We’ll be attending the annual German Biochar Forum hosted by our friends at German Biochar and co-hosted by International Biochar Initiative where we’ll meet with other BCR leaders to help shape a sustainable future with biochar.
On the 18th, be sure to catch a special presentation from PYREG investor Moritz Koch from VAERING about the Biochar Market from the perspective of a family equity investor.

Der Beitrag Berlin – Moritz Koch from VAERING providing insights into the biochar market from the perspective of a family equity investor erschien zuerst auf PYREG GmbH.

Der Beitrag PYREG partners with dMRV industry leaders Carbonfuture and Mangrove Systems erschien zuerst auf PYREG GmbH.

Der Beitrag New System Installation erschien zuerst auf PYREG GmbH.

Biochar, a carbon-rich material, is created through pyrolysis, which heats organic waste like biomass and sewage sludge to over 500°C in low-oxygen conditions. This process sequesters up to 90% of the carbon contained in the original plant material, preventing it from re-entering the atmosphere. The facility will use local organic waste, diverting it from landfills and incineration.

The biochar project will also generate carbon removal credits for sale, supporting global decarbonization efforts. A Healthier Earth plans to scale this operation with PYREG’s high-capacity PX6000 pyrolysis machines, with future expansions in mind.

This initiative is a significant step towards combating climate change, aligning with global goals to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C, as outlined in the Paris Agreement. With the capability to deliver large-scale carbon removal, this facility underscores the growing role of biochar in climate solutions.

READ MORE: ‘UK’s largest’: A Healthier Earth to produce up to 9,000 tonnes of biochar a year at new site

Der Beitrag UK’s Largest Biochar Facility to Remove 17,000 Tonnes of CO2 Annually erschien zuerst auf PYREG GmbH.

“As a pioneering entity within the nascent carbon dioxide removal industry, PYREG represents a ‘hidden champion’ within the Rhineland-Palatinate region, particularly within an industry that holds immense potential for future growth. The company demonstrates considerable innovative strength, which is essential for the sustainable production of goods. It is a challenging task to make our industrial and technological state fit for the future with renewable energies. Technologies such as those from PYREG are vital for this transition. Today, I have seen today that this is indeed possible,” states Minister President Alexander Schweitzer.

Der Beitrag Minister President of Rhineland-Palatinate, Alexander Schweitzer, visits PYREG in Dörth erschien zuerst auf PYREG GmbH.

A carbon credit is a tradeable unit representing the avoidance, reduction or removal of one metric ton of CO₂e from the atmosphere. Organizations and individuals can use these credits to oset their greenhouse gas emissions, or excess credits can be sold on verified crediting platforms, creating an extra revenue stream.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

While often used interchangeably, carbon offsets and carbon credits operate on different processes and activities:

Carbon Offsets are an avoidance or prevention activity involving a reduction of CO₂ or other greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere in order to compensate for emissions made elsewhere. Some examples are solar and wind power.

Carbon Credits are a removal activity involving a removal of CO₂ or other greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere. Some examples are reforestation and biochar production. Companies or individuals who earn carbon credits can sell them to other organizations as carbon
osets to help oset their carbon footprint.

HOW DO CARBON CREDITS WORK?

Each carbon credit is treated as a unique and independently verified reduction of greenhouse gasses that must be traceable back to the specific carbon project that generated the emission reduction.

To qualify, the carbon project must be:

1. ADDITIONAL
The value of reductions must be beyond usual business practices.

2. REAL
Carbon reduction is measurable.

3. PERMANENT
The greenhouse gas removal is permanent and cannot be reversed.

4. REGISTERED
Each carbon credit is a unique, serialized and tracked unit that can be retired only once.

5. VERIFIED
An independent and qualified third party conducts a review of the project and certifies the emission reduction claim

WHAT PROJECTS QUALIFY FOR CARBON CREDITS?

Carbon offset and removal projects come in many forms and activities located all over the world, including:

• Carbon and methane capture and sequestration
• Emission reductions in industrial processes
• Land use and reforestation
• Returning biomass to the soil
• Investing in renewable energy
• Improving energy eciency
• Switching to alternative fuel types

WHAT ORGANIZATIONS VERIFY CARBON CREDITS?

Qualifying carbon projects are governed and verified by independent GHG Registries, such as:

https://acrcarbon.org/
https://verra.org/
https://www.goldstandard.org/
https://www.climateactionreserve.org/
https://puro.earth/
https://www.carbonfuture.earth/
https://unfccc.int/

WHO’S BUYING AND SELLING CARBON CREDITS?

Carbon market allows investors and corporations to trade both Carbon Credits and carbon offsets simultaneously.

There are currently two different carbon markets:

Worldwide compliance market
Companies that are large emitters of greenhouse gasses and are subject to government regulations. They are allowed to use carbon offsets for a portion of an emission reduction commitment.

Voluntary carbon market (VCM)
Allows individuals and companies not under a compliance program the opportunity to sell carbon credits to earn revenue or buy carbon credits to oset their emissions.

CARBON CREDIT / OFFSET LIFECYCLE

1. PROJECT DEVELOPMENT, VALIDATION & REGISTRATION

• Offset project is designed by a project developer, financed, then reviewed by an independent auditor
• Audit paperwork is sent to a standards committee, which certifies the project if standards are met
• Project is valued in terms of GHG reduction potential and co-benefits provided

2. CARBON OFFSET ISSUANCES

• Project is verified annually
• Carbon oset credits are issued based on verified quantity of CO2e GHG reductions

3. CARBON OFFSET TRADING / SALES

• Once issued, offsets can be transferred and traded between third-parties
• Purchaser does not necessarily use the offset
• Offsets can be traded several times

4. CARBON OFFSET RETIREMENT

• Offset holders must retire the offset in order to use them and claim the associated GHG reduction
• An offset can only be retired once

WHAT ARE BIOCHAR CARBON CREDITS?

Biochar carbon credits represent a permanent sequestration (removal) of carbon from the atmosphere. Physically trapping carbon in a stable
form (carbon sink) provides a longer and stronger permanence and higher value than traditional avoidance or reduction activities. When it comes to assessing and valuing carbon credits earned from biochar production and sequestration, it’s essential to work with industry-recognized organizations to ensure that the carbon removal is measurable, reportable, and verifiable.

Der Beitrag What exactly are carbon removal credits and how do they work? erschien zuerst auf PYREG GmbH.

Der Beitrag See you in California! erschien zuerst auf PYREG GmbH.

On this day 15 years ago, PYREG was founded by Helmut Gerber (CTO) who started the company from his very own garage.

The PYREG Helmut Gerber Ingenieurbüro GmbH (now known as PYREG GmbH) was created in 2009 as a spin-off from Bingen University of Applied Sciences with the aim of providing an efficient and resource-saving solution to the current waste disposal problem while simultaneously generating renewable energy.
Fast forward to today, and PYREG is considered the foremost pioneer in the biochar carbon removal industry: With more than 50 systems installed worldwide, PYREG is the market leader in the construction of high-tech plants for the production of CO₂-binding biochar and a pioneer in the field of CO₂ extraction. The PYREG systems remove more than 30,000 metric tons of CO₂ annually and, with 75 GWh, cover the annual heating requirements of around 5,000 households. The technology is considered a reference by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and is EBC type-certified (European Biochar Certificate).

What an amazing journey these past 15 years have been!

Der Beitrag Celebrating 15 years! erschien zuerst auf PYREG GmbH.

Der Beitrag New science confirms that Biochar is permanent erschien zuerst auf PYREG GmbH.

Sources of PFAS contamination include paper mills, landfills, firefighting training facilities and fluorochemical plants. After decades of use, PFAS are ubiquitous in soils, groundwater and surface water. This puts pressure on wastewater treatment plants to adequately treat waste streams to prevent further spread of PFAS chemicals and increases pressure to remediate contaminated soils. This is where biochar comes into play.

Source: https://www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decodeurs/article/2023/02/23/forever-pollution-explore-the-map-of-europe-s-pfas-contamination_6016905_8.html

Scientific research has demonstrated that PFAS are eliminated by the process of pyrolysis. Kundu et al. (2021) found that > 90 % of PFOS and PFOA in sewage sludge were destroyed in a pyrolysis-combustion integrated process. Evidence from the US EPA Office of Research and Development (2021) carried out on the US-based company Bioforcetech’s commercially installed PYREG pyrolysis plant shows that pyrolysis at 600 °C for 10 minutes and combustion of pyrolysis gases at 850 °C eliminate PFAS from sewage sludge. Bioforcetech (2021) has reported 38 PFAS compounds that were all kept at or removed to below detection limit in the biochar in their pyrolysis and pyrolysis gas burning process. At the Fårevejle wastewater treatment plant in Denmark, sewage sludge pyrolysis at a temperature of 650 °C and a residence time of more than 3 minutes has showed to eliminate all 7 PFAS compounds previously detected in the feedstock.

In addition to PFAS destruction Biochar made from sludges, used as a sorbent, binds already existent contaminants due to his high surface and properties. What is a sorbent ? Previous studies have postulated that high surface area, porosity, and high carbon content are important for the sorption of organic pollutants (Ahmad et al., 2014, Cornelissen et al., 2005; Hale et al., 2016; Zimmerman et al., 2004 ). Nowadays, activated carbon (AC), generally from fossil coal sources such as anthracite, is the most commonly used sorbent for soil remediation due to its high porosity and high carbon content (Hagemann et al., 2018). Biochar is an alternative to activated carbon, which can be costly and chemical and energy intensive to produce (Ahmed et al., 2019). The main advantage of biochar over AC is its greater sustainability, as demonstrated by an endpoint life cycle analysis (Sparrevik et al., 2011) due to its potential for carbon sequestration (Smith, 2016) and reduced use of chemicals (Zheng et al., 2019). Biochar is often produced from wood-based sources (Hale et al., 2016). However, from a circular economy perspective, it is at least as attractive to use lightly contaminated waste such as sewage sludge as a substrate for the production of biochar sorbents. Pyrolysis of sewage sludge to biochar is the possibility of a more sustainable waste management alternative to landfill or incineration, as it would remove many of the contaminants present in the sludge, including much of the PFAS (Sajjadi et al., 2019), and produce a sorbent for PFAS.

Sewage sludge biochars as effective PFAS-sorbents

In May 2023, there was now a groundbreaking study showing that biochar from raw and digested sewage sludge can be used as an effective sorbent for PFAS in most environmental contexts, with similar or better efficiencies than AC. This study is performed with biochar produced at Lindum AS (Drammen, Norway) by slow pyrolysis at 700 °C and a residence time of 20 minutes for WCBC and SSBC2 and 40 minutes for SSBC1 using Biogreen technology. “High porosity in the right size range and carbon content were probably the main parameters responsible for the high sorption strength observed in the sludge-derived biochars, together with some possible influence of amine functional groups.” (Krahn, Cornelissen et al. 2023).

According to Prof. Cornelissen’s research team, further studies should examine a larger range of biochar samples prepared at different pyrolysis temperatures to identify the characteristics ideal for PFAS sorption, such as surface area, pore volume, carbon content and mineral content (mainly Ca and Fe). Finally, studying the effect of activation of sludge chars on sorption strength could be useful for further improving their sorption properties.

Der Beitrag Pyrolysis not only eliminates PFAS from sewage sludge, the biochar also absorbs PFAS in contaminated soils erschien zuerst auf PYREG GmbH.