Innovation project: BIOCHAR-LIFE-EU
Innovation project: BIOCHAR-LIFE-EU
Project name: Demonstration of the production of plant-based biochar in the compost cycle and the development of high value-added biochar products
Aims of the project
The project aims to demonstrate the production of plant-based biochar (biochar for short) in the compost cycle and its development into high-quality biochar products.
Biochar is produced using pyrolysis technology, which captures and stores the carbon from biowaste that would normally be part of the greenhouse gas emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2).
Today, however, biochar is still a niche market, and with current technologies it is not possible to produce biochar in large quantities and at a low enough cost to bring it to market.
The Sonnenerde composting plant in Riedlingsdorf (Burgenland, Austria), which has extensive experience in biochar research, has developed an innovative recycling concept together with its partner NGE that is perfectly integrated into the composting cycle.
The key innovation is "PyroDry", a new drying and pyrolysis technology from Austrian partner NGE. This involves carbonizing the screening residues from the biowaste and producing biochar as a new raw material.
Together with the German partner CARSTORCON, the project will develop new climate-positive building material additives based on the biochar produced. Biochar of the highest quality produced forms the raw material for aggregates in the concrete and asphalt industry. The building material additive produced from it improves the properties of concrete and also has a positive effect on the climate by storing carbon in the building materials.
Other high-quality biochar products are being developed together with the Sonnenerde subsidiary CharLine. Biochar can be mixed with compost for Terra Preta soil and soil activator, or used as feed charcoal (dog, cat, horse). Biochar can also be used in agriculture as a nitrogen fertilizer or fertilizer additive.
European municipalities and cities can use biochar as a fine substrate for a new tree planting system to adapt to climate change.
Finally, the transnational project consortium will regularly disseminate and communicate the results and develop a plan for EU-wide dissemination, replication and expansion.
What is biochar?
Biochar is obtained from organic waste produced using "pyrolysis" technology. Pyrolysis is a small reactor for thermochemical treatment in which the organic materials are broken down in a very low-oxygen process at temperatures between 400 °C and 800 °C. This overheating in the absence of oxygen is the key technology to ensure that the carbon content can be captured. This superheating in the absence of oxygen is the key technology to ensure that the carbon content can be captured and is not burnt to ash and lost. Thus, the pyrolysis treatment prevents combustion and produces biochar with a very high content of up to 85% of very stable carbon.
Thanks to this pyrolysis heating technology and process, the carbon is stored in the biochar and achieves the well-known effect of "terra preta" (Portuguese for "dark earth"), where the carbon can be preserved for hundreds to thousands of years. Biochar therefore ultimately stores carbon that would normally be part of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) and is absorbed by plants through photosynthesis.
Since the industrial world emits too muchCO2 and nature cannot compensate for the emissions, carbon capture technologies are absolutely necessary in addition to emission reduction in order to achieve the climate targets. The biochar innovation thus acts as a unique carbon sink technology that can effectively store carbon.
Project details
Sector of the campaign: Biowaste disposal:
Municipal biowaste (green plant waste) is collected separately and processed in composting plants. On average, each plant treats 10,000 tons of biowaste per year. Today, only about 17% of biowaste is collected and treated in the EU (with large regional differences), but the target is to recycle 65% of municipal waste across the EU by 2035.
Compost plays a crucial role in improving soil structure. It allows more air into the soil, improves drainage and reduces erosion. Compost helps to prevent the soil from drying out in times of drought by retaining more water. The conversion of biologically derived waste streams into compost is one of the key pillars of the European strategy for a circular economy and plays a crucial role in carbon management.
Composting process:
The composting process itself is complex. Composting is a biological process that mainly takes place under aerobic conditions and in the presence of oxygen. To produce an ideal compost in a short time, all factors that influence compost production must be kept within an ideal range. The challenge is that the decomposition process takes time and a well-sifted starting material is absolutely essential.
The environmental problem today is that the screenings are not treated and normally have to be incinerated, which causes costs and greenhouse gas emissions. The amount of screenings is considerable and poses a real problem for composting plants. The exact amount varies from one treatment process to another. In composting plants for biowaste from households and gardens, the proportion of screenings is up to 25 %.
The Biochar-LIFE innovation solves several challenges:
composting plants can use the entire screen residue of organic waste as feedstock for pyrolysis, so that the problem of incinerating screen residue is completely solved. PyroDry also utilizes the excess heat during the process so that the entire pyrolysis process becomes energy self-sufficient and, in addition, another waste stream of wet industrial sludge can be dried and dissolved.
The transnational project consortium has designed a work plan that envisages a demonstration system in an operational environment capable of converting approx. 5,300 tons of wet biowaste into 1,000 tons of biochar per year (work package WP2).
Once the biochar has been extracted, the project plans to develop climate-friendly concrete additives (WP3) and to develop and use other high-quality biochar products in a variety of sectors (WP4).
The project demonstration will be part of a concept for EU-wide dissemination, replication and upscaling (WP4, WP5).
The circular innovation will lead to a more cost-effective production of biochar and at the same time significantly reduceCO2 emissions. In addition, the biochar produced is the "miracle cure" for mitigating climate change. With 1,000 tons of biochar, we can store around 2,500 tons ofCO2 in high-quality biochar products for a century.
Project consortium
CarStorCon Technologies
We transform concrete and asphalt intoCO2 sinks and improve the material properties of the products at the same time.
Our start-up from Marienhafe has developed an aggregate that actively removesCO2 from the atmosphere and permanently binds it in building materials. The aggregate is based on technical carbon, which is obtained from regional biogenic waste streams.
The storage and incorporation of technical carbon is a recognized negative emissions technology. In this way, we create recognized, sustainable and permanent carbon sinks in concrete and asphalt applications. The use of the Clim@Add® aggregate also makes it possible to save on resource-intensive primary raw materials such as cement.
Sonnenerde GmbH
Sonnenerde GmbH is a composting plant in Austria (Burgenland) and was founded in 1998 by Gerald Dunst, based at Oberwarterstraße 100, AT-7422 Riedlingsdorf.
CharLine GmbH (CharLine for short) is a subsidiary of Sonnenerde. The company was founded in January 2016 and focuses exclusively on the use of biochar as a raw material and the production of ready-to-use products based on biochar.
www.sonnenerde.at
Next Generation Elements GmbH (NGE)
Next Generation Elements GmbH (NGE) is a plant engineering company based in Feldkirchen/Danube, Austria. Since 2017, the company's core competence has been the construction of customized pyrolysis plants for the recycling of biogenic residues. As part of the Next Generation Group, it is a solution provider for alternative thermal treatment technology and focuses on consulting, development and implementation of fully automated system concepts.
Pastu Green
Pastu Green is an environmental consulting company dedicated to developing innovative eco-friendly products and business solutions that reduce environmental impact and consume fewer resources. PASTU is mainly active in the business areas of transportation, logistics and climate change. The company is based in Brussels and consists of a dynamic, experienced senior team that has a proven track record in the quality of its services for more than 20 years. PASTU also supports environmental and sustainable development and utilization projects across Europe.
Central contact point
You can contact the project by e-mail: biochar @ green.pastu.eu
The biochar campaign is co-financed by the Program for Environment and Climate Protection (LIFE); project 101146413 / LIFE23-ENV-AT-BIOCHAR-LIFE
Disclaimer: "Co-funded by the European Union. However, the views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them."