Biochar

A carbon-rich organic material generated in the absence of oxygen using a reactor at temperatures higher than 500°C.

The process called pyrolysis converts organic biomass (such as wood chips, crop residue or manure) into carbon-rich biochar, a specific type of charcoal.

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biochar for

Battery recucling
Carbon Black Substitute
Advanced Electrochemical Energy Storage
Cement and Construction Applications
Agriculture
Cement and Construction Applications
Hydrogen Storage

The Next Green Revolution

With humankind’s carbon footprint dominating the global conversation, the need for alternative energy sources continues unabated. We have seen extraordinary leaps in renewable technologies and energy sources over the last few decades.

One such renewable technology is biochar, a carbon-rich organic material generated in the absence of oxygen using a reactor at temperatures higher than 500°C. This process, called pyrolysis, converts organic biomass (such as wood chips, crop residue or manure) into carbon-rich biochar, a specific type of charcoal.

Biochar improves soil texture and promotes root growth, reducing soil compaction. Its surface area holds onto nutrients like a sponge, making them available to plants longer, protecting them from being washed away, and helping plants absorb them more easily.

Use Cases

#1 | Battery recucling

How Biochar Can Save the Planet

Biochar is being used to cut greenhouse emissions in industrial processes such as lead battery recycling, which has been one of the most successful environmental initiatives in US history.

Gopher Resource and the University of Minnesota have collaborated on an initiative, partially funded by the US Department of Defense, that replaces coke with carbon-neutral biochar in furnaces used during the recycling process.

This key replacement uses organic charcoal created from disease-infested ash trees and balsam fir, which could reduce Gopher Resource’s greenhouse emissions by up to 30%.

Key Points:

  • The use of biochar in battery recycling could reduce greenhouse emissions in the recycling process by up to 30%
  • Based on Gopher Resource data, that would mean that the equivalent of 7.5 million batteries, or 90,000 tons of lead, would no longer enter the atmosphere, representing an unprecedented leap forward in controlling industrial emissions

A Renewable Replacement

Lignin-derived biochar is a game changer in terms of its potential applications in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), particularly as a conductive electrode additive and active lithium host material.

The biochar has been found to exhibit high conductivity similar to Super P carbon black, the main conducting material found in most batteries. What’s more, biochar only creates 1.2 kg of CO2 per kg while Carbon black creates 2.4kg of CO2 per kg, a reduction in greenhouse gases of 50%.

Studies suggest that replacing carbon black with biochar can significantly enhance the sustainability of LIBs, with real potential to revolutionize the lithium-ion battery industry and make it much more sustainable than it is today.

Key Points:

  • Biochar can be an effective conductive additive in LIB anodes with graphite, showcasing improved cell efficiency and rate capability comparable to Super P Carbon Black.
  • Biochar creates 50% less greenhouse gases during production as compared to Super P Carbon Black

Organic Batteries Could Be Next

At the forefront of research into biochar applications,some of the most intriguing possibilities for using biochar in high-capacity battery technology include research into supercapacitors, battery applications, and hydrogen storage.

Biochar is versatile enough to have a porous structure with good surface area, graphitization and surface functions, all of which are important for optimal performance as an energy storage medium.

For example, the New Journal Of Chemistry reports that when creating a biochar electrode made from an apricot shell, the energy capacity was nearly 88% of the energy from a conventional supercapacitor. Further analysis also showed that after 10,000 battery cycles of charging and discharging, the biochar still had a high energy retention, retaining over 99.5% capacity.

Key Points:

  • Biochar capacitor electrodes from an apricot shell had an energy capacity of 88% that of a conventional supercapacitor.
  • Biochar retained 99.5% of its energy capacity, even after charging and discharging for 10,000 battery cycles.

Organic Batteries Could Be Next

Global temperatures are rising due to CO2 emissions from various industries, with the construction sector contributing significantly to the carbon footprint.

Notably, when biochar is added to cement and concrete, it absorbs more than twice its own weight in CO, acting as a carbon sink/carbon capture device, keeping that C02 from the atmosphere, whereas steel and concrete do not.

Biochar also improves the quality of pavement materials like asphalt during road construction. Using biochar as a binding agent increases the high-temperature properties of asphalt by up to 35% allowing the pavement to be more stable and bound together when the temperature is warmer.

All this offers hope for a more climate-conscious variety of cement and cement-like construction materials in the future.

Key Points:

  • Biochar construction materials can absorb more than twice their own weight in CO2, acting as a carbon sink, whereas steel and concrete have zero effect on carbon capture.
  • Biochar has been proven to improve the high-temperature properties of pavement materials, such as asphalt, by up to 35%.

Organic Batteries Could Be Next

Biochar has long been studied for its impact on agriculture and farming ever since it was added to soil as a component in Terra Preta or Amazonian Dark Earth, by peoples of the Amazon river basin over 2000 years ago. Inspired by this history, recent studies conducted by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Nova Scotia, have shown that biochar can significantly improve soil health, increase the yield of tomatoes and sweet peppers, enhance beneficial bacteria, and reduce fertilizer use by up to 50%.

Adding Biochar to soils also increases the amount of nitrogen retained by fertilized crops and subsequently increases crop yields. One such experiment on rice saw that crops with biochar-amended soil increased their nitrogen uptake by 23-27%, which led to an increase of 8-10% in rice yield.

Key Points:

  • An AAFC study shows that biochar improves soil health, increases yield of tomatoes and sweet peppers, and reduces fertilizer use by up to 50%
  • A rice experiment saw crops increase their nitrogen uptake by 23-27%, leading to an increased yield of 8-10%.

Organic Batteries Could Be Next

Biochar has a porous structure with a high surface area, making it an excellent material for adsorbing and storing hydrogen gas. This offers a sustainable alternative to conventional storage methods.

Poplar wood chip biochar, in particular, is chemically stable, ensuring safe and efficient hydrogen storage. Under optimal conditions, it can hold up to 3 wt% of its own weight in hydrogen.

The scalability and cost-effectiveness of biochar compared to other storage materials make it economically attractive. Furthermore, biochar’s ability to regenerate after hydrogen release minimizes waste at the same time. According to a recent economic benefit analysis conducted in China, the internal rate of return for biochar used for hydrogen storage is approximately 22%.

Key Points:

  • Poplar wood chip biochar, in particular, is chemically stable, ensuring safe and efficient hydrogen storage. Under optimal conditions, it can hold up to 3 wt% of its own weight in hydrogen.
  • According to an economic benefit analysis conducted in China, biochar-based hydrogen storage solutions have an internal rate of return of 22%.

BIOCHAR USE CASES

Asia

Use Case #1: Greenhouse Gas Reduction/ Carbon-Neutral Agriculture (China)
Use Case #2: Pine Tree Reforestation and Inoculation (Japan)
 Use Case #3: Biochar Used as Vapor-absorbent Materials for Construction Materials and Explosives (South Korea)
Use Case #4: Water Purification (The Philippines)

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Middle East

Use Case #1: Enhancing Soil Fertility (Saudi Arabia)
Use Case #2: CO2 Capture and Sequestration (UAE)
 Use Case #3: Water Filtration and Desalination (Nigeria)
Use Case #4: Water Purification (The Philippines)

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A Few Additional Applications For biochar

OPTION 1

Animal Farming

Silage Agent
Feed Additive
Litter Additive
Manure Slurry
Treatment
Composting

OPTION 2

Construction

Insulation
Air Decontamination
Humidity Regulation
Concrete Additive
Plaster & Mortar
Asphalt

OPTION 3

Waste Water

Active Carbon Filter
Rain Screen Water Systems
Composting Toilet Additive
Septic Field Treatment
Grey Water Systems
Sewage Slurry Treatment

OPTION 4

Biogas Production

Biomass Additive
Biogas

OPTION 5

Decontamination

Additive for Soil Remediation
(mining & military)
Soil Substrate
(treatment for heavy metals)

soils

A Global Problem & Mother Nature’s Solution

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Contact Information

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