Biochar is produced through pyrolysis – a low-oxygen process of biomass conversion. Residual materials are used in this process, for example waste from the timber industry or straw. Biochar is used as a soil conditioner in agriculture. This way, carbon is permanently stored in the soil. Pyrolysis is an exothermic process. Once started, it produces heat that can be used for heating purposes and for the production of electricity.
Hansjörg Lerchenmüller is chairman of the supervisory board of Carbuna AG, a trading platform for biochar. He would like to be involved in removing around 200 million tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere by 2035 using plant carbon and storing it (negative emissions or removals). The prerequisite is that the biochar industry continues its current rapid growth process – 70 per cent per year.
