words, a bond break is created.

In the case of lignocellulosic biomass, temperatures of at least 250 °C are required to break down the structures. An important factor that influences the biochar produced during pyrolysis and its properties is time. The properties of the resulting biochar during the pyrolysis process depend on the design of the pyrolysis reactor and the reaction parameters as well as the biomass and its particle size, shape, structure and pH value. The decisive reaction parameters are the temperature or heating rate, the residence time in the reactor, catalysts and pressure.

HOW IS BIOCHAR PRODUCED?

Where is biochar used?

What are the benefits of biochar?

➥ Metallurgy (production of metallic raw products)

➥ Iron and steel industry (basic material)

➥ Cement industry

➥ Composting

➥ Restoration of recultivation areas

➥ Arable farming

➥ Bedding

➥ Feed additive/animal feed

➥ Cascade utilization