Technical carbon is a high-performance and valuable raw material that can be used in a variety of ways in industry. Carbon is considered harmless, is chemically stable and can be reintegrated into the material cycle after its service life. Components of concern (toxic compounds, microplastics, etc.) are safely removed during production. Carbon is produced during the thermochemical conversion of biogenic residual material streams in the so-called pyrolysis process.

Instead of incinerating biogenic residual material streams or letting them rot, they are pyrolyzed in the pyrolysis process under low-oxygen conditions at temperatures between 220 and 700°C. The process produces a solid solid material, biochar, in addition to energy in the form of heat and electricity. In addition to energy in the form of heat and electricity, this process produces a solid solid, biochar. This consists mainly of technical carbon, the basis of our applications. The carbon varies in structure and composition, depending on the residual material streams used and the process parameters of the respective plants.

The pyrolysis process is a market-ready technology that is already available today, can be scaled up quickly, and is also energy self-sufficient. 

Biochar (also known as "Pyrogenic Carbon Capture and Storage - PyCCS") production and injection is one of the most advanced negative emission technologies (NET) currently available, and synergies can also help support the deployment of other NET.

Thanks to CarStorCon® technology, the technical carbon becomes part of the product matrix and can therefore be recycled again even after the product has reached the end of its life. This means that for each new building, a significantly CO2-reduced or even climate-positive building material can be produced again using the recyclate and a further admixture of Clim@Add®.

98% of the CO₂ emissions caused by concrete processing come from cement production. Worldwide, the cement industry is responsible for around 8% of the CO2 emitted. In Germany, the share is around 3%.

Every kilogram of cement that can be saved in concrete is therefore a contribution to the climate. Adding our aggregate can save up to 15% cement. Added to this is the carbon-saving power of negative-emission technology. With every kilogram of Clim@Add® used, around 3 kilograms of CO2 are permanently removed from the cycle.

In addition, in accordance with the Closed Substance Cycle Waste Management Act, the solution represents a higher-value utilization stage compared to incineration.

Act locally - protect the climate globally

In addition, local procurement and short transport routes also play a role in the sustainability balance of the innovative building material. The technical carbon is based on a regionally produced basic raw material. The additive is added for functionalization, and the projects are realized with local building material manufacturers. We cooperate with regional residual material recyclers and disposal companies, energy suppliers and pyrolysis plant operators and close local recycling loops.

At the moment, we assume that lignin-containing residual material streams are best suited. At present, we primarily use forest residues certified as sustainable according to FSC standards. Tests with other residual material streams are ongoing.

Without carbon there would be no life on earth! Around 90 percent of all known compounds are carbon compounds. Our material is non-toxic. The biochar we use is EBC certified. The European Biochar Certificate is a voluntary industry standard in Europe, which is intended to ensure the sustainable production of biochar and to enable producers to provide users and authorities with a verifiable guarantee of the quality of the biochar. https://www.european-biochar.org/de/ 

The power plants differ from conventional biomass cogeneration plants in that they make maximum use of the residual material stream. Conventional biomass cogeneration plants have a very low efficiency because they release almost all of the CO2 back into the environment and the solid combustion residues have to be disposed of in landfills.

Forest residues from sustainably managed forests are fed into the reverse power plant. In addition to the biochar, various energy sources such as electricity, heat and a natural gas substitute can be generated from it, depending on the configuration and use. Thus, the systems release only a small portion of the CO2 originally stored via the forest back into the atmosphere, and a very respectable portion remains as usable green carbon. Despite the release of CO2 to the environment (during the recovery of the energy sources), the system remains climate positive due to the biochar, provided it is used as a carbon sink, as in our case in building materials.

To enable the required gigaton scaling and to drive this crucial innovation in climate protection, a voluntary market for carbon sink credits has emerged alongside the issuance of government ETS certificates. Buyers of these carbon credits can use them to offset their unavoidable residual emissions and not only support the achievement of their own net zero targets, but also pave the way for a transparent, verifiable, economically sound and, first and foremost, trustworthy carbon sink market.